seizing it. He possessed such self-control that he kept his plans
absolutely to himself until the critical moment, and then he made a
daring dash for power, and won it. And these characteristics of his were
gifts from God, as Ahijah the prophet emphatically declared.

We are far too timid in the maintenance of our professed belief that
physical and mental gifts are divine in their origin. Mediaeval
theology, which was largely tinged by Pagan philosophy, sometimes went so
far as to attribute exceptional beauty, or talent, to evil powers; and we
are apt to trace them to a merely human source. But keen perception,
sound judgment, a retentive memory, a vigorous imagination, and, not
least, good common-sense, are among the talents entrusted to us by God
Himself, who will by-and-bye take account of His servants.

This is regarded by many as an old-fashioned and effete theory. They
assume that the doctrine of evolution has conclusively shown that no man
is a new creation, but is a necessary product of preceding lives; that
his lineaments and talents may be traced to parentage, that the
brilliance of the Cecils and the solid sense of the Cavendishes, for
example, are simply a matter of heritage. But even admitting this to be
largely true, it does not invalidate the statement that our gifts are of
God--He is the Father of all the "families" of the earth, as well as of
individuals. He does not rule over one year only, but over all the
generations. Time and change, of which we make much, are nothing to Him.
The theory of evolution, therefore, merely extends our conceptions of the
range of His power and forethought. Whether a child presents a striking
contrast to his parents, or whether he seems to be a re-incarnation of
their talents, it is equally true that all things are of God, and that
for Him and by Him all things consist. Natural abilities are Divine
trusts.