d, loving heart
for the diligent outlay and faithful return of all the talents. The
Gospel requires and generates not a legal, but an evangelical obedience.

When the king returns, or the servants are summoned one by one through
death to meet their master, they are tried as to faithfulness and
diligence in laying out their talents. Although ten were mentioned at
the beginning, it is not necessary to report on more than three at the
close. These are sufficient to show that some were diligent, and some
slothful; and that among the diligent there were different measures of
effort, success, and reward.

What hast thou that thou didst not receive? Occupy; occupy all, and
occupy it all the time till the Giver come to claim his own. All that
God gives us is given for use. There is much evil, moral and material,
in the world. He who made it and saw it fall by sin, has its restoration
and renewal much at heart. When he has gotten some of the fallen
restored to favour and renewed in spirit, he endows them with various
riches from his own treasury, that the capital wisely invested may yield
a large return at his coming. Let each according to his means and
opportunity lay himself and his talents out to leave the world better
than he found it;--to diminish the amount of sin and suffering, to feed
hungry mouths, and cover naked backs, to enlighten dark minds and save
perishing souls. It is a high calling to be fellow-workers with God, to
be instruments of righteousness in his hands.

One, by trading with his pound gained ten, before the king returned, and
another five. Both are equally approved, but unequally rewarded; each
receives as his recompense all that he had won. Two principles which
operate in the spiritual kingdom are symbolized here; one, that various
degrees of efficiency and success obtain among the faithful disciples of
Christ; another that reward in his kingdom springs from work and is
proportioned to it.

The parable of the talents recorded by Matthew represented one fact in
the history of the kingdom, that different persons receive differing
gifts from the sovereign God: this parable, recorded by Luke, represents
another fact in the history of the kingdom, that among those who possess
equal gifts varieties occur in the skill and success with which the
gifts are employed. The practical lesson from the former parable is, If
with all your efforts you fall far behind your neighbour in the result
of your labour, you n