One of our Lord's parables, the parable of the Talents, sets forth in several striking lights the privilege and duty and reward of diligent trading. "_Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents._" And when this servant came to the reckoning, and brought as the result of his free and busy traffic "_five talents more_," the prompt and hearty approval of his lord--"well done, thou good and faithful servant"--becomes the testimony of the New Testament to the merit and the profit and the benefit of a vigorous buying and selling. For this servant could not have been authoritatively pronounced good and faithful if the results of his action commended had been in any way prejudicial to others. The truth is, as we shall abundantly see by and by with the reasons of it, that any man who buys and sells under the free and natural conditions of trade, benefits the man he trades with just as much as he benefits himself. But the parable has a still stronger word in favor of exchanges. There was another servant also entrusted with capital by his lord at the same time, when the latter was about to travel "_into a far country_." We are expressly told that distribution was made "_to every man according to his several ability_," and thus this servant was only entrusted with a single talent, the size of the capital given to him being in just proportion to the size of the man,--the smallest share falling of course to the smallest man. But he had the same opportunity as the two others. The world was open to him. Capital was in demand, if not in those parts then in some other, to which, like his lord, he might straightway take his journey. But when his time of reckoning came, and he had nothing to show for the use of his capital, he upbraided his lord as a hard man for expecting any increase, and brought out his bare talent wrapped in a napkin, saying, "_I was afraid, and I went and hid thy talent in the earth_." His wise lord at once denounced this servant as "_wicked and slothful_," insisted that his money ought to have been "_put to the exchangers_," and said finally in a just anger "_cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness_."