the master praised him also, and gave him both principal and interest.  Then he asked the third servant what he had done with his money.  ‘Master,’ replied the man, ’it wasn’t much to begin with, so I wouldn’t risk losing it.  I should have liked to gain a second gold piece, but I might have lost the first.  So I did not use it for the housekeeping, but buried it in a safe place, so that I could faithfully return it to you.’  Then the master snatched the gold piece from him and gave it to the fellow who had increased his money tenfold.  ’The little that he has shall be taken away from the lazy and unprofitable servant and given to him who knows how to value what he has.’”

“Do you understand?” Matthew asked the smith.  “The gold pieces are the talents which God gives men—­to some more, to others less.  Whoso lets his talents lie fallow, and does not use them, is like the man who has strength and skill to work the iron, but who lays the hammer aside to brood idly over writings he cannot understand.”

“How is it then,” said someone, “fault is found with him who works, and likewise with him who doesn’t work?”

Matthew tapped the speaker on the shoulder.  “My friend!  Everything at the right time! the point is to do that for which you have a talent, not to yearn after things for which you have no talent whatsoever.”

The smith laid aside his book and his phylacteries and grasped his hammer.

Then a man came by who complained that the new teaching was worthless.  He had followed it, had given away all his possessions because they brought him care.  But since he had become poor, he had had still more care.  So now he should begin to earn again.

“Do so,” said James the younger, “but take care that your heart is not so much in it that your possessions possess you!”

And others came:  “Sir, I am a ship’s carpenter!  Sir, I am a goldsmith!  Sir, I am a stone-cutter!  Are we not to put our whole heart into our work so as to produce something worthy?  If our heart is not in it we cannot do good work.”

“Of course,” said the disciple, “you must exert your whole strength and talent in order to produce worthy work.  But not for the sake of the work or the praise, but for the sake of God and the men whom you serve.  And rejoice from your hearts that God creates His works through you.”

A rustic once came to James and discussed prayer.  The Master said you should pray in few words and not, as the heathens do, in a great many words, for the Father knows our needs.  Well, he had once prayed just in that way, using few words, but his prayer had not been heard.

Then James said:  “Don’t you remember what the Master said of the man to whose door a friend came in the night and begged for bread?  He had gone to bed, took no heed of his friend’s knocking, and at length called out:  ‘Go away and let me sleep.’  But the friend continued to knock and to complain that he needed bread, and began noisily to shake the door.  That lasted until the man in bed could endure it no longer.  Out of temper, he got up, took some bread and gave it to his friend through the window.  He did not give it him out of love, but only to be rid of him.  The Master meant that with perseverence much might be attained by prayer.”