“How to Serve God.”  Willie’s mother let him go with his little sister into the street to play.  She told them not to go off the street on which their house stood.  Willie was a little fellow, and lisped very much in talking; but he was brave, and he was obedient.  Presently his sister asked him to go into another street; but he refused.  “Mamma thaid no,” was Willie’s answer.  “The thaid we muthn’t do off thith threet,” said Willie in his lisping way.  “Only just a little way round the corner,” said his teasing sister.  “Mamma’ll never know it.”

“But I thall know it my own thelf; and I don’t want to know any thuch a mean thing; and I won’t!” And Willie straightened himself, and stood up like a man.  That was brave and beautiful in Willie.  And that is the way in which we should try to serve our heavenly Master.

“How a Boy May Serve God.”  A gentleman met a little boy wheeling his baby brother in a child’s carriage.  “My little man,” said the gentleman, “what are you doing to serve God?” The little fellow stopped a moment, and then, looking up into the gentleman’s face, he said:—­“Why, you see, Sir, I’m trying to make baby happy, so that he won’t worry mamma who is sick.”  That was a noble answer.  In trying to amuse his baby brother, and to relieve his poor sick mother, that little boy was serving God as truly and as acceptably as the angel Gabriel does when he wings his way, on a mission of mercy, to some far off world.

And this is the lesson about the servants that comes to us from Olivet.

The lesson about—­THE TALENTS—­is the third lesson that comes to us from Olivet.

This parable tells us that before the Master went away, he “called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.  Unto one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one; to every man according to his several ability.” verses 14, 15, In St. Luke’s account of the parable, what the master gave to his servants is spoken of as pounds, and each servant is said to have received one pound.  These talents or pounds both mean the same thing.  They denote something with which we can do good, and make ourselves useful.  And it is plain, from both these parables, that the Master gave at least one talent, or one pound, to each of his servants.  None of them were left without some portion of their Master’s goods.  And the lesson from Olivet which comes to us here is that every one of us has a talent, or a pound, that our Master Jesus, has given us, and which he expects us to use for him.  And the most important thing for us is to find out what our talents are, and how we can best use them, so as to be ready to give a good account of them when our Master comes to reckon with us.

A TALENT FOR EACH.

  “God entrusts to all
    Talents few or many;
  None so young and small
    That they have not any.

  “Little drops of rain
    Bring the springing flowers;
  And I may attain
    Much by little powers.