The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1888-11-30
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Not Alone the Brilliant Who Shall
Receive Reward,
But the Record of Heaven VIII Require
of Every One According to the
Talents Intrusted to Their
Earthly Keeping.

subject, his text being:
Unto one he gave five talents, to another
two, and to another one; to every man accord
Ing to his several ability.-Matthew, XIV, 10.
Many of the parallels of Jesus Christ
were more graphic in the times in which
He lived than they are now, because cir
cumstances have so much changed. In
olden times, when man wanted to wreak
a grudge upon his neighbor, after the
farmer had scattered the seed wheat over
the field and was expecting the harvest.
the avenger would go across the same
field with 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 farms are
fenced off and the wolves have been
driven to the mountains, and we can not
fully understand the meaning Of the
parable in regard to the shepherd and
the lost sheep. But the parable of which
l speak is founded on something we all
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 Czar, and to 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 para
bio 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 together his servants, and said:
81 am going away now, and I wish
you would take this money and put it to
the very best possible use, and when /
come back return to me the interest. To
one man he gave nine thousand four hum
dred dollars; to others he gave lesser
sums of money; to the least he gave
eighteen hundred dollars. 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, 'twhat you
| have been doing with my property since
l have been gone. The man who had
received the nine thousand four hundred
| dollars came up and said: "L invested
that money. got good interest for it. /
| have in other ways rightly employed it,
! and here are eighteen thousand eight
| hundred dollars. You see Ihave doubled
| what you gave me. f" That's very good, +"
said the owner of the estate; "that's
! grandly done. I admire your faithful
ness and industry. 1 shall reward
| you. Well done-wen done" Other
/ servants came up with smaller accumu-
| lat1OnS. AFTER dWn1l6 L see a man uFdBS
| ging himself along, with his head hang
| ing. / know from the way he comes in
| that he is a lazy fellow He comes up to
! the owner of the estate and says: 'Here
| are those eighteen hundred and eighty
| dollars" ''Whatp says the owner of
| the property, ''haven't you made it ac-
cumulate any thing?" 'Nothiug-no 9TH
! ing" "Why, what have you been about all
| these years?" "Oh, [ was afraid thatif
| -rvaS4ad Z I irb cOTuabOw lose There
| are your eighteen hundred and eighty
| dollars" Many man star ted out with
| only crown in his pocket and achieved
/ fortune; but this fellow of my text, wi tn
| eighteen hundred and eighty dollars,
| has gained not one farthing. Instead
| Of confessing his Incidence, he goes
to work to berate his master, for
| incidence is most always impu-
| dent and imperttnent. OF course he
! looses his place and is discharged from
| The service. The owner who went out into
| a far country is Jesus Cnrist going from
| earth to Heaven. The servant is spoken
| OF in the text are members of the church.
| The talents are our different qualifca-
| tions 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 men to be rulers over 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 be-
| coming Christian is merely going out
to service. II you have any romantic
! idea about becoming a Christian, l want
now to scatter the romance. If you en-
ter into the kingdom of God it will be
! going into plain, practical, honest, con-
! tinuous, persistent 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 worthy servant and
| ae who does not is an unworthy servant.
| When the war trumpet sounds, all the
| Lords soldiers must march, however
deep the snow may be, or how fearful the
odds against them. Under our govern :
| meut 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 achiev- :
ed. But I have to tell you that it is
a voluntary service. People are
| not brought into it as slaves
were dragged from Africa. A
young man goes to an artisan, and says:
"Sir, want to learn your trade. 1, by
this indenture, yield myself to your care
Z ana service Tor the next LOurs OF uNes or
| seven years. l want you to be my mas
ter, and / want to be your servant" f"
Just so, If 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.
choose it." 1t is a voluntary service.
There is no drudgery in 1t. In our world =
ly callings sometimes our nerves get
worn out, and our head aches, and our
physical faculties break down, but in this
service Of the Lord Jesus, the harder a
man works the better he likes it, and a
man in this audience who has been forty
years serving God, enjoys the employ
ment better than when he first entered
it. The graudest honor that can ever be
bestowed upon you is TO have Christ say
to you on the last day; "Weu done.
good and faithful servant"
Learn also from this parable that differ
ent qualifications are given to different
people. The teacher lifts a blackboard,
and he draws diagram, IN order that by
that diagram he may impress the mind
Of the pupil with the truth that be has
bseu utfering. Aud all the truths OF this
bible are drawn out in the natural world
Is in a great diagram. Here is q
piece of ground that has ten tai.
euts. Under little culture, Il
Yields twenty bushels Of wheat e
the acre. Here is another piece o.
ground tnat has OILY one taleat Tou
may plow It, and harrow ii, a1d culture
Il, year after year. but it yields mere
pittance. So here Is "a man with ten tai.
ents in tile way OF getting good
and doing good. He soon, IN.
der Christian culture, yields great
harvests OF faith and good WORK Here 6
another maa who seem 10 have oaly one
talent, and You may put upon him the
! .-reate4t sDfrituaI culture, but he yields
f.ut little of iha fruits % righteousnes 3.
You are ~ understand that there are di-