The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-08-12

only 60 SO far as to Illustrate the relations and
duty Of everyday life, but the parable reached its
climactic significance only when It attained to ts
own peculiar or particular religious fact, notion or
idea which was set forth. The grain Of mustard
seed only attained to the
FULL SHAPE AND FIGURE
OF Its growth when 1t boomed the tree OF life IN
the midst OF the Paradise OF God Mr. Hegeman
said that the text to which he had invited atten-
ton seemed to be the spiritual significance OF that
most terrible OF parallels; 1t was the acme OF its
spiritual idea. take, therefore, the talent nom
him." 1t might give man one talent, ten, fifty, a
hundred talents; 1t might withdraw many. The
brightest talent was the talent for religion and the
capacity for enjoying that religion, and the great
Himself TWAS, them this talent for religion which
might be fve or ten fold, 1t might be, by being
suppressed neglected or hidden, entirely eXtermi-
mated rom the moral and spiritual life OF man. He
was very much impressed with the sOlemnity OF
this subject and desired to make
A SOLEMN IMPRESSION
upon his congregation. The text, he continued,
had two sharp thoughts: in the first place the
highest talent man had was the talent OF religion
secondly the talent for religion or that religious
capacity, by disuse, by abandonment or Overgrowth
Of other things within, man, might be entirely ex-
he mssns os' Sapay for s" being Or dox
something Man had the GIFT OF God, and as
such the finest that God had made
trinsfc fact or idea Within man there was COM
endowment, which we called the talent Of religion,
distinct from the rest as the cry of the lost soul
in the depth Of night was from anything else on
THE TALENT OF RELIGION
was the very highest and finest In all nature, be-
cause If we analysed 1t we should find its element
made up OF the highest qualities Of our being. The
love OF God was an element OF this talent of religion
II came into the ocean, filing every part OF
our being. 1t was the spring of all our moral
action.
Then we had the talent Of faith, but by faith he
did not mean merely the faith OF o. moment, that
experienced at the last hour OF life only. The
world and some OF the pulpits were to-day
MAKING THE MISTAKE
that the great doctrine Of religious faith, which was
the exercise of holy life hour after hour, day after
day and year after year. was the matter OF mo-
ment. The preacher gave an Illustration. A
distinguished Southern divine was called
upon by General Lee during the war to
be shot. He went to the men and found
their faces sodden and vivid with looks Ofterror
men always are under such circumstances. Talk OF
a man meeting death quietly There always was
that look OF terror. When he talked to them OF
their last moments he found that they were per-
fecty cam and they expressed their trust in Jesus
Christ. The next day he went for the last time and
us he passed the guard house he saw three of them
fling or to the place OF execution. The other four
had been pardOned The four who were pardOned
on that same evening engaged in
DRUNKEN ORGIES
Faith continued Mr.. Hegeman, was something
by through all the dangers, trials and vicissitudes
OF earthly life. He did not mean to say that God
would not save men in an instant, but he did mean
to say that If the faith of those three men who
shot correspondent with that OF their four cOmpan-
ions 1t showed that that faith was
THE ECSTACY OF MOMENT.
In conclusion Mr. Hegeman urged all to make the
most of this talent of religion. Now was the time.
And as for those who neglected, how would they
feel at the gate of God with their talent gomez
The services were brought to close by singing
and the benediCtiOn,