West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1888-11-29
REWARDS FOR ALL.
me LESSON OF THE rALEvrs.
Rev. DIR. TaImage Speaks Words CT
encouragement for An aIaa-
ncr OF Christians,

~A'hJ VA tho IhiuDit1 Oh Jesus NnrINT were
more erapic in the times ia which He lived
than they are now, because circumstance
nave 80 much changed. In olden times, when
man wanted 10 wreak a grudge upon his
helghber, after the farmer had scattered tho
seed wheat over the field and was expecting
the harvest bis aveDger would 20 across the
same beld With a sack full or the seed OF
darnel grass, scattering that seed all
over The fled, and OF course IL would sprout
up and spoil the whole crop; and IL was 10 that
that Christ referred i'm the parable when he
spoke OF tho tares being sown among the
wheat In this land our farms are fenced
OIL. and the wolves nave been driven TO the
mountains, and we cannot fully under
stand the meaning of the parable in
regard TO the shepherd and the lost
sheep But the parable from which / speak
to-day is founded on something we all under
stand. III built ON money, and that means
the same IN Jerusalem as In New York. Ii
means the same TO the serf as 10 the Car.
and TO the Chinese coolie as 10 the Emperor.
Whether It is made out of bone or brass.
or iron or copper, or gold or silver, it
SPEAKS ali languages without a stammer.
The parable OF the text runs in this wise:
Inc owner OF a large estate was about 10
leave home, and he bad some money that he
wished properly invested, and so he called to-
gether his servants, and said:
Il nm going away now, and / wish you
would take this money aud put il to the very
best possible use, and when / come back re-
turn 70 me the interest," To one man no
gave S94OO, 10 others he gave lesser sums OF
money; TO the least he gave $3.50 He left
home and was gone for years, and then re.
turned. On his arrival he was anxious to
know about his worldly affairs. and
ne called his servants together 20
report to him. Let me know" said he,
what have you been doing with my prop
erty since | have been gomez The man who
nad received the 5000 cane up and said: II
invested that money. i got good interest for
~ l ave IN other ways rightly employed
II; and here arc SlS,S10. You see | nave
doubled what you gave men That's very
good,. said the owner OF the estate: that's
gfandly done. l admire you faithful
ness and industry. l shall reward you.
Nei done-well done.h Other servants
came mp with smaller accumulations. After
a while, / sec a man dragging himself
along, with his head hanging. j know from
the way he comes i'm that ne is n lazy fellow.
lie comes up TO the owner OF the estate and
says: Here are those $i,SS0.n "Whatln
says the owner of the property. "haven,t
you made it accumulate anythinQp'
"Nothing-nothing.p "Why, what have Won
been about all these ycarsN ''Oh, L was
AFRAID thai II | invested it, might somehow
lose u. There are your $lSSO.n Many a
man started out with only a crown i'm his
pocket and achieved n fortunes; but this
fellow of my text, with 1880, has gained not
one farthing. Instead OF confessing his To-
ooience, he goes to work 10 berate his
master, for Incidence is most always i'm
pudent and impairment. OF course, he loses
his place aud is d scharged from the service.
The owner who went ont into a far country
Is Jesus Christ going from earth to heaven.
Iho servants spoken of IN tho text are
members OF the Church. The talents are our
different qualifications of usefulness given
IN different proportions to different people.
Tho coming back OF the owner is the Lori
Jesus returning at the Judgment TO make
maj settlement. The raising of some OF
these men to be rulers over five or two cities,
is the exnltat!on OF the righteous at the last
day, while the casting out of the idler is the
expulsion OF all those who have misimproyed
their privileges.
Learn first from this subject, that becoming
. Christian is merely going out Co service.
III you have any romantic Idea about becom-
ing n Christian, l want now TO scatter the
romance. II you enter into the kingdom of
God, IL viii be going into plain, practical.
honest, continuous, persistent Christian
work. 1 know there are a great many people
who have fantastic and romantic notions
about this Christian life, but no who serves
God with all the energies of body. mind. and
soul is a worthy servant, and he who do s not
Is an unworthy servant When the war trum-
pet sounds, all the Lords soldiers must
march, however deep tho snow may be, or
however fearful the odds against them. Under
our Government we may have Colonels, and
Captains, and Generals in time Of peace. but in
The Church OF God there is no peace until the
last great victory shall have been achieved.
But have 10 tell you il is n voluntary SER
vice. People are not brought into it as
slaves were dragged from Africa. A Young
man goes to an artisan and says:
'Sir, j want TO learn your trade. l.
by this indenture, yield myself to your care
and service for the next four, or five, or
seven years. / want YOU to DO my master.
and / want TO be your servant" Just Sd. II
we come into the kingdom OF Col at all, we
must come, saying TO Christ: "Be Thou my
master. j tako Thy service for { me and for
eternity. IchooSe it, 1t is a voluntary service.
There Is no drudgery in il. In cur worldly
cnllings sonnet ms our nerves get worn suit.
and our head aches, ami our physical facU,-
ties Lreak down; but in this service of the
Lord Jesus, the harder "A man works the bet
ter ne llkes IL, and a man in this audience
VINO has been for forty years serving God en-
JOYS ihe employment better that when he FIRST
entered II, The grnudest honor that can ever be
bestowed upon you, Is to have Christ say to
you on the last day. "Well done, good and
faithful serYantn
Learn also from this parable that different
qualifications are given TO different people.
The teacher Hts a blackboard, aud he draws
adiagram, in order that by that diagram he
may impress tho mind Of the pupil with the
truth that lac has been utteTing. and all the
truths OF this BiOle arB drawn out IN the
natural world as in q great diagram. Here
- an Rcfo Of ground that has ten
talents. Under a little culture it Yields
twenty bushels OF wheat 10 the acre. Here
Is another piece OF ground that has only one
talent You may pow IL, and harrow IL.
and culture II, year after year. but il Yields
q mere pittauce. So here Is n man with ten
talents M tho way Of getting good and doing
Rpou. He soon, under Christian culture.
yields great haryests Of faith ard good work.
ilefe - another man who seems TO have only
ono talent and YOU may put upon him
the greatest spiritual culture. but he
Yields but little of the fruits Of
Righteousness. You are to understand that
mere are different qualifications for differ.
ent indiviiualS. There is a great deal Of
Fulnous comparison when a man says: ooh.
H oniy had that mans faith, or that mans
money or that INNS eloquenCe, how I would
serve God Better take the faculty that
1od has given you and employ IL in
say, that Before the stone and
Timber wore brought 20 Jerusalem for tho
Tempe every stone and p'eco Of timber was
mafkoIi 80 that before they started for
jerusalem the architects know in what pace
mat particular Dioc8 OF timber or stone
should IT. And so 1 have b. tell you we are
!. marked Tor some one place In tho great
temple or tho Lord, and do not let us
complain, saying " would like
20 Do Tho foundation stone or
the cap stone" Let us 20 into Tho very
pace where Oo1 intends us b. be-, and be
shtsled with the position Your talent may
geln iarge worldly state; your talent may be
M personal appearance. your talent may
70 pa high social position. your talent may
Ds pm q s"ift pen or eloquent tongue hul
enaloYor bo Che talent, 1T has been given only
tof one purposc~-practical use. You some.
tInes linda man iu the community OF whom.
you say; 'le hlan talent &C OH and set that