Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1906-10-17
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
LESSON IN, FOURTH QUARTER, INTER.
NATIONAL SERIES, OCT. a.

copyright. 1906 by American Press Association.
This is part of the discourse on the
Mount of Olives In response to the
question Of the four disciples and Sc
quel to the story of the wise and fool.
ish virgins of last lesson and the wise
and evil servants of xiv, 40, 4S. The
very similar parable of the pounds was
spoken a few days earlier while He
was on His way to Jerusalem, perhaps
In the house of Zacchaeus. In each par
able there is the going away to far
country. the pounds or talents intrust-
ed to the servants, the use or abuse Of
the same, the reckoning when the lord
of the servants returns and the honor
given to the faithful and good servants,
but the shame and punishment to the
wicked and slothful ones. This is in
perfect accord with all His teaching
and with the teaching Of all Scripture.
We have had 1t in several recent les
sons, but cannot repeat it too often,
that salvation is wholly Of grace, but
reward or punishment is according to
desert. None are truly "His own serv-
ants" until redeemed by His precious
blood, made His own by redemption
But He often graciously speaks Of
those who profess to be His as His,
taking them at their word, even though
He reads their hearts, and giving them
every opportunity to be sincerely His
If they will Judas Iscariot and all
similar cases come under this head.
They are those who seem to have, or
think they have duke viii, IS, and
margin), without really possessing.
There is reason to fear that many are
thus deceived, thinking that their
knowledge of God and of Christ or Of
the Bible, or their church membership,
or baptism, or the communion, or good
works, or gifts to the cause, will entl- |
tie them to q place In the kingdom, |
whereas nothing will suffice but the |
new birth, sincere and honest receiv-
ing of Himself John |, IL, 49,.
We must remember that salvation,
ones own personal salvation, is three
fold-saved fully and freely and in
stantly by His precious blood. Then
all our life here, after that, is work
ing out of that salvation, and we are
always looking forward to and waiting
for the contamination of our salvation
In a resurrection body. Out of many
passages which set forth simply these
three phases we select these three:
Rom. iii, "a; Phil II, IL; Rom. Kill, II.
The whole three are set forth in Tit. II,
lib, and many similar passages. 1t
is very plain that the use or abuse Of
the talents or pounds comes under the
second aspect of our salvation and in a
true child Of God does not touch our
safety, but our service and reward.
Whatever Is represented by the tai
ents or pounds, they are the Masters
own goods Verse 14), which He in
trusts to His own servants as His
stewards, that they may use them for |
Him and in due time give an account :
of the same. We are put in trust with
the gospel, which we are to give to s
every creature, not pleasing men, but
God, who trieth our hearts, and we are {
debtors to all who have not yet heard
It q Thess. ii, 4; Mark xvi, 10; Rom. i, c
l4-16). We are stewards Of the mani '
fold grace of God and of the mysteries 4
Of God Il Pet iv, 10; Cor. iv, y. We '
ire expected to be wise servants, CIV b
ng the household meat in due season g
Matt. xiv, 45). In all ministry and In a
wen our eating and drinking we are n
o seek the glory of God q Pet iv, II; n
Cor. K, 81, for our great business
lere Is to show forth the praises of II
Him who hath called US out of dark h
less into His marvellous light q Pet. r
!, 81. In the pounds something is rep II
esented which each one receives equal II
y, but In the talents 1t Is something a
which each receives according to abil- VI
ty, yet In each case the Master eX- =,
'ects a faithful and diligent use of all
bat He intrusts His servants with. +,
The manifestation Of the Spirit is n
iven to every man to profit withal, q,
ut the same Spirit divides His gifts HI
o every man severaliy as He will y,
Cor. XII. z. III. This may help us In
ONE measure to understand the .,
ounds and talents. There Is always =,
his comfort-that God expects moth q,
az from us that He does not give us -
be ability to perform. The FIVE talents NJ
hat gained other five and the two that "a
aimed other two each received the A.
Well done, good and faithful serv-
ntw. (Verses II and 49, The pound
nat gained ten and the pound that &c
aimed five each received approval, but W
Re first received rule over ten cities W
nd the other over five. So he will re- VI
ard every one according to his works Ut
nd his faithfulness Rev. xxi, 12). IL
The servant with one pound said that
D knew his Lord to be an aEtere and sn
MUST man, which proves that he did mi
)t know Him. Neither was he in any MI
'nse true servant. The man with cel
he talent had a similar opinion of his We
aster (verse 24) and Is called a wick Ms
and Improbable servant and finds
S doom where there Is weeping and en-
lashing of teeth So will 1t be with
| who are mere professors and not ke
uly saved. How truly awful to 90 ov
It from being respectable member by
some church on earth to join the the
'sts Of the lost In the place of aw-
] torment! While the primary in tel
rpretation of these parallels must {
we reference to some phase of the ha
rael question, we have been applying fat
e truths generally to all believers. me
the rest of the chapter, which is ev-
emily the judgment Of nations (verse "Y
according to Joel Ill, /, 2, II; Zech. ant
v. "a. the church of this present age pla
ust not be looked for among either gre
eep or goats, but comparing verse "
with Col. Ill, 4, and Rev. Ill, 21) with vol
m In His throne and In His glory too
dying the nations. hal
| wi
Mutual Satisfaction. Ill,
what's this | hear about the pmmb- q