The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-02-19
Ca(naQe
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmage, d. d.

way with the parable of the talents
Men Of means and influence in every
position in life today. The text is Luke
viii, IS. whatsoever hath not, from
him shall he taken away even that
which he seemeth to have"
| 1t is amazing how the addition Of
one little word may change the whole
meaning of Il sentence. For long
time | could not understand the TWEEN
ty-ninth verse of the twenty fifth chap
| ter of Matthew. Christ in his wonder
| full way had been telling the parable of
the man who went into the far country
after lie had delivered unto his serv-
ants his goods. The story is almost
| identical with the history of your own
life.
Fer years and years you We're a
slave to business. You kept up brave
front. but for nearly a quarter of Il
century you We're trembling upon the
brink of bankruptcy. The children
were young and had to be supported
and educated. Your business had not
'
ness world was cycling you askance.
You had to buy your goods on long
credit and therefore pay higher for
them than if you had the ready cash
The result: It was grind. work. econo-
miZe. But after n time the financial
condition made turn for the better.
Two of your boys finished their school
t,.r l., 70 nh h.,
selves, One of your daughters married.
With the lessening of expenses at
home there came Il marvellous growth
at the store. Instead of living upon the
marrow lane of difficulty" you moved
into Easy street One night you came
home and after dinner you said to your
wife: My dear, | have fought the bat
tie of life and won il 1t is time for us
to take IA wedding trip. We did not go
very far when we We're married. We
were too poor. Let us next spring start
upon a trip around the world" "Oh,
john she said, '-can you afford it,"
Yes" you answered. And | think we
can take our, youngest daughter along
She is all we have left ut home"
At once you began to make prepare
tons. Your wife planned for the care
of the house. You made the arrange
ments at the store. You called in one
employee and said. Harry, you will
take care of this department ~ You
called in another and said, Joe, you
another man you gave one task and to
another a different responsibility. Then
you set sail With your wife and
daughter you were away from home
nearly Il year. When you returned you
called your various employees to rem
der an account of their stewardship.
You rewarded each man according as
he had fulfilled the trust committed e
his charge. Such is the modern par
allel of the parable of the twenty fifth
chapter Of Matthew
Now, when the good man of this
parable found out that there was one
who had failed to fulfill his trust he
says, Take therefore the talent from
him and give it unto him who hath
ten talents, for unto every one that hath
shall be given. and he shall have an
abundance but from him that hath
not shall be taken away even that
which he hath" Strange" l used to
say when | read these words. How
can anything be taken away from a
man who has nothing?' Can nothing
come from nothing? Yet here in this
parable of Matthew we read "From
him that hath not shall be taken away
even that which he hath" Il cannot
understand these words" 1 used to
say; Il cannot understand them"
The Real Meaning.
But some time ago | had strange
illumination of the meaning OF this
chapter. Just as you enter dark
room and 60 to the window and lift
the green shade and a flood Of sunlight
pours in, so | had a windowful of Cos
pei light poured upon these words. One
day while reading the expression as
found in Luke | came upon the one
word ''seemeth.' Then | read the con
clusion of the parable In Matthew in
conjunction with my text in Luke, and
1 found that the two verses meant
pTdctlcdlit Tie Sdfue. Ills Is TIC way
| read the two verses: Take heed
therefore how you hear, for whatsoever
hath to him shall be given and whose
ever hath not from him shall be taken
away even that which he seemeth to
have" oh l exclaimed, 81 see 1t!
When man is untrue to the trust
God has given to him, he may seem to
have wealth and happiness, he may
seem to be blessed with joys which
are denied the children of God, but
there shall come time when he shall
stand before all men stripped of his
false assumptions" To pretend to have
does not prove that we have. That
word 'seemeth" is the pivotal word OF
my sermonic theme. | want to prove
to you that no man can eternally pos
sess anything that is good and true
and pure unless he possesses them
through his fidelity and conservation to
Jesus Christ When a man has gifts
and talents given to him that there
with he may do effective service for
Christ and he uses them for his own
advantage or does not use them at all,
he will be called to account at the
bar of God Then God will say. Take
away even that which he seemeth to
have"