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thou into the joy of thy lord. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strewed: and I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strewed: thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him and give it unto him that hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath."

In establishing the truth of the doctrine, stated in the text, we are to show, that the riches which the gospel presents, depend upon improvement; that talents are given us, as the means for increasing our usefulness and felicity; and that a misimprovement or neglect of those means will endanger their forfeiture. "From him that hath not, shall be taken away, even that which he hath."

Tho these may be considered as distinct propositions, yet they are capable of being treated collectively. The truth of each of them is made apparent in the history of the nation to whom this parable was spoken, and with reference to whom, it doubtless had a special application. The Jews are said to "have received the law by the disposition of angels, and not kept it." We believe, that the legal dispensation was calculated and designed as a mean of improvement. It might have been a blessing to those who originally received it, and through them to others. But to accomplish these purposes, the law must be improved. Its types and ceremonies must be understood, and they must be employed to advance the interests of man universally, by lead

ing the mind to their real signification, or a Jew who boasted of his privileges, and thought himself rich toward God, would still be poor, and miserable. Of what use are lamps without oil? Or of what advantage, those which have oil, but remain unlighted? The Jews are described in the preceding parable as "taking their lamps, to go forth and meet the bridegroom, but taking no oil with them." It seems, that in them was verified the sentiment of Solomon, that to "put a price into the hands of a fool," who has no disposition to improve it, is of little or no use. The conduct of Deity towards the house of Israel justifies our statement. "The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruit thereof." The door of the law was shut against that nation; and what they had, or seemed to have was taken away. So in the parable of which the text is a part, "the one talent" which had long been buried in the earth, was not suffered to be finally lost. It was taken from him, who first possessed it, and given to hit who had received five talents, by the use of which he had gained other five; and thus "to him that had, was given, that he might have abundance." A wise man will make good use of that which another despises, and in every view, it is proper, that he who is most inclined to improve what he possesses, should possess the most: and this will, in the nature of things, generally be the case. If you will read the history of Saint Paul, you will find, that while he was a Jew, his religion was of but little use to him, but that with the light of Christianity, with the holy oil in his vessel, he relights the lamp of the former dispensation, and discourses intelligibly upon its comparative excellence and glory. The hidden talent was brought forth, put to use, and rendered productive.

But to give the subject an application to present circumstances; we boast of possessing the gospel, and enjoying the means of understanding and profiting by it. But we ought to remember, that the gospel, whether

considered as five talents, or two, or one, is sent or committed to us, but as the foundation of improvement; it is the means put into our hands to enable us to become rich towards God. If the man who had but one talent could neglect to use it, so could he who had two; and he that had five might do the same. And if a Jew could neglect or misimprove the law, a christian can neglect or misimprove the better dispensation. And, further, as the greatest number of talents would not have made the possessor rich if he had not traded upon them, or put them to use, so neither will the gospel prove a source of advantage or felicity unless it is improved. We talk of the value of the Bible, but of what value is it, if we leave it unread? And if we read it, and do not exercise our reason and the powers of our understanding, in ascertaining its true sense, by comparing one part with another, it is of no more value than a talent, wrapped in a napkin and hidden in the earth. You may say, you are rich and increased with goods; but your wealth is unproductive, and therefore in the sense of the subject, no wealth at all. It need not be urged, that we have not all the opportunity or means of acquiring the knowledge of the truth. "The spirit," at least in a certain measure, "is given to every man to profit withal." And it is remarkable, that in the parable before us, the talents are said to have been "given to every man according to his several ability." The common interpretation of the parable goes upon the supposition, that a man's abilities are his talents; but this interpretation would be "a darkening of council by words without knowledge." It would seem to show, that our talents are given us, according to the talents we already possess. The true sense appears to be this, we have means and opportunities, put into our hands, for benefiting ourselves and others, according to the intellecual or mental endowments which God has given us. Talents are special gifts; ability is the power to improve them and render them productive.

In the light, derived from our subject, let us then inquire how we may improve the gifts of God, in such a manner as to reap the reward, which the context describes as being conferred upon the faithful. I shall confine my observations, under this article, to the use of knowledge, and the exercise of the affections. In these cases, I hope to make it appear, that like him who had the five talents, and him that had the two, we are capable of doubling our intellectual and moral possessions.

Every man who has reflected upon the subject, and has learned any thing of the nature and operation of that law of the human mind, by which one idea produces another, and by which all our ideas become associated, will readily perceive, in what an immense ratio knowledge increases, when the powers of the mind are called forth, and an object presented on which they act. When a talent is given, the ability is exercised; and where the disposition exists to accumulate intellectual wealth, the increase will be, at least, in the proportion, assigned in the parable. There is an aptness, and an analogy in this parable, which deserve notice. The five talents produced other five; the two produced other two. Such a sum of money wisely employed produces so much, and that so much more, till the original sum is doubled. Such an idea, by association, gives birth to another, and that to a third, till the sum of knowledge is wonderfully increased. We are sometimes struck with surprise, that, in a given time, there should have been such a vast increase of knowledge; we may think it strange, that the scripture should speak of a time, when, "the ploughman should overtake the reaper, and he that treadeth grapes him that soweth seed;" but our surprise will cease, when we reflect, that when the sum of knowledge has arrived to be considerable, the greater must be its increase, as it is exercised and improved, tho the law of proportion is observed in both cases. And whether a man have five talents, or two, or only one, a careful and zealous improvement will not fail to double them. The

stock of knowledge which is intellectual wealth, is increased, much in the same manner, and certainly in as great proportion as the riches of this world.

But this is not all. I do not tell you, that, in order to be rich, a man must be a miser. This is the worst of all kinds of poverty: and besides, is directly contrary to the spirit of the subject, and the moral lesson taught in the parable. "There is that scattereth and yet increaseth, and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty." It may appear strange, but it is nevertheless true, that the more of intellectual wealth a man communicates, the more he will possess. If we attempt to exclude the light from others, we shall be in the dark ourselves. And if one is capable of instructing his fellow-men, his own increase of knowledge will keep pace with theirs; and when he ceases to enlighten them, it is a good proof, that his own light is extinguished, or has grown dim, or at least, has not increased in splendor.

But the exercise of the affections is capable of producing a fund of the purest, richest satisfaction. It is in this case, in particular, that our talents are put to use, and when he who gave them to us demands them, he receives his own, with an immense income. The desire of happiness is implanted in every man's breast; and to promote and secure it, he directs all the faculties and energies of his soul. Suppose then, that his efforts. are crowned with success, you behold him satisfied and delighted with his condition; but you contemplate him only as an insulated being, unconnected with society, and of consequence, not a sharer in its joys. But consider man in a relative capacity, as a social being, as capable of imparting as well as receiving good; as the head of a family, as a neighbor, as an active friend to the distressed, or if you please, as placed in a station, in which he rules the destinies of his country, and millions looking up to him, as the defender of their liberties and the supporter of their rights. Let such a man