The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-06-19
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.
Subject: Duty of the One With Single
Talent - Try to Make an Accurate Es-
innate OF Yourself - The Value Of
Sympathy.
tCopyright lGl.1


innate OF Yourself - The Value Of
Sympathy.
tCopyright 1911
WASHINGTON, D. C-This is a discourse
by DR.. Talmage for those given to de-
preciate themselves and who have an idea
that their best attempts amount to lit
tie or nothing; text, Matthew XIV, Is,
ITO another one"
talents the word "usury." 1t ought to
have been translated interest" "Usury''
is finding man in tight place and COM
pelllng him to pay an unreasonable sum
to get out. Interest" is a righteous pay
ment for the use of money. When the
capitalist of this parable went off home,
he gave to his stewards certain sums of
money, wishing to have them proitably
invested. Change also your idea as to
the value of one talent. You remember
the. capitalist gave to one of his men for
business purposes FIVE talents, to another
two, to another one. w hat small amount
to last, you think, and how could he be
expected to do anything with only one
talent? have to tell you that one talent
was about $7200, so that when my text
says, ITO another one," it implies that
those who have the least have much.
We bother ourselves a great deal about
those who are highly gifted or have large
financial resources or exalted official posi-
ton or wide reaching opportunity. We
are anxious that their wealth, their elo-
quence, their wit, be employed on the
right side. One of them makes a mis-
take, and we say, What an awful disas-
ter" When one of them devotes all his
great ability to useful purposes, we cele-
brate it, We enlarge upon it, we speak of
it as something for gratitude to God.
Meanwhile We give no time at all to con-
slider what people are doing with their
one talent, not realizing that ten people
of one talent each are quite as important
as one man with ten talents. In the one
case the advantage or opportunity is con-
centrated in single personality, while
in another it is divided among ten in
dividuals. Now, what we want to do in
this sermon is to waken people of only
one talent to appreciation of their duty.
Only few people have FIVE talents or ten
talents, while millions have one. My short
text is like galvanic shock, "To another
one"
The most difficult thing in the world is
to make an accurate estimate of ourselves.
Our friends value US too high, our enc.
mics too low. To find out what we are
worth morally and mentally is almost
impossible. We are apt to measure our
selves by those around US, but this is
not fair, as they may be very brilliant
or very dull, very good or very bad. In
deed there are no human scales that can
tell our exact moral and mental weight,
nor is there a standard by which we can
the hardest thing to do is to calculate our
real stature or heft. But it will be no
evidence of egotism in any of US if we
say that we have at least one talent.
What is it and, finding what it is, what
use shall we make of it? The most of
the people, finding that they have only
one talent, do as the man spoken of in
the parable, they hide it. But if all of
the people who have one talent brought it
out for use before this century is half past
and correspondents begin to write at the
be one of the outskirts of heaven. I ask
you again, What is your one talent?
Is it cheerful look? Carry that look
wherever you go. 1t must come from
cheerful heart. It is not that inane smile
which we sometimes see which is an irri-
tation. 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 q
cheerful .countenance. Us result of
g facial irradiation would be felt not only
in that street, but thra lghout the town.
Cheerfulness is catching. But cheerful
look is exceptional. Examine the first
twenty faces that YOU meet going through
pennsylvania avenue or Chestnut street
or Broadway or State street OF La Sale
street or Euclid avenue, and nineteen out
OF the twenty faces have either an anxious
look or severe look or depressing look
or an avarcious look or a sneering look
or vacant look. Here Is missionary
yourself with gospel comfort. Let the God
who comforted 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 consoied his bereft spirit
at the loss of his boy by saying, II shall
90 to him." the God who filed St. John
with doxology when an exile on barren
Patmos and the God who has given hap
piness to thousands of the bankrupted
and prosecuted, filling them with heavenly
riches which were more than the earthly
advantages that are wiped let that
God help them. If He takes full pos
session OF your nature, then you will 80
down the street benediction to all who
see you, and those who are in the tough
pi~ces of life and are run upon and belled
and had their homes destroyed, will say:
IF that man can be happy, can be hap
py. He has been through troubles as blg
as mine, and he goes down the street with
face in every lineament of which there
are Joy and peace and heaven. What am
] groaning about? From the same place
that man got his cheerfulness l can get
mine. Why are thou cast down, 0 my
SOUL, and why art thou disquieted within
me? Hope thou in God, for l shall yet
praise Him who is the health of my coun-
tenance and my Cod"
humor? Use it for God. Much OF the
worlds wit is damaging. Most of satire
has a sting in it.. Much OF caricsture is
vitriolic. In order to say smart things
how many will sacrifice the feelings OF
others! Tie sword they carry is keen, and
it is employed to thrust and lacerate. But
few men in all the world and in all the
churches realize that if wit is bestowed it
is given them for useful, for improving, for
healthful purposes. If we all had more of
it and knew how to use it Alright, how
much 1t would improve our Christian con-
versation and prayer meeting talk and ser.
mon! Robert South and Rowland Hill
and Jeremy Taylor and Dean Swift and
Lorenzo Dow and George White6eld used
their wit and their humor to gather great
audiences and then lead them into the
kingdom Of Goi. Frivol:ty is repuisiye in
religious discussion, but Ike the humor
OF Job when he said 10 his l1so!eat crit
les, No doubt but We are the people, and
wisdom shall die with you," and like the
humor of the prophet Elijah, who told the
Baalites to pray louder, as Their god was
out hunting or on an excursion or in
such loud conversation that he could not
hear them. I like the sarcasm of Christ
when He tod the se.f-righteous Phari-
sees that they were so good they needed
no help. Tine whole need rot a physi-
clan, but they that are SICK OF, wnea III
mirthful hyperbole He arraigns the hypo-
critical teachers of His day who were so