Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1888-12-08
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THEBRoOKLYN DlylNEs SUNDAY
SERMON.

Many of the parallels of Jesus Christ were
more GRAPHIC in the times in which He lived
than they are now, because circumstances
have so much changed. In olden times when
a man wanted to wreak a grudge upon his
neighber, after the farmer had scattered the
seed wheat over the field and was expecting
the harvest, his avenger would go across the
same field with a sack full or the seed of
darnel grass, scattering that seed all
over the field, and of course it would sprout
up and spoil the whole crop; and il was to that
that Christ referred in the parable when He
spoke of the tares being sown'among the
wheat. In this land our farms are fenced
of. and the wolves have 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. 1t is built ON money, and that means
the same in Jerusalem as in New York. 1t
means the same to the serf as to the Gar,
md 10 the Chinese coolie as to the Emperor.
Whether it is made out of bone or BRASS
or iron or copper, or gold or silver, it
speaks all languages without a stammer.
The parable of the text runs in this wise:
The owner of a large estate was about to
leave home, and he had some money that he
wished properly invested, and so he called to-
gether his servants, and said:
II am going away now, and / wish you
best possible use, and when come back re-
turn TO me the Interest," To one man he
gave S94OO, to 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
he called his servants together to
report to him. "Let me know" said he,
what have you been doing with my prop
erty since have been gomez The man who
had received the $9400 came up and said: II
invested that money. got good interest for
it. have in other ways rightly employed
it. and here are $1S,SJ0 You see | have
doubled what you gave me-" ''That's very
good.n said the owner of the estate; that's
grandly done. l admire your faithful
ness and industry. l shall reward you
Well done-well done.n Other servants
came up with smaller accommodations After
while, l see a man dragging himself
along, with his head hanging. know from
the way he comes in that he is a lazy fellow.
he comes up to the owner of the estate and
tays: Here are those $1,SS0." "Whatn
says the owner Of the property, haven't
you made it accumulate anything."
Nothing "Why, what have you
afraid that if invested it, l might somehow
10 Q it. There are your $1SSO." Many a
man started out with only crown in his
rocket, and achieved fortune; but this
fellow of my text with $3.50, has gained not
one farthing. Instead of confessing his in
dolence, he goes to work to berate his
master, for Incidence Is most always i'm
pudent and impertinent. OF course, he loses
his place and is discharged from the service.
The owner who went out into q far country
is Jesus Christ going from earth to heaven.
The servants spoken of in the text are
members of the Church. The talents are our
different qualifications of usefulness given
6ilfQrdnf mr. 70 r.<xr,ls.
The coming back OF the owner is the Lord
Jesus returning at the Judgment to make
final settlement The raising Of some of
these men to be rulers ever five or two cities,
Is the exaltation of the righteous at the last
day, while the casting out of the idler is the
expulsion OF all those who have misimproved
their privileges
Learn first from this subject, that becoming
Q Christian is merely going out to service
il you have any romantic idea about becom-
ing Christian, want now to scatter the
romance. If you enter into the kingdom of
God. it will be going into plain, practical,
honest, continuous, persistent Christian
work. know there are great many people
who have fantastic and romantic notions
about this Christian life but he who serves
God with all the energies of body, mind, and
roul is a worthy servant, and he who docs not
ic an unworthy servant When the war trum-
pet sounds, all the Lords soldiers must
however fearful the odds against them. Under
our Government we may have Colonies, 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 to tell you it is voluntary SER
vice. People are not brought into it as
slaves were dragged from Africa. A young
man goes to an artisan and saySs
"Sir, / want to learn your trade /.
by this indenture, yield myself to your care
and service for the next four, or five, or
seven years. ! want you to be my master.
and want to be your servant" Just so, il
we come into the kingdom of God at all, we
must come, saying to Christ: "Be Thou my
master. take Thy service for time and for
eternity. Ichoose it, IL is a voluntary service
There is no drudgery in it In our worldly
callings sometimes our nerves get worn out,
and our head aches, and our physical facul-
ties break down: but in this service Of the
LUfd Jesus, the harder man works the bet
ter be likes it, and a man in this audience
who has been for forty years serving God en-
joys the employment better that when he first
entered It The grandest honor that can ever be
bestowed upon you, Is to have Christ say to
you on the last day: swell done, good and
faithful servan Z"
Learn also from this parable that different
qualifications are given to different people
The teacher lifts blackboard, and he draws
q diagram, in order that by that diagram he
5nay impress the mind of the pupil with the
truth that he has been uttering And all the
truths Of this Bible are drawn out in the
natural world as in great diagram. Here
Is an acre Of ground that has ten
talefts Under a little culture it yields
twenty bushels of wheat to the acre. Here
Is another piece Of ground that has only one
Talent. You may pow 1t, and harrow it.
and culture it, year after year, but il yields
q mere pittance. So here is man with ten
talents in tue way Of getting good and doing
good. He soon. under Christian culture,
Fields great harvests Of faith and good work.
Here is another man who seems to have only
lne 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
there are different qualifications for differ
ent individuals There is a great deal Of
gulnous comparison when a man says: "Oh,
~ only had that mans faith, or that mans
money, or that mans eioquence, how would
gerye GCd.N Better take the faculty that
God has. given you and employ 1t in
the right way. The rabbis used 70
say, that before the stone and
I timber were brought 10 Jerusalem for the
Temple every stone and piece Of timber was
marked; so that before they started for
Jerusalem the architects knew In what place
! hat particular piece OF timber or stone
mould fit And so I have 10 tell you we are
ll marked for some one place In the great
|omuio If tfa ord and do NOT Iaf s.a