Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 243, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 October 1910 — The Treasure and the Pearl [ARTICLE]

The Treasure and the Pearl

By REV. E. SINCLAIR SMITH

Pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church, Houston, Tanas

Che treasure and the pearl.... ~r ex t: What Is the summum bonum—the chief grooA—Matt. 13:44-6. Again the kingdom of Heaven la like onto a treasure hid In a field, the ■which when a man hath found he kldeth and for Joy thereof goeth and selleth ail that he hath and buyeth that field. Again the kingdom of Heaven la Uke a merchant man seeking goodly Pearls, who when he hath found one pearl of great price went and sold all that he had and bought it. Prof. A. B. Bruce characterize* these two parables as the “Treasure and the Pearl” (or the kingdom of God as the summum bonum or chief good). These two parables constitute but one text and teach the same general lesson, the Incomparable worth of the kingdom of uod. They show how the kingdom of God ought to be esteemed In whatever esteem It may In fact be held. Something that it Is worth while giving up everything else In order to attain it. What Is this supreme good of human life? We are all looking for hidden treasure. We are all seeking goodly pearls. The only question Is what treasure Is worth the most? What pearl has the greatest value? What Is best worth living for? What Is the summum bonum? What, according to Jesus Christ, Is the chief good? The treasure It Is worth while to barter everything else for? The prlce : less pearl whose value Is greater than all else? Is it not tbfe kingdom of God set up in a man’s heart? To have God’s kingdom set up In a man’s own heart, to be In touch and sympathy with the great Interests of Christ’s eternal kingdom; this Is worth while, worth living for, worth dying for. This is the only interest deep enough, high enough, comprehensive enough to absorb a man’s affection; arouse his energies, develop the best and broadest life. There Is only one thing worth living for—the kingdom of God. Christ teacheß and experience proves the truth of hla teaching that only the kingdom of God set up 2 a man’s heart can satisfy him. He ay have everything else under the sun, but Unless he has entered Into living, loving fellowship with God his soul will thirßt for the living God and will never be satisfied until satisfied In God. Man’s chief good is God. The living, loving God as recalled in Christ enthroned In the heart, the source of life eternal! this Is man’s chief good. "This is life eternal that they might know this the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.” Another term our Savior uses in describing the chief good, is “eternal life.” If men only knew the significance of those two words —eternal life—they would give up everything they had on earth rather than not possess., it. : __ ~ Like the man who found the hidden treasure, they would sell all that they had to possess that field. Like the merchantman seeking goodly pearls, when they found this pearl of great price they would give up everything they had rather than to give up this priceless pearl. Let us study these parables a little more closely. They represent two different classes of men. The parable of the man who found the treasure hid In the field represents a man going about his daily business, living a surface life, unaware that just below the ■urface, If he would dig a little deeper, he would find a rich treasure, not knowing that there Is a richer, better life in store for him, until accidentally, as It were, he stumbles upon “the Christian secret of a happy life” and goes on through life rejoicing in his newfound happiness. The parable of the merchantman seeking goodly pearlß represents a different type of a man, one of high Ideals and expectations, always reaching out after something better than !he possessed, until at last, In his seeking, he comes across the pearl of great price revealed in the peerless one, and he gladly parts with all that he has gained that he may possess it Such a cholee soul was Paul, who said:,. “What things were gain to me these have I counted loss for Christ. Yea, verily, and I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I suffered the loss of all things and do count them but refuse that I may gain him.” Another choice soul was Justin, martyr, one of the early Christians, who tells us In his writings how he had traveled through the whole circle 0 f Greek philosophy, seeking everywhere for that which would satisfy the deepest needs of his heart’s soul, and ever seeking in vain, till he found It at length In the gospel of Christ This parable represents an earnest seeking soul finding at the end of Ita weary quest Christ God’s answer to the heart’s need. We show our appreciation ,of the yaluo of this treasure, this pearl, by the earnestness with which we seek |o possess it The man that found this bidden treasure sold all that he had fchat he might possess this treasure. If the kingdom of God.set up in the heart Is the chief good then our only rational course is to give up everything that hinders Ottr possessing It jtto irrational to go through life Withoat possessing ourselvss of it