God. " Behold," he says, " we will go, but what shall we carry to the man of God?" He was at that time poor, but he gave all that he had, "the fourth part of a side of silver." You also are poor, but you have a soul stamped with the image of God, "the light of Thy countenance, O Lord, is signed upon us." (Ps. iv. 7.) Give, therefore, this soul of yours to Him, " whose image and superscription it bears;" but let it be purified from the filth of sin, and " made conformable to the image of His Son" (Rom. viii. 29), to whose likeness it is made, and then " He will teach you all truth." (John xvi. 13.)
MONDAY.
The Talents.— I.
I. "A man going into a far country called his servants and delivered to them his goods." (Matt. xxv. 14.) God is the universal Lord of all things, and He distributes His goods among mankind; for whatever qualities of body or mind we possess, whatever we have, internal or external, natural or supernatural, all comes from God. O man, " what hast thou, that thou hast not received!" (1 Cor. iv. 7.) God distributes His talents or gifts, whether natural or supernatural, unequally; He gives more to one and less to another, but to all He addresses the words, " Trade till I come" (Luke xix. 13), in order that they may take advantage of what they receive. Examine how many talents you have received, in order that you may be the better able to give an account of them.
II. " He that had received the five talents went his
