The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-01-27
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
A POWERFUL DISCOURSE ENTITLED
HIDDEN TALENTS"
The Rev. DIR. Henry c. Swentze1 Draws a
New Lesson From the Parab1e-The
One Talent Man Should NOT Pose as n
Person Will, a Grievance

One Talent Man Should NO, Pose as n
Person With a Grievance.
BROOKLYN. n. Y.-Dr. Henry c. Swent.
gel, rector of St. Lukes Church, preached
Sunday morning on Hidden Talents" He
took his text from St. Matthew SXv:lS:
He that had received one talent went and
digged in the earth. and hid his lords
money" Dr.. Swentzel said:
God holds the cornucopia of infinite and
omnipotent love. With open-handcd gen
erosty He dispenses the gifts of His
boundless wealth throughout the length
myriad pulpits nature breaches eloquently
of the divine philanthropy. The universe
is not only vast workshop, but mag.
nifcent pleasure house for enjoyment.
Every field is designed for harvest, al
the forests resound with symphonies and
oratories; everywhere are mines of riches
awaiting the toiler. Gods plan includes
all the best things for the multitude, and
he who serves his mission may well say,
II have all and abound"
And yet how many are almost persuaded
to protest against the doctrine of the lib
erality of the heavenly Fathers provisions.
They have more than a suspicion that our
Interpretation of His bounty does not
square with the facts and experiences of
human life. They are disposed to intimate
that His ways are not equal; that He has
fettered Himself by hard and fast doc:
trine of foreordination, predestination and
election: that His rcounsels are marred by
elimination and favoritsm. Without
pausing to emphasize the impiety of criti-
cising Almighty God or to expose the fu-
tility and vanity of passing judgment upon
His program for humanity, we ought to be
persuaded even by our surroundings that
the Lord is prompted ever by masterful
desire to promote the health and wealth,
the power and happiness, of His children.
If we were qualified to appreciate His
plans for mankind, we would accept the
world with its beauties and harmollies. its
lights and shadows, its resplendcnt heav-
ems and fragrant flowers, its o, o,ertowing
granaries, its countless picture galleries,
its monumental glories, as parallels of di-
vine sovereignty.
But the man with one talent is likely to
present himself as an objector to this at
tractive and inspiring view of the Fathers
rulership. He is dissatisfied. He has a
grievance. He is persuaded that he ought
to have better chance, larger privileges,
greater opportunities, a more. encouraging
outlook. 1t is perfectly true that there are
inequalities. All are not endowed with
while Others have less; but there is un-
.doubtedly law Of compensation which
opens the way for high general average
of satisfaction in living, satisfaction
which is not affected by what are called
success and failure, riches and penury.
God never gives everything to any one
person, but He does offer a generous gift
to every soul, and all will find life to be
worth a thousand times more than it costs
if they will but do their duty. If the many
would honestly do their best with what
they have, large share of present inc
qualities would disappear, and it would be
clearer to all that the Almighty is truly a
universal Father. Alas, who has done his
best? If the complainer had but half filled
the measure of his possibilities, if he had
have done, if he had not hidden his talent,
the situation tc him would be changed,
and he would be more perfectly in har-
mony with the lfe-creed proclaimed by
revelation and by all the worlds.
Inasmuch as our Lord is the author OF
the parable of the talents, the religious
story with it's moral should be received
with the utmost thoughtfulness. Accord
ing to His teaching, everybody receives
something, and the very smallest gift il
one talent. A talent is goodly sum of
to a little less than $4,000.
That amount would be promising start
ing capital to young man of fair business
ability. Many, it will be alleged, must be-
gin life on much smaller basis, for which
there may be human reasons which are
both regrettable and inexorabie, and which
:.Je cannot stay to discuss. Ordinarily,
however, each soul has goodly start and
sets out with a fair end owment. Gener-
can be something, he can do somethlng-he
can serve his mission. 1t is wholesome to
be reminded betimes that many of the
men who have made history have sprung
form comparatively low origin. In every
nation saints. heroes and leaders are, for
the most part, born in humble cottages,
the poor boys Of not many yesterdays ago.
To every soul God gives an adequate equip
ment. Work is the only royal road to ex-
cellence. There are people who expect to
be carried on angels wings 10 the goal Of
their ambition, but angels and their wings
were made for no such purpose.
The trouble with the complaining man
of one talent is that he has hidden. his
power in the earth. God made him to live
a splendid life; the man has failed more or
less utterly. He may be misunderstood,
but far oftener he misunderstands himself.
In taking stock of his assets he neglects. to
rate them even at their face value. He
wonders why he is where he is; he alleges
insuperable obstacles and insists that he
has been sorely handicapped; ne regards
himself as victim. 1t may be apparent
Others are, but that is no reason why he
should set up an inferior standard for
himself and expect nothing as the outcome
of his existence. Success is not matter
of talents. 1t is not true that they whose
achievements have given them a place in
the worlds legion of honor We're men
whose shining talents, without industry
and without development, won for them
immortal distinction. All who have real
strength are hard workers, whose towering
object was not to get through the world
with the least possible outlay of energy.
who are willing to spend and be spent in
living their lives. Brilliant abilities count
for little. The high places in the world
are seldom filled by people of genius, but
by men and women who have simply made
the most of the cir capacity. 1t is an ever
recurring surprise that most unlikely souls
come to the front in all the spheres of ac-
tlvlty. Many genius goes at the last to
I he potter's field, while memorials in mar
BILE or bronze are reared to commemorate
the virtues and triumphs of characters that
were not go rich in natural gifts as they
were abundant in labors. Everybody is
well enough endowed. The least we have
is one talent. which, if it be rightly used,
will suffice for our energies and fill the
measure Of laudable ambition.
Everybody is good for something; no.
body IS necessarily good for nothing. The
man with one talent has some power. We
do not refer to his attributes, though these
may be admirable; he may have faculties
which are more or less notable he may
have memory, imagination, various gifts
which perhaps he does not suspect. But
he has a finer talent to be a man-the tai
ent of faithfulness to the right, of cour-
age, for maintaining principle; of honesty
that will give him standing among his
fellows. and that will make him valHahle