ch Man_. Thus runs the story:

"The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And
he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I
have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I
do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will
I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul,
Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine
ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou
fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose
shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that
layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward
God."[927]

The man's abundance had been accumulated through labor and thrift;
neglected or poorly-tilled fields do not yield plentifully. He is not
represented as one in possession of wealth not rightfully his own. His
plans for the proper care of his fruits and goods were not of themselves
evil, though he might have considered better ways of distributing his
surplus, as for the relief of the needy. His sin was twofold; first, he
regarded his great store chiefly as the means of securing personal ease
and sensuous indulgence; secondly, in his material prosperity he failed
to acknowledge God, and even counted the years as his own. In the hour
of his selfish jubilation he was smitten. Whether the voice of God came
to him as a fearsome presentiment of impending death, or by angel
messenger, or how otherwise, we are not informed; but the voice spoke
his doom: "Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of
thee."[928] He had used his time and his powers of body and mind to sow,
reap and garner--all for himself. And what came of it all? Whose should
be the wealth, to amass which he had jeopardized his soul? Had he been
other than a fool he might have realized as Solomon had done, the vanity
of hoarding wealth for another, and he perhaps of uncertain character,
to possess.[929]

Turning to the disciples Jesus reiterated some of the glorious truths He
had uttered when preaching on the mount,[930] and pointed to the birds
of the air, the lilies and grass of the field, as examples of the
Father's watchful care; He admonished His hearers to seek the kingdom of
God, and, doing so, they should find all needful things added. "Fear
not, little flock," He added in tone of affectionate and paternal
regard, "for it is your Father's good pleas