The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 1 — Section 330

mmning perfectly cli,u, the Lord told them wise in all ml\ltc!'B or eRrthly b11sinc111, the following pRrable-story, which ro11ds enspect the awful doom wae 80 close to him I like l\n e:i.:perienM or mrmory of something He forgot Solomon's word~, "D011~t not "·1,i"h hRd no!.ue.lly lmppenrd. thyself of to-morrow" (Prov. xxvii. I). Ver. lG.-The ground of a oertnln rioh Tllke thine eue, eat, drink, e.nd be merry man bro~ht forth plentifully. The un- "EKtrmnes meet," suggests Dean Plumptre: ne.ppy snbjoot of the Lord's story was a "_and the life of self-indulgence mo.y apriug oomruo11 fi1;ure in Palestine in an ordinarily mther from an undue expectation of a prosperous time. We have tlie po1tre.it of lengthened life" (as we.a the ce.~a here), e. le.ndownor whose farms do not seem to "or from unduly dwelling ou its shortness, hRve ooen ncqnired by any unjust means. without taking into acoonnt the judgm<'nt Tliis mnn, a.ft.er yce.rs of successful iuilustry, that comes e.fter it. Tile lnttcr, IW! in the hnvin,:; ncquired grcnt wealth, wholly de- • oarpe diem' of Horace (' Odes,' i. 11. 8), votes himself to it e.nd to its further iMrea.se. we.s the current l11nguage of popular epicu- He does not give himsC'lf up to e:i.:ccas or rcanism" (see St. Paul's reproduotion of proOigncy, but simply, body and soul, be- this thought, 1 Cor. xv. 32): "the former ,:,omes the slave of bis wee.Ith; utterly, seems to he.ve been more che.re.oteristio of hopelessly selfish, he forgets alike God and e. corrupt Jurle.ism." his neighbour. Ver. 20.-But God ea.id unto him, Thou Vers. 17, 18.-And he thought within fool, this night thy soul shall be required himself, saying, What shall I do, because of thee. The literal rendering of the Greek I have no room where to bestow my fruits 1 here is more solemn e.ud impressive in its And he slrid, ThiB will I do : I will pull awful ve.gueness : This night they require down my barns, e.nd build greater. "No thy soul of thee. Who e.re meant by they f place to bestow my fruit.s." Well e.nswers Most likely the angels: not necessarily St. Ambrose," Thon hast barns-the bosoms "avenging," e.s Trench would suggest; of the needy, the houses of the '\\"idows, the simply those e.ngels whose specie.I function mouths of orphans and of infants." Some it was to conduct the souls of the departed might argue, from the sequel of the story, to their o!Dfl place. So we read in the thut God looks with di.navour on riches a.s parable of Le.zu.rua e.nd Divea bow e.ngela richP,s. St. Augustine replies to such e. carried the sou I of Lazarus illto Abraham's mistaken deduction, "God desiree not that bosom. On the words, "they require," thou shouldest lose thy riches, but tlle.t thou Theophyle.ct write8, "For, like pitilEss shouldest change their place" (' Serm.,' exuctors of tribute, terrible angels she.11 xxni. 9). The Greek word rendered "barns" require thy soul from thee unwilling, and ( a:rroM11eas--w henre oar word "apothecary") through love of life resisting. For from the has a broader signification than merely righteous his soul is not required, but he barns; it signifies store or warehouses of commit. it to God e.nd the Fo.tber of spirits, all kinds, thus suggesting that the hero of pleased e.nd rejoicing; nor finds it hard to the st.ory WD.B more than a mere wealthy lay it down, for the body lies upon it e.s farmer-he was probably e.lso a traoer. And e. light burden. But the sinner who has there will I bestow all my fruits e.nd my enfieshed his soul, e.nd embodied it, and goods. As he grew richer, he grew more made it earthy, has so prepared it to render c,,vetous. Ahsulutely no care or thou.;ht its divulsion from the body most hard; for anything save bis lo"ved posses•ions wherefore it is said to be required of !aim, seems to have crossed the tlm'.Bhold of that as e. disobedient debtor that is delivered to poor mistaken h~art of his. This strange pitiless exe.ctors." Then whose shall those hunger after riches for riches' sake is, alas I things be, whioh thou haat provided 1 Our a. very usual form of sou I-disease. Can it Lord here reproduced the thought contained be cured? Al.as I it is one of tLe most hope- in pa.see.gee with which no doubt he had less of soul-maladies. TLis unhappy love been fa.mi!ia.r from hi,i boyhood. "Yee., in countless co.see becomes a passion, and I hated o.ll my laboar which I had tu.ken twines itself round the bee.rt, e.nd so destroys under the sun: becanse I should leave it all the e.ffecti:ons and higher aspirations. unto the man that shall be after me. Antl Ver. 19.-And I will 1ay to my 1oul, Soul, who knoweth whether he shall be e. wise thou hast much goodl laid up for many man or e. fool?" (Eocli,s, ii. 18, 19). "Ifo yea?B. .. 'What folly I " writes St. Bnsil. henpeth up riches, e.ud knoweth not who •· Had thy soul been e. sty, ..-hat else couldst shall gather them" (Pe. xxxix. 6). The ti,ou have promised to it? Art thou so parallel in the e.pocryphe.l book, Ecclus. xi. ignorant of whe.t really belongs to the soul, 18, 19, is very close. tu,,t tllou offercst to it the foods of the Ver. 21.-And is not rioh toward Gad; l,udy? And givest thou to thy aoul the better rendered, if he is not. And t hid thiugs which the dre.nght receives?'' Many sligllt change helps us, too, in drawing tl,e .,car,. Huw liti.11: did tLat poor fool. so right lesso11. 'fhe beiug rich is nevc1· oou- an. llll. ~-6!:J.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO BT. UTKP.. 335