The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-12-04
Christian Life Column.
THE PARABLE OF THE FOOLISH RICH
NAN AND ITS LESSON,

O"AAAAS W0d1Gn Dy unlawful means,
This is a Ease in point. Here is a
farmer, a rich, prosperous farmer,
who has enough, all he can properly
use, already. He has the promise of
a big crop this year he has devoted
his entire attention to increasing the
crops. He is worried just now as to
what he will do with this large in
crease which he assumes will be per
manent and be his by right. He
finally, after much patient study,
concludes: "This will l do: l will
pull down my barns and build
greater and there will I bestow all
my fruits and my goods"
What now is wrong with all this?
Does the farmer do wrong in increas-
ing the fertility of his land? Ger
tainly not it is his bounden duty.
Does he do wrong in charging his
hay barns, his g~ranaries, and corn
cribs until they equal in capacity the
natural or eve expected fruitful
ness Of his soil? Certainly not that,
too, is his duty. What then is wrong
with this man? Simply this: The
use he intends to make of them. II
will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast
much goods laid up for many year /;
take thine ease, eat, drink and be
merry" Remember that the goods
were not yet laid up. He had only
the promise Of the harvest even for
this year. He forgot the Lord of the
harvest, as we are all apt to do, but
much worse than all this the pros
pective riches were to be the salts
flying portion of his soul. He pro-
posed to live hereafter purely and
solely for self.
And God says to him, not by word
of mouth, but by the sharp stroke of
sickness, which the farmer himself
sees to be mortal: Thou fool, this
night thy soul shall be required of
thee: then whose shall these be,
which thou hast provided?" The
point particularly emphasized thus
far Is the fOOlishness of the giving of
anxious thought, study and work to
lay up for the future more than we
can possibly use. 1t is foolish In this
mans case, because the crop was not
yet made. He had so far only a
prospect. He had no suran that
it would be made, he could not use
it even if he had it, and in case of his
death he did not know who would
use it. Whose shall those things
be, which thou hast provided?"
The second point that the Saviour
makes is the sinfulness of this course.
80 is he that layeth up a treasure
for himself, and is not rich toward
God" Mark you, He does not speak
of the sinfulness of laying up treas
but of laying up treasure for
purposes and Il treasure en-
tlreIy dlSprOpOrtlOnate to his spirit
ual welI-being, and is not rich to-
ward God; thap is, rich in a God
like character, and this reminds us
of the remarkable prayer of John for
his brethren: Beloved, I wish
above ali things that thou mayest
prosper and be in health, even as
thy soul prospereth )" that is, 1 pray
you may be as healthy as you are
good.
Then turning from the company,
to which the above remarks were
addressed particularly, to His dis
He said: Take no thought
for your life, what ye shall eat
neither for the body, what We shall
put on. The life is more than meat
(that is, fOOd). arr he body is more
than raiment." It would be an alto
foolish Interpretation of these
words to say that we are not to take
thought of how we shall provide for
the wants of the body either in the
way of food or clothing. The idea
of the Saviour, which the original
word used shows, is: Take no anx-
ious thought do not worry nor fret
over providing for your natural
wants. That is, do not wear out
your life thinking how you are going
to live.
The verses following, which are
not in the lesson, abundantly con-
firm this reading. He says: Con
the ravens (despised birds) +; for
they neither SOW nor reap which
neither have storehouse nor barn
and God feedeth them how much
more are Ye better than the fowls?