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LUKE Xn. 13-21.
13 And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he diyide the inheritance irith me.
14 And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?
15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of coTctousness : for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
16. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The erouna of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully :
17 And he thought within himself, laying, What shall I do, because I
have no room where to bestow my fruits?
18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my bam& and build greater ; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
19 And I will say to my soul. Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for ma- ny years ; take tiune ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
20 But Ood said unto him. Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be re- quired of thee : then whose shall tnose things be, which thou hast pro- vided?
21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God .
Thb passage we have now read affords a singular instance of man's readiness to bring the things of this world into ike midst of his religion. We are told that a certain hearer of onr Lord asked Him to assist him about his temporal affairs. '^ Master/' he said, " speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me." He probably had some yague idea fliat Jesus was' going to set up a king- dom in this world, and to reign upon earth. He resolves to make an early application about his own pecuniary. Blatters. He entreats our Lord's interference about his earthly inheritance. Other hearers of Christ might be thinking of a portion in the world to come. This man, was one whose chief thoughts evidently ran upon this present life.
How many hearers of the Gospel are just like this man ! How many are incessantly planning and schem- ing about the things of time, even under the very sound of ihe things of eternity ! The natural heart of man i always the same. Even the preaching of Christ did not arrest the attention of all His hearers. The minister o