Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1888-12-01
THE GIFT or TALENTS
The Rewards Of the Dull as
Well as the Brill
liant.
The Industrious Use Their
Ia .ents Profitably-Thc
Lazy Neglect Oppor-
tunities.
There Is No Romancein Chris
tianity, But Much Hard
Work.
The Parable Teaches That
AL Are Not Alike
Gifted.
1t Also Teaches That II Day Of Set
Element Must Come, and That
Rewards Await the
righteous.
TIE GIFT or THE TALENTS.

TIE GIFT OF THE
BR0oBLYN, Nov. lS.-At the TGberna-
Gle this morning the acclaim Of the wor-
shippers was very great as they joined i'll
the opening doXology. Professor Browne
rendered cAquisitcly the organ SOLO, son
alta in G minor, Rheinberger. The pas
tor, the Rev. 4. De Witt Talmage, ID. d.,
took his text;
"Unto one he gave five talents, to another
two and 10 another one; to every man &C.
cordirg to his several ability" Matt. %: -.
He said:
Many of the parallels Of Jesus Christ
were more graphic III tie time IL which
He lived than they are now, because cir
cumstanccs have so much changed. In
oldgn times when a man wanted to wreak
a grudge upon his |neighbOr, after the
farmer had scattered the seed wheat over
the field and was expecting a harvest his
avengcr would 20 across the same field
with n sack full of 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 it was to
that Christ referred in the parable when
He spoke of the tares being sown among
the wheat. In this land our fasns are
fenced off and the wolves have been
driven to the mountains and we canno
fully understand the parable III regard TO
the shepherd and the lost sheep. But the
parable from which | speak today is
founded ON something We ali understand
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 car.
and to the Chinese cOolie rs to the EN-
peror. Whether..lt is made out of bone
or brass. or iron or copper, or gold or sl-
yer, 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 s0me
money that he wished properly invested
and 50 he called together his servants and
said:
II am going away now, ard | wish you
would take this money and put il 10 the
very best possible use, and when | come
back return TO me the interest. To one
man he gave 50, 400, TO others he gave
lesser sums Of money; TO the least he
gave $3.50. lie left home and was gone
for wears. and then returned. Tn 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 you have
been with my property since | have
been gone" The man VINO had received
the SO 400 came up and said II invested
that money. | got good interest for 1t.
have in other ways rightly employed it;
and here are $1S, 800. You see | have
doubled what you gave me That's
very good" said the owner of the estate;
that's grandly done. | admire your
faithfulness and industry. | shall reward
YOU. Well done-well done" Other
servants came up with smaller accumula-
tons. After u while, | see a man drag
ging himself along, with his head hang
ing. know from the way he comes IN
that he is a lazy fellow. lie comes up to
the owner of the estate and says: Here
are those s $3.50" What says the
owner Of the property, haven't you
made it accumulate anything Moth
ing-nothing." why, what have you
been about all these years." "Oh,
was afraid that if ] invested it, | might
somehow lose it. There are yours 1850"
MANY a man started out with only q
crown in his pocket, ard achieved a for
tune; but this fellow OF my text, with
81. $50. has gained not one farthing. In
stead of confessiug his Incidence, he goes
TO work TO berate his master, for iDdo-
lence is most always impudent and I'M
pertinent. Of course, he loses his place
and is discharged from the service. The
owner who went Out into a far country is
Jesus Christ going from earth to heaven.
Servants spoken of in the text are mem
bers of the church. The talents are our
different qualifications Of usefulness
given IN different proportions TO differ
ent people. Tho 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
over five or two cities, is the eXal!ation
of the righteous at the last day, while
the casting out of the idler is the eXpul-
sion Of all those who have misimproved
their privileges.
NO ROMANCE IN CHRISTIANITY
Learns first from this subject, tina. be-
coming a Christian is merely gong out TO
service. If YOU ave any romantic idea
about becoming a Christian, | want now
IN scatter the romance. IL you enter into
the kingdom Of God, it will be going into
nIaiu practical, honest, continuous, per
sistent Christian work. | know there are
a 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 soul is a
worthy servant. When the war trumpet
sounds. all the Lords soldiers must
march, however deep the snow may be,
IT however fearful the odds against them.
Under our government we may nave
colonies, and captains, ana generals IL