The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-12-05
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN nlVINE'S sun.
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "RewarlS For the Dull a.
Well rs the Brilliant"

TEXT: "Unto one lie gape fue talents, 10
another ttco, and TO another one; to erery
man according TO his several Gtaity."-
Matt XAv.. u
Many of the parallels of Jesus Christ were
more grupic in the tinllS in which He lived
than they are now, because circumstances
have so much changed. In olden times, when
man want.d to wreak grudge ION his
neigEber, after the farmer had scattered the
seed heat OVER the lied and was expecting
the harvest, his avcnger would 20 across the
same iivid with a S;tck full Ui tie Seed OF
eerne. 81; S. Sc .ttcrEg THAT seed All
over lhc tic d, alltt OF c(:urso it would sp:out
up and srCi! the w!:o e CROP; ana il; was 10 that
that Chr 81 referred III the parabe when lie
spoke of tie t0res being sown among the
wheat. III this iand Cur farms are fenctu
Oft, and the worves have been driven to thc
mountains and we Cannot fully under
stand the meaning of the parable Ill
regard to the shepherd and the lost
sheep. But the parapie from which speak
to-day is founded or something we all under
stand. Ii is built on money, an that means
the same in Ie.usa EN- 4, III Ne% York. IL
means tie same TO the Serf as to tne Car,
aud 10 the Chimes" coollc as to the Emperor.
Whether it IS made out OF bone or orass.
or iron or copper, or gold or silver, 1t
Tie parable Of the text runs IN this wise:
The owLer OF q large estate was about to
leave home, anu he ha! some money that ho
wished properly invcsLsd. and so he called to-
gether his servants. and said:
e, Il eE going away now, and wish you
would take this money and put it to the very
best possible use. and when | come back re-
turn to me- the interest TO one man he
gave $94UO, 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 lie 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 dong with my prop
erty since | have been gone" The man VINO
had received the S34UO came up and said: Il
invested that money. l got good interest for
it. / have in oc,ler ways rightly employed
it: and here are $lS,SJ0. You see | have
doubled what you gave me-" ''Ihats very
good" said the owner Of the estate; that's
grandly done. l admire your faithful
Iess and industry. 1 shall reward you.
Ne, done-wel done" Other servants
came up with smaller accumulations. After
a while, | see a man dragging himself
along, with his head hanging. / know from
the way he comes in thai he is a lazy fellow.
He comes up TO the owner of the estate and
says: Here are those %l,SSO." "Whatr'
you made it accumulate anyt!nng:"
"Nothing-nothin5. why, what have you
been about al these years" "Oh, was
afraid thai if invested it, I might somehow
lose il. There are your S1SSU." Many a
man started out with only crown in his
pocket, ane achieved a fortune; but this
Fellow of my text with $3.50, has gained not
one farthing. Instead of contessing his in
dolence, he goes to work 10 berate his
for ip1nlappa l., oiryovs
pudent and impertinent. or course, he loses
his place and is d scharged from the service.
The owner who went out into 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 quaf ficat:onS of usefulness given
in different proportions to different people.
The coming back OF the owner is the Lord
Jesus returning at the judgment to make
final settlement. The raising of some Of
these lien TO be rulers over five or two cities,
is the exaitation of the righteous at the last
day, while tie casting out Of the idler is the
expulsion of al: those who nave mlSimproved
their privileges.
Learn first from this subject.that becoming
Christian is merely going out to service.
il you have any romantic idea about becon-
ing Christian, want now to scatter the
romance. If you enter into the kingdom Of
God. it will lie going into plain, practical,
honest, continuous, persistent Cirlstian
work. ] know there are great many people
who have fantastic and romantic notions
about this Christian life, uut he who serves
Gcd with ali the energies of hody. mind, and
soul is a worthy ant, and LIE who do S not
IS an unworthy servant. " hen the war trunl-
pet sounds, all the Lords soldiers must
march, however deep the snow may be, or
however fearful the odds against them. Under
our Governms MT we may have Colonies, and
Captains, and Generals iE 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 vo untary SER
vice. People are not brought into it as
slaves were dragged from Africa. A young
man goes to an artisan and says:
''Sir, l wa't to learn your trade. l,
by this indenture, yield myself to your care
and service tor the next four, or five, or
seven years. l 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. 1t is a voluntary service.
There is no drudgery in it. In our worldly
callings sonnet me- our nerves get worn out,
and our heal aches, and our physical facul-
ties break down; but in this service uf the
Lord Jesus, the harder @ man works the bet
ter he likes it, and man III this audience
who has been for forty years serving God en-.
joys the emnlovment lett "th " en- he 'irst
entered it. The grandest honor that can ever be
bestowed upon you, is to have Christ say to
you on the last day: well done, good and
faithful servant"
Learn also from this parable that different
qualifications are given to different people.
The teacher lifts blackboard, and he draws
a diagram, in order that by that diagram he
may 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 Il great diagram. Here
is an acre Of ground that has ten
talents. Under Il little culture it yields
twenty bushels Of wheat to the acre. Here
is another piece Of ground that has only one
talent YoI my pow it, and harrow it,
and culture it, year after year. but it Yields
e mere pittance. So here is man with ten
talents IN the way OF getting good and doing
good. He soon, under Christian culture,
Yields great harvests Of faith and good WORK,
Here is another man who seems TO have only
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
ruinous comparison when a man says: "Oh,
If only had that mans faith, or that man
money, Or that min'S eloquence, how would
serve SOu. DcJIST IlfSe ltlS litHliy Iual
God has given you and employ it in
the right way. The rabbis usel TO
say that before the stone and
timber were brought to Jerusalem for the
Temple every stone and pece of timber was
marked: so that before they started for
Jerusalem the architects knew in what p ace
that particular piece OF timber or stone
should fit And.so have to tell you we are
ali marked Tor soa.e one place in t-e great
nE no al
complain, saying IL would like
to bo the foundation stone or