The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1904-01-13
"HIDDEN TALENTS"
a Brilliant Sunday Sermon By Rev. Dr..
Henry G. SwentzeI.
Draws a New Lesson From the PsrsbIe-A
Person Without q Grievance.


BROOKLYN, N. Y.-Dr. Henry G. Swent.
gel, rector of st. Luke's Church. preached
Sunday morning on Hidden Talents" He
took his text from st. Matthew yxv:lS:
He that had received one talent went and
digged in the earth, and hid his lord's :
money DIR. Swentzel said
God holds the cornucopia of infinite and
omnlpotent love. With open.handod gen.
erosity He dispenses the gifts OF His
boundless. wealth throughout the length
and breadth OF the who.e creation. From
myriad pulpits nature breaches eloquently
OF the divine philanthropy. The universe
is not only vast workshop, but mag.
nihcent, pleasure house for enjoyment
Every field is designed for a harvest. ali
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 saw.
Il have all and abound"
And yet how ma2y are almost persuaded
to protest against the doctrine OF the lib.
se,ratty, OF the heavenly Fathers provisions.
lney nave 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 approximation, predestination and
N'.Ntioht Nhub COUnSeIS marrpd Dy
what amounts practically to unjust dis.
crlmnation and favoritism. Without
pausing TO emphasize the impiety OF criti.
cisng Almighty God or to expose the fu.
tt,lity and vanity of passing judgment upon
Hls program for humanity, we ought to be
persuaded even by our surroundings that
the Lord is prompted ever by a masterful
desire to promote the health and wealth,
the power and happiness, of His children.
II we were qualified to appreciate His
pans for mankind we would accept the
world with its beauties and harmonies, its
iights and shadows, its resplendent heav-
ems and fragrant flowers, its overfowing
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 obiector to this at
traetlye 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
inequahties: All are not endowed with
the same giits Some seem to have more
while Others have less; but there is un.
doubted,y 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.
ONA sl'No CstIytuiDR 10 any one
psrson, but He does offer a generous gift
to every soul, and all will find life to be
worth 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, a, large share of present ine-
quantities 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 filed
the measure OF his possibilities, if he had
been willing. to do, what he easily could
have done, ii he had not hidden his ta.ent.
the, situation to him would be changed,
and he would be more perfectly in har.
mony with the life.creed proclaimed by
revelation and by all the worlds.
;, lnasmuch 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 goodiy sum OF
money-equal to little less than $4,000.
ihat amount would be promising start
ing capital to young man of fair business
ability. Many, it Will be alleged, must be-
gin life on a much smaller basis, for which
there may be human reasons which are
both regrettable and inexorab.e, and which
we cannot stay to discuss. Ordinarily,
sets out with fair endowment. Gener-
ally speaking, everybody has a chance-he
can be something. he can do somethlng-he
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
10 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 to the goal of
their ambition, but angels and their wings
were made for no such purpose.
Ihe trouble with the complaining man
oil one talent is that he has hidden his
power N the earth. God made him to 1.-Two
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 neQlects to
rate them even at their face value. He
wonders why he is where he Isl he alleges
insuperable OBSTACLES and insists that he
has been soreiy handicapped; he regards
himsef as victim. 1t may be apparent
that he Is not so richly gifted as certain
others are, but that is no reason why he
shoiiid set up an inferior standard for
himself and expect nothing as the outcome
OF his existence. Success is not a matter
OF ta,ents. 1t is not true that they whose
achievements have given them place in
the worlds legion of honor were men
whose shining. talents without industry
nhu "itnout ueVelOpment, won for them
immortal distinction. All who have reai
strength are hard workers, whose towerine
object was not to get through the word
with the least possible outlay of energy
who are willing to spend and be spent n
living their lives. Brilliant abilities count
for little. The high places in the word
are seldom filed by people of genius, but
by men and women who have simply made
the most OF their capacity. 1t is an ever
recurring surprise that most unlikely soul,
come to the front in all the spheres of ac
tivity. Many genius goes at the last tc
the potters field, while memorials in mar.
BILE or bronze are reared to commemorate
the virtues and triumphs of characters that
were not so rich in natural gifts as they
were abundant in labors. Everybody i
well enough endowed. The least we have
Is one talent, which, il it be rightly used
will suffice for our energies aud fiji the
measure OF a laudable ambition.
Everybody is good for something; no.
body is necessarily good for nothing The
man with one ta.ent 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 ne does not suspect hut
he has finer talent t. be man--the tai
ent Of faithfulness to the right, OF cour-
age for maintaining principle OF honesty
and sturdiness for work. he has talent
that will give him a standing among his
fellows. and that will make him valuable
amid the various relationships OF his life
BY the grace of God he may hope to he
something and do something, and he is in