And this strikes me as leading up to a cheering and beautiful thought--to a thought which has often occurred to me in reading the parable of the _Talents_. There is, let me remark, this difference between this parable and that of the Pounds: that in the one case the _work_ was equal in quality, bearing exactly the same proportion to the advantages, which were dissimilar; in the other case the advantages and opportunities were the same for each, but the _work_ was unequal and greatly differing in quality. Thus each has its separate teaching. And in this parable of the Talents, the same heartening thought came to me as that wafted from fields, and trees, and gardens, on the breath of Summer days. It was cheering, and a matter of much thankfulness, to recollect that it was possible, in a low condition, and with less advantages, to serve God in the same proportion with the greatest of God’s saints: to fight as well and as nobly in the ranks as any officer could do who waved his soldiers to the charge. It was, I say, very comforting to read, after “Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more”; and the “Well done” that followed--it was exceedingly sweet to read, farther on, “He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.” And then to hear just the same ringing glorious words, “Well done!” words that come like a burst of joy-bells across the heart. For I said to myself, “Cheer up, and be bold,--humble, insignificant, lowly though thou be, and sorrowfully, impotently longing to do great things, to fight a good fight, for Him who died for thee and rose again. Yea, be of good courage, and do even thy best with that thou hast. The one had ten talents to bring, the other but four, yet cheerily, bravely, modestly, did he bring them; the amount was different, _the work was the same_. Each had wrought in the same proportion. He with five talents had indeed doubled them. But he with two talents _had likewise doubled these_.”