The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1912-06-11
"7he Ministry of Gifts
DR.. Patterson's Subject
Eloquent and Scholarly Baccaaureate Sermon Delivered
in Opera House by Distinguished Oivine
on Sunday Morning.

level among men. Our God is the God
of variety. Universities of gifts, but
the same spirit; differences of minis
tries, but the same Lord; diversities of
operations, but the same God which
worketh all in ALL 1t is God who
made the mountains and valleys. It
is God who made the streamlet. and
the mighty river. 1t is God who made
the placid lake and the roaring catar-
act. It is God who made the towering
oak and the arching fern. Man made
tennis courts, baseball grounds, parks
and canals.
And rising now to the kingdom of
man, the great Apostle asks: "Who
made thee to differ from another?" The
answer is: God, who gave every man
his gift, dividing to every man sew
orally as he will"
And what if He had not made us to
differ? What a weary world this
would be! Awhile ago a man went
hunting moose in the deep tangled
wilds of northern Maine. His native
guide was one of those silent fellows.
For three days he only emitted grunts
and a low yes or no in answer to ques-
tions. One evening they sat down to
rest The guide, looking steadily at
his companion, said: Where might
you be from?" From New York city,
"And where might that be-" said the
guide. about eight hundred miles
from here" what pity you live so
far away" was the innocent reply.
And it is a pity! What untold for
tunes of money are spent annually
that men may escape the sameness
and the dead level of city streets and
car tracks, and miles of houses just
alike; from parks and boulevards to
climb among the rocks and Businesses
made by Gods own hand. How the
change rests the eye and soothes the
nerve, and takes the ennui from the
heart!
What a merciful and good God is
ours-the God of diversity of gifts!
And believe me, He has given you and
me the very gifts, which, in His wis
dom and love, He knew we could best
minister 70 His glory and our happi-
ness. 1 d. to say it in this age of
restlessness and discomfort, "Woe unto
him that striveth with his Maker! Shall
the clay say to Him that fashioned it,
What makest Thou?'
II.
| But our text goes farther against
a self-glorifying and rebellious hu-
man nature. The endowments distri-
buted by wise and good God are not
our own. They are gifts of grace,
Charismata Charitos, to be ministered
as good stewards. Our gifts are not
rewards of merit. They are not wages
paid for service rendered "And what
hast thou asks Paul, that thou didst
not receive? Now if thou didst re-
ceive it, why dost thou glory, as if
thou hadst not received it?"
We read of "self-made men" and of
some that are proud of their jobs.
Believe me, there is no such thing un-
der heaven. The man who claims the
title for himself is an empty boaster.
What makes man? Far and away the
largest contribution is the grace of
God which endowed him with capaci-
ties which none but God could give.
And for the development Of those ca
pacities he is indebted to the same
grace for an environment in which
they could grow and find application.
Behind every man there lies the
brains, character and achievements of
thousand men. Architects of our own
fate," you say? We are but little more
than hod-carriers on the building; the
very mortar is mixed by other men!
where is boasting then? 1t is ex-
cluded"
In the business world We speak of
estates bequeathed "absolutely," of
land held Gin fee simple In Gods
economy there is mo such thing. He
never signs away His right. He is
the only absolute" owner. He holds
the "fee-simple deed to all those pow
ers that we call ours We call them
ours, but all we can claim is 'life
tenure "as good stewards of the
manifold grace of God" That is the