Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1888-04-25
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Notes on the Lesson for April
29-"The TalentA"
From tn. Chicago stsndsrd.l

From tho Chicago standardl
The lesson for above date may BE- found In
he tweaiy-ffth chapter OF Matthew. from
he fourteenth to the .hir tieth verses
WHAT THE LESSON TEACHES.
Detise,ei unto fhe," his goods. Note the
cation, The goods were delivered"
'oaaia ted, IS the word literally means. 1t
y cons gnment, not an assignment Men
.reas the L0rl's goods as If they were 20 much
property, or wrecAage and salvage
rom the shores of time. Not 30. Whatever
nan has he In commits stoned by the Owner to
Keep, rad hold for . season. II - not his.
Lp tnese in the counting chainbers OF eter-
there is u record and entry which makes
IA all a9ents, commission merchants, stew
lrds OF the Lords bounty.
According 10 his sererdt ability. A good
PRACTICAL lesson this for the days OF com-
NUM-, m and OF strikes through which We are
passing. There IL = variant capacity. . -sey-
sral ability" xmong the children Of men. We
are ali after the same pattern, but not Gil cast
Ia the same mold. Here Ia . man whom hve
talents Il another, two; another. one. 1t is
wise estimate. Men may argue for
essential equality, and for q leveiing OF re-
sponsibility here--cOmmercial communion
higher law of spiritual communism
alone VIII stand. Ike as much - men viii
against distinction ii service, Heavens, IN
v~cterate ratio of flee, tTo, one Is everywhere
in the very constitution Of things God still
lntrusts according to mans Ssevsyal ability"
straightcay. That was industry's pre-
emption of the ground Thrills wise taking
time by the forelock It signifies the wisdom
Of preoccupation. No hazardous daliylnG
aud doubling aud delaying, no weighing OF
chances aud shivering on tbs brink OF deci-
sion, no s}atan's vantage Of procrsstination-
he started to the doing. He went
right TO the work that wxe expected Of him.
Ia tbQra anv haftar NAV NJ aludipU aviI and
escaping error? DIR. 7. J. Morgan used to
tell his classes of a certain ambassador who
went abroad to discharge = specific commits
sion. He reached England, aud, hating,
to egraphed back for instructions. They we're
sent. He went across tine channel and again
hesitate | while he sent back for more ipstruc-
Again they we're given. He passed on
a little further and sent the same tim!d in
quiry along the lines. Then came the plain
and imperative word from the Government,
conveying . we'll merited rebuke: @Put it
through He knew what that meant
Made other fire talents. That 10 exactly what
1t says. Energy is almost divine; 1t has we'll
nigh creative power. We say of this or that
enterprising man, she is making money" He
Is indeed. By some God-given dizziness he
puts forth his hand and where, to outward
seeming. nothing was before, he makes some
to be rich, 1t Is wrong for some men to be
anything else. BY taking what they have and
making more they are working well, they are
dong divinely. Riches and righteousness
ought not 10 be ut variance.
Went a@oy-hid his Lords money. II was
o sneaking sort OF performance. lie slipped
out AID away from the busy life Of the thor
ouehfare and the mart and went to digging =
hole IN some out-of-the-way place. He took
the money with him-his Lorfs money, n
hid it there. Yonder goes q monk away from
the abodes Of men nut from the intercourse
nf ami ~, IN, ami Ha Ia InpI.pv fnr q dark
corner Of the earth where he may dig > hole
and hide his talent-or rather his Lords
money. Here, too, stands q man at his coun-
ter, or between the pillow h,ndle4 You think
he Is doing an open, fair business with God
and man. He is not He has q gift, q talent
for Christ an service hat he has refused to
use. Every merchant, every farmer, giving
thought to the world alone, is shirking even
while he is working. He has crept away to
hide, under clods Of ~calicoes. his Lords
money. And he knows ii.
Behohd-fce talents more. There is no salts
faction to be compared with it, the Joy of the
harvest-home The comfort Of bringing in
the iuits and sheaves Of work we'll don
Some one asked . famous Grecian general
what was the happiest moment of his life. He
answered, ~When l sent home the lou
ment Of my victory" 1t is a transport with
held from angels and reserved for the work.
ing sons Of earth. Doubtless" is the word.
"Shall doubtless come again pith rejoicing,
bringing his sheaves." Harvest happiness,
the solace OF eheaves. God grant us more OF
it in the Christian church.
Well done, thou good and faithful servant
The satisfaction is mutual 1t 10 not an err
ing instinct that brings us TO the Father, our
hearts full OF glad hope at the same time that
our hands are full of FIRST fruits. God him.
self is pleased with efficiency. SGood and
faithful, what does it mean? Why, by
their fruits ye shall know them. No doubt
God is pleased with those that labor on with
out present return. But, sitter oil, we get
what We devote ourselves to seeking in this
world. Suppose now we give ourselves to
pleasing God with fruitful ness; suppose we
just determine to prove ourselves good and
faithful" by the securement OF immediate re-
suits. That is . sage word OF Dr.. GOodell:
-This preaching and going to sleep on our
faithfulness till God gives the increase is
what 10 wasting us. The pastor who calls
nothing fidelity which does not bring constant
blessing from heaven in some form on his
people, and is ever close up to his Lords side
successful in conveying spiritual gifts into
men, as well as faithful in his~work."
Enter thou into the jog Of thy Lord. Not
heaven necessarily. The JOY especially re-
ferred TO in the parable was the celebration
of the Masters safe return and the festivities
incident to such an occasion. With the
descent Of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost the
joy of the Lord began for the Christian
church. 1t shall reach its fuliness when he
m again in his royal majesty; but in the
presence OF his Spirit there is joy, and this
Joy OF the Lord is the church's strength.
Let us seek An immediate realization of the
word as we go our working way, "Enter thou
into the joy of thy Lord" r. ?. Bliss knew
that JOY ere he went up, ~ it were in his
chariot of fire. He sat singing in DR.. Good
wins church. More Joy in Thy Service"
was the piece selected. just before he began
10 ho &,,rpaJ anil aa;l IN tla ,aatnr 81 lnpS<
think l can sing that as my prayer any
more. II seems as though 1 had as much
JOY in serving he blessed Master as I can
bear"
Came aud said. Mouth full, hands empty.
1t is the garrulousness Of vacuity. He was a
made up for lack Of fruits by bringing an
armlosd of excuses. This mans voice sounds
familiar. We have seen him somewhere this
side Of the ysar one. Hear him-@Lord r.
and then follows . long speech. Words,
the witness Of work doneg sYes. l under
stand, but Lord. ! knew thee-andI VA
afraid and-and" All, the culprit! seeking
with . multitude of words TO cover up his
worlhlessness and wicked sloth. Verify we
can believe il, many will come in that day
saying. Lord, Lord" and viii what avail.
10, there thou hast that is thine. We are re.
minded OF one Of Francis Murphy's blunt
speeches. sYou let y man stumble along
through life without . word Of kindness or I
flower OF affection, and then when he dies you
bring . great armload Of cut roses and lilies
and throw them down, with the words, There
now, smellV" Literally the word is ~ giver
in the new version, 10, thou hast thine own. =
or no less accurately. There, you haze 'cha
belongs to yoM. Wrong. He had not his own
he had not what belonged to him. His owl
included his own with usury. Do not think
friend, that you have only to return the talen'
gwen. Your responsibility does not enc
there. Your indebtedness is far greater. II
at the last yon would return God what 10 hi,
own, remember fruitAge II ia simple justice.
Thou scicksd and siothfNi servdnl. Not SO
Lord Not 90! That WAS not the p ea. ]
was hesitancy perhaps aud slowness; . LITTLE
too tlmid, q trifie over-careful, Just . bit o.
natural incredulity or-hold! The eye OF til.
Master LOOKS deep beneath Ill pretense, Ant
seeing the real heart Of his faithless interloc,
ulor he calls b m by his right name. wicked
and slothfuLn And IT matters little what vi
plea | when we come before this court TIT
Judge will ct once get at the truth.
lie sha2t\ hdse abundance 1t 10 heaven
law. 10 him that hath shall be given. Blu
how did he come to hasef He that WAS with
out anything ut the first wal presently in
tru ted with five talents. With these h,
traded, and brought HE lord Eve other tai
ents. LO. now We read that he himself Shatl