The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1904-01-21
4 SERMON FOR SUNDAY
A POWERFUL DISCOURSE ENTITLED
Ridden TALENTS"

Ridden TALENTS"
Sfhe Rev. DR.. Henry c. Swentzel Draws a
New Lesson From the Parable-The
One Talent Man Should Not Pose as a
Person With a Grievance.
BROOKLYN, n. Y.-Dr. Henry C. Swent.
I'D, rector of St. Luke's Church. preached
Sunday morning on Hidden Talents" He
took his text from St. Matthew Hxv:lS:
he that had received one. talent went anG
hsged in the earth, and hid his lord
aeney." DR.. Swentzel said:
SEed holds the cornucopia OF infinite and
oa6potent love. With open-handcd gen.
e~usity He dispenses the gifts of His
Isal breadth OF the whole creation. From
puspits nature breaches eloquently
OF aA divine philanthropy. The universe
as nat only a vast workshop, but mag.
nlhcenJ pleasure house for enjoyment.
Every field is designed for harvest, all
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,
i have all and abound"
to protest against the doctrine of the lib
crafty of the heavenly Fathers provisions.
They have more than 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 a hard and fast doc
trine of foreordination, predestinat;on and
election; that His counse,s are marred By
what amounts practically to unjust dis
elimination and favoritism. Without
pausing to emphasize the impiety of criti-
cising Almighty God or to expose the fl.
thty 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.
II we were qualified to appreciate His
plans for mankind, we would accept the
world with its beauties and har1nonies. its
lights and shadows, its resplendent heav-
ems and fragrant flowers, its overhowing
Eranaries. its countless picture galleries,
it's 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 Father
grievance. He is persuaded that he ought
to have better chance, larger privileges,
greater opportunities, a more encouraging
outlook. It is perfectly true that there are
inequalities. All are not endowed with
the same gifts. Some seem to have more
while others have less; but there is un-
doubtediy law of compensation which
opens the way for high general average
Of satisfaction in living, satisfaction
which is not affected by what are called
sueeess and failure, riches and penury.
God never gives everything to any one
person, but He does offer generous gift
to every soul, and all will find life to be
worth thousand times more than it costs
II they will bat 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 o
universal Father. Alas, who has done his
bests If the complainer had but half filed
the measure of his possibilities, if he had
been willing to do what he easily could
have done, If he had not hidden his talent,
the situation to him would be changed,
naony with the hfe-creed proclaimed by
revelation and by all the worlds. s.
Inasmuch as our Lord is the author of
the parable of the talents, the religious
story with its moral should be received
with the utmost thoughtfulness. Accord
ing to His teaching, everybody receives
something, and the very smallest gift is
one talent. A talent is a goodly sum of
money-equal to little less than S2O00
That amount would be a promising start
ing capital to young man of fair business
ability. Many, it viii be alleged, must be-
gin life on much smaller basis, for which
there may be human reasons which are
both regrettable and inexorable, and which
however, each soul has goodly start and
sets out with fair endowment. Gener-
ally speaking, everybody has chance-he
can be something, he can do something
can serve his mission. It 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-
eeilence. There are people who expect to
be carried on angels wings to the goal of
their ambition, but angels and their wings
were made for no such purpose.
The trouble with the complaining man
or one talent is that he has hidden his
power in the earth. God made him to live
q splendid life; the mar has failed more or
less utterly. He may I've misunderstood,
but far oftener he misunCerstands 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 soreiy handicapped; he regards
himself as victim. 1t may be APPARENT
that he is not so richly gifted as certain
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 a matter
Of talents. It is, not true that they whose
achieyements have given them place in
the worlds legion of honor were men
whose shining talents, without industry
and without development, won for them
Immortal distinction. All who have real
strength are hard workers, whose towerinp
object was not to get through the world
with the least possible outlay OF eaergv
who are willing to spend and be spent in
living their lives. Brilliant abilities conn
for little. The high places in the world
are seldom filed by people Of genius, buJ
by men and women who have simply made
the most of their capacity. 1t is an ever
recurring surprise that most unlikely souls
come to THE front in all the spheres OF ac-
tiyltY Many a panius Does NJ rho lost ;,