Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
Ver. 16. Went and traded] Grace grows by exercise, and decays by disuse; as that side of the teeth which is least used in chewing is apt to have more rheum to settle upon it. Though both arms grow, yet that which a man useth is the stronger and bigger; so is it in both gifts and graces. In birds, their wings which have been used most are sweetest. Among trees, that which is planted and plashed a against a wall, the more it is spread and laid forth in the branches, even to the least twig, the more warmth and vigour it gets from the sunbeams, and the more fruit it beareth. So here.
a To bend down and interweave (stems half cut through, branches, and twigs) so as to form them into a hedge or fence ŒD