Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1901-06-07

start for the city of light Now may the
Lord this moment show each one of us
that to a greater or less extent we have
one talent of persuasion and impel us to
the right use of it.
You say You cannot preach a sermon,
hut cannot you persuaue some one 10 60
and hear a sermon? You say You cannot
sing, but cannot you persuade some ono
to go and hear the choir chant or Christ
mas or Easter morning? Send a bunch OF
flowers to that invalid in the hospital,
with message about the land where the
inhabitants never say. 81 am sick"
There is child of the street. Invite
him into the mission school. There is
man who has lost his fortune in specula.
ton. Instead of jeering at his fall 60 and
tell him of riches that never take wings
and fly away. Buckle on that one talent
of persuasion, man, o woman. and
you will do a work that heaven will cele-
brate 10000 wears.
Among the ll4,OOO words Of Noah Web
ster's vocabulary and the thousands of
words since then added to our English
vocabulary there is one administering
word the power of which cannot be es-
timated, and it reaches so far up and so
far down, and that is the word come"
1t has drawn more people away from the
wrong and toward the right than any
word now think of. 1t has at times
with fresh arrivals 1t will yet rob the
path of death of the last pedestrians. 1t
will vet chime so loudly and gladly that
ali the toiling bells OF sorrow will be
drowned with the music. 1t is piled up in
the Bibles climax and peroration, "And
the spirit and the bride say come. and
let him that heareth say come, and let
him that is athirst come" Have it on the
point of your pen, have it on the tip of
your tongue Monosyllables are mightier
than polysyllables. and That word come"
is the mightiest OF monosyllables. Shakes.
peare says of one of his characters, "She
speaks poniards, and every word stabs:"
We may say of others, they speak words
life. Master one of those words, harness
one of those words, project one of those
words, prove the full plentitude and pow
er of one of those words.
David Garrick, the dramatist, said he
would give 100 guineas if he could say
ooh" as George Whiteield said it. What
might we not give if only we could say
come" as Jesus said it? Some one has
said that syllables govern the world and
| think that one syllable might save the
world. But | cannot particularize. What
ever be your one talent, cultivate it.
Once fully realize that you have some.
thing with which to enhance heaven and
take hold of the eternities, and it will
add a new bank of keys to the music or
your soul. You are ordained to some kind
of work by the laying on of the hands OF
the Lord God Almighty.
If you cannot do anything else. go
around and feel sorry for somebody. When
some one asked, "What is the secret of
William Wilberforce's power" the an.
swer was, "His power of sympathy" And
there are 100000 people who have the
same qualification if they only knew it.;
Sympathy! If YOU cannot restore the
child to that bereft parent or the fortune
to that bankrupt fnancier OF health to
that confirmed invalid or an honorable
name to that wrecked character, you can
at least feel sorry for the misfortune or
the bereavement or the suffering.
Sympathy! If you have not the means
to do anything else go and sit down and
cry with them. That is the way Christ
did when He went out to the desolated
home in Bethany and the sisters told
their sad story. He cried with them. Oh,
cultivate that one talent of sympathy!
After the resurrection day and all heav'
en- is made up, resurrected bodies joined to
ransomed souls, and the gates which were
so long open are shut, there may be some
day when all the redeemed may pass in
review before the great white throne. Ii
so, / think the hosts passing before the
King will move in different divisions.
With the first division will pass the mighty
ones of earth who were as good and use
full as they were great. In this division
will pass before the throne all the Martin
Luthers. the John Knoxes, the Wesleys,
the Richard Cecils, the Millions, the
Chrysostoms, the Herschells, the Lenoxes,
the George Peabodys, the Abbott Law
rences and all the consecrated Christian
men and women who were great IN htera-
ture, in law, in medicine, in philosophy,
in commerce. Their genius never spoiled
them. = They were as humble as they
were gifted or opulent. They were great
On earth. and now they are great in heav-
en-. Their surprising and magnificent tai
ents were all used for the worlds better
ment. AS they pass in review before the
King on the great white throne to higher
and higher rewards it makes me think OF
the parable of the talents, "To another
ten" l stand and watch the other divi'
sions as they 90 by, division after divl-
sion, until the largest of all the divisions
comes in sight. 1t is hundred to one,
thousand to one, ten thousand to one,
larger than the other divisions. 1t IS
made up or men VINO never ulu any 1,iuS
but support their families and give what,
ever of their limited means they could
spare for the relief of poverty and SICK
ness and the salvation of the world, moth
ers who took good care of children 56y
example and precept starting them on the
road to heaven, millions of Sabbath-school
teachers who sacrificed an afternoon
siesta for the listening class of young I'M
mortals. women who declined the making
of homes for themselves that they might
take care of father and mother IN the
weaknesses of old age, ministers OF the
gospel who on niggardly stipend preached
in the lakewood meeting houses, sous
who for long years did nothing but sur
fer. vet suffered with so much cheerful pa
thence that it became helpful lesson 10
all who heard of it; those who served
God faithfully all their lives and whose
name never but once appeared In PRINT,
and that time in the three lines OF the
death column which some survivor PAID
for. sailors who persisted in the storm
while trying to get life line out to the
drowning. prosecuted and tried souls who
endured without complaint malignlty ana
abuse. those who had only ordinary equip,
ment for body and ordinary endowment
Of intellect, vet devoted all they had to
holy purposes and spiritual achievement
AS I see this, the largest OF all the diVl'
siops. from all lands and from all ages,
mass in review before the King on the
great white throne I am reminded OF the
Wonderful parable of the talents and
more especially Of my text, 10 another