thereby an opportunity of serving the Lord that bought
them. Thus the idleness of one servant is explained, and the activity of
others.

2. As to its nature, the disobedience was not active but passive; he did
not positively injure his master's property; he simply failed to turn it
to profitable account. The terror of this servant was too lively to
admit of his enjoying a debauch purchased by the treasure which had been
placed under his charge. Fear is a powerful motive in certain directions
and for certain effects; it makes itself felt in the heart, and leaves
its mark on the life of a man. Like frost it has power to arrest the
stream of energy, and fix it cold, stiff, motionless; only love can,
like the sun of summer, break the chains and set the prisoner free to
run his race rejoicing.

The passive character of the servant's fault greatly extends the sphere
of the lesson, and increases the weight of its rebuke. If only positive
activity in evil had been condemned, a multitude of the unfaithful would
have escaped, or at least would have thought themselves exempted from
the indictment. The bearers of poisonous fruit constitute a
comparatively small class in the vegetable creation; the plants that
bear no good fruit are much more numerous. Unfruitfulness includes both
those that bear bad fruit and those that bear no fruit. The idleness of
the servant who knew his master only as a hard man, reproves all except
those who obey the Lord whom they love, and love the Lord whom they
obey.

3. The reward of unfaithfulness is, "Take the talent from him and cast
him out." In both parts the sentence of condemnation corresponds to
its opposite in the reception of those who had been faithful to their
trust. These retain their employed gifts; from him the unused talent is
taken away. These are received into their master's favour; he is cast
out of his master's sight.

It is worthy of remark that the execution of the sentence begins in
time, and in its first stages lies within the reach of our observation.
The portion of the sentence, moreover, which is inflicted in our sight,
comes through the regular operation of law. The disuse of any personal
faculty, surely, though gradually, takes the faculty away. Those who
explain away the positive doctrines and facts of the Gospel, delight in
representing that God does everything by the instrumentality of law. It
is superstition, they say, to suppose that he will put forth his hand to
ar