The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1901-06-07

ms IS discourse Df Dr. laihidSc
for those given TO depreciate them
selves and who have an idea that
their best attempts amount to little
or nothing; text, Matthew -: Is, TO
another one"
ENpci first from this parable of the
talents the word "usury." 1t ought
10 have been translated interest"
1'Usury' is finding man in a tight
place and compelling him to pay an
unreasonable sum TO get osit. I'm
tcrcst" is righteous payment for
the use of money. When the capital
ist of this parable went off from
home, ne gave TO his stewards Ger
tain sums of money, wishing to have
them prontably invested. Change
also your idea as to the value of one
talcut. You remember the capital
ist gave TO one of his men for bust
ucss purposes five talents, to another
two. 10 another one. What a small
amount TO last, you think, and how
could he be expected TO do anything
with only one talent? l have to tell
you that one talent was about $500,
so that when my text says: TO an
other one" it implies that those who
have the least have much.
We bother ourselves a great deal
about those who are bighly gifted or
have large financial resource or eNalt-
ed official position or wide reaching
opportunity. We are anxious that
their wealth. their cloquence, their
wit, be employed on the right side.
One of them makes mistake. and
we say: What an awful disaster
When one of them dcvotes all his
great ability to useful purposes. we
celebrate ii. we enlarge upon 1t, we
speak of il "a something for graft
Jude to God. Meanwhile we give no
time at all to consider what people
are doing with their one talent, not
realizing that ten people of one tai
cnt each are quite as important as
one man with ten talents. In the one
case the advantage or opportunity
IS concentcred in single personality,
while in another il is divided among
ten individuals Now. what we want
to do in this sermon is 10 waken peo-
pie of only one talent 10 appreciation
of their duty. Only a few people
have five talents or ten talents. while
millions have one. My short text is
like a galvanic shock, TO another
one"
The most difficult thing in the
world is TO make an accurate esti-
mate of ourselves. Our friends value
us too high, our enemies TOO low To
find out what we are worth morally
aud mentally is almost impossible.
We are apt to measure ourselves by
those around us, but this Is not fair,
as they NAV be very brilliant or very
duh. very good or very bad. Indeed
there are no human scales that can
tell our exact moral and mental
weight, nor is there a standard by
which we can measure our exact IN
fcIlectual height. so the hardest thing
90 do is To calculate our real stature
or heft. But 1t win be no evidence
of egotism in any of us If we say that
we have at least one talent. What is
il and. finding what il is. what use
shall we make of it? The most of
tHC pCOptt. utsuiup Nndi thtt nav
only one talent, do as the man
spoken OF in the parable. they hide it.
but il all of the people who have one
talent brought it out for use before
this century is half past and corre-
spondents begin to write at the head
of their letters 1850 the earth would
be one of the outskirts of heaven. /
ask Won again: What is your one
talent?
T. Il a cheerful look? Carry that
look wherever you 60. 1t must come
from cheerful heart. Ii is not that
inane smile which we sometimes see
which is an irritation. In other
words, it must be a light within us so
bright that it illumines eye. cheek,
nostril and mouth. Let ten men who
are accustomed to walking certain
street every day resolve upon a
cheerful countenance as a result of
a cheerful heart. and the influence of
such a facial irradiatiou would be
felt not only in that street. but
throughout the town. Cheerfulness
is catching. But a cheerful look is
exceptional. Examine the first 90
faces that you meet going through
Pennsylvania avenue or Chestnut
street or broadway or State street
or la Sale street or Euclid avenue.
and 10 out of the 20 faces have either
an anxious look or severe look or a
depressing look or an avaricious look
or a sneering look or a vacant look.
Here Is missionary work for those
who have trouble. Arm Yourself with
Gospel comfort. Let the God who
copfcrted Mary and Martha at the
loss of their brother. the God who
soothed Abraham at the loss of
Sarah and the God of David. who
consoled the bereft spirit at the loss
of his boy by saying: Il shall go to
him." the God who filed ST. John
with doxology when an exile on bar
ren Patmos and the God who has
given happiness 10 thousands of the
bankrupted and prosecuted. filling
them with heavenly riches which
were more than the earthly advan-
tages that are wiped outlet that
God help. them. If He take full pos
session of your nature. then you will
so down the street a benediction 90
all who see you. and those who are
in the tough places OF life and are
run upon and belied and had their
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