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Servants of Mammon
221
merely to engage his brain, bone, and muscle in common labor; it
means more than this. You are acquainted with this work from a
worldly point of view, and have some experience in it in a religious
capacity. But for a few years past you have been losing time, and
now you will have to work fast to redeem the past. To possess talents
is not enough; you must so use them as to advantage not merely
yourself but Him who bestowed them. All that you have is a loan
from your Lord. He will require it again at your hand with interest.
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Christ has a right to your services. You have become His servant
by grace. You are not to serve your own interest, but the interest of
Him who has employed you. As a professed Christian you are under
obligations to God. It is not your own property that is entrusted to
you for investment. Had it been so, you might have consulted your
own pleasure in regard to its use. The capital is the Lord’s, and
you are responsible for its use or abuse. There are ways in which
this capital can be so invested—put out to the exchangers—that it
shall be earning the Lord something. If it is allowed to be buried in
the earth, neither the Lord nor you will be benefited, and you will
lose all that was entrusted to you. May God help you, my brother,
to realize your true position as God’s hired servant. By His own
suffering and death He has paid the wages to secure your willing
service and ready obedience.
During the trials of the past few years, you have suffered in mind,
and have felt it a relief to turn your attention more fully to the things
of the world, to the work of acquiring property. God, in His great
love and mercy to you, has again gathered you into His fold. New
duties and responsibilities are now laid upon you. You have a strong
love for this world. You have been laying up treasures upon the
earth. Jesus now invites you to transfer your treasure to heaven; for
where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. In all your deal
with your brethren and with unbelievers, guard yourself. Be true to
your profession, and maintain true nobleness of soul, which shall be
a credit to the truth which you profess.
You occupy a position where others are looking to you. You
possess more than ordinary intellect. You are a man of quick percep-
tions, and you feel deeply. Some of your brethren have not moved in
wisdom. They have watched you, and have felt over your case, and
have wished to see you more liberal with your means. They have