The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1888-11-30
BsookLYr. N. Y, Nov. 1s. At the Tan
nacle, Rev. T. Dewitt. Tel mage b. b. W
for his text:

shepherd and the lost tsheep. But tho parable
nom which l speak today Is founded on
something We all understand. 1t is built on
money, and thatmeans the samein Jerusalem
as in New York. 1t means the same to the
serf as to the Gear, and to ths Chinese coolie
as to the Emperor. Whether It Is made out
OF bone or brnss, or iron or copper orgold or
silver, 1t speaks oil languges without a STAN.
mer. Tho parable Of the text runs in this
wise: The owner Of q large estate was shout
to leave home, and he had some money that
he wished properly invested, and 80 he called
together his servants, and said:
II am going away now, and wish you
would take this money and put It to the
very best possible use, and when come back
return TO mo the interest" To one man he
gave $1,000, to the others he gave lesser
sums of money; to the lcast he gave 81 $50.
He left home and was gone for years, and
then returned. On his arrival he was anx-
ious to know about his worldly affairs, and
he called his servants together to report to
him. "Let mo know" said he, "what you
have heen doing with my property since l
have been gone" The man who had received
the $0.4O0, came up and said: II invested
that money. lgot good interest for it. l
have in other ways rightly employed it; and
here are $1s,s0O. You see have doubled
whit you gave me-" "Thut's very good,'
said the owner of the estate, chats grnndiy
try. ! shall rcward you. Well donc-well
done: Other servants cnme up with
smaller accumulntions. After while.
rec man dragging himself along, with his
bend hanging. | know from the way he
comes In that he in II lazy fellow. He comes
nGF to the owner OF Of the estate and snys:
t Sn%sr nj "%pssSns s'ysS hES" %SGs
these years." "Oh, 1 waS afi,,d that Il /
ore your 81 $50" Many u man started out
with only crown in his pocket and achieved
fortune. hut tl,is fellow of my text witt,
81 $50 hns gnincd not one farthing Instead
OF confessing his Incidence he goes to work
to berate his master, for Incidence is most
always impudent and impertincnt. Ol
course: he loses his place and is discharged
from the servire The owner who went out
into the far country is Jesus Christ going
from enrth to heaven. The servants spoken
Of in the text aie members ofthe church. The
talents are our different qualifications oi
usefulness given in different proportions
to different people. The coming back
Of the owner is the Lord Jesus returning nj
the Judgment 10 make final settlement The
raising Of some of these men to be rulers over
five or two cities. is the exDltation of the
righteous at the last day, while the casting
out of the idler is the expulsion of air those
who have misimproved their privileges
Learn first from this subject, that becom.
ing q Christian is merely going out to serv-
becoming Christian, want to scatter the
romance. u you enter into tho kingdom oi
God it will I've going into plnin, 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 nll the energies of body, mind nnd soul
sounds, all the Lords soldiers must march,
however deep the snow may be, or however
tenrful tho odds against them. Under ourgov.
ernment We may have colonela, and captains,
and generals in time of peace, but in the
Church OF God there is no peace until the Inst
great victory shall have been achieved. But
have to tell YOU it is a voluntary service.
People are not brought into it ns slaves wet,
dragged from Africa. young nun goes to
an artisan and says: "sir, i 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 he your servant.
just 20. If we come into the kingdom of God
at ell, We must come, saying to Christ: "Be
time and for eternity: choose st." Iii u
voluntary service. There is no drudgery,init
In our worldly callings sometimes our nerves
get worn out, and our heads ache, and our
phyeical faculties break down; but in this
service Of the Lord Jesus. the harder a man
works the better he likes it, and man in this
audience who has been for 40 years serving
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:
"Well done, good and faithful servantl"
Learn also from this parable that diifers :
qualifications arr given to different peoI
The teacher lifts a blackboard. and he drJ
dingram in order that by that diagram
may impress the mind of the pupil with
truth that he has been uttering, and oil ..e
truths Of this bible are drawn out in the
natural world as in great diagram. Here
is an acre Of ground that has 10 talents.
Under little culture, it yields 20 bushels OF
wheat to the acre. Here Is another piece OF
ground that has only one talent. You may
piow 1t, and harrow It. and culture it, year
"sseA yeos, uno ~ yleIub u mere plJtQnce. 30
here is man with 10 talents in tho way Of
getting good and doing good. He soon, un.
der Christian culture, yields great harvcsts Of
fnith and good work. Here Ia another man
who seems to have only ono talent, and you
may put upon him the greatest spiritual cul-
tnre but he yields hut little Of the fruits OF
Righteousness. You ore to understand that
there are different qualifications for different
individuals. There is great deal Of ruin.
ous comparison when man says: "Oh, il
only had that mans faith, or that mans
money, or that mans eloquence. how I
would serve God" Better take the faculty
that God has given You and employ it in the
right way. The rabbis used to say that he
fore the stone and timber were brought to
Jerusalem e for the temple every stone and
piece Of timber was marked, SO that before
they started for Jerusalem the architecs
knew in what place that particular piece Of
timber or stone should At. And SO Ihave to
tell you We are all marked for some one
place in the great temple Of the Lord, and
90 90 not let US complain, saying: Il would
like to be the foundation stone or the cap
stone" Let us 20 into the very place
where God intends us to bc, and to be salts
fed with the position. Your talent may be
in personal appearance; your talent may be
iii large worldly estate; your talent be in high
social position: your talent may be in swift
pen ar eloquent tongue; but whatever be the
taient II nus Deen given only for one purpose
practical use. You usometimes find man in
the community Of whom you say. "He hns
no talent Mt nll;" and yet that man mny
have hundred talents. His one hundred
talents may be shown in the item Of endur-
ant1. Poverty comes, aud he endures it;
persecution comes, and he endures il; sick.
ness comes, and he endures 1t Before men
and angels he is q specimen Of Christian
patience, and he is really illustrating the
power of Christ's gospel, and Is doing as
much fo- the churcl, ,nnd more for the church,
than many more positively active. II you
have one talent, use that; IL you have 10
talents, use them, satisfied with the fact that
We all have different qualifications, nnd that
the Lord decides whether We shall have ono
or whether we shall have 10.
learn also from this parable that the
grace Of God was intended to be accumula-
tive. When God plants an acorn he means
an oak. aud when he plants q small amount
Of grace in the heart, He intends IL to he
growthful and enlarged until it overshadows
the whole nature. There are parents who,
at the birth Of each child, lay aside certain
amount Of money. investing It. expecting by
accumulation and Sy compound interest
that by the time the child shall come to mid.
LIE, this small amount Of money will be .
fortune, showing how . s1sI amouat Of
money will roll up ilto vast
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