Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 308, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 December 1910 — The Surprise of the Spiritual [ARTICLE]

The Surprise of the Spiritual

By REV. HUGH T. KERR

TEXT—The kingdom of heaven lg i llce unto treasure hid in a field, the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all th at he hath and knoweth that field.— Matthew XIII. 44. • The discovery of hidden treasures was one of the expectant surprises of the past, said the Rev. Mr. Kerr. The secrecy of the soil was once the safest security. Nero became the laughing stock of his people because he was induced to investigate a marvelous treasure-trove in a distant part of his dominions said to be waiting for a finder. Men of our day, too, have become the laughing stock of their fellows by selling their al) to invest in mountains of rock said to contain acres of gold and stratas of shale and' to secrete rivers of oil. But this man of the parable was no laughing stock, but the wonder of his age and the envy of many men. Without searching for it, he discovered a treasure. The glittering gold shone before his very eyes. According to the law ’of the land it was his. His heart danced for very joy and in his joy he parted with everything he had and possessed himself of that miracle-working field. . God is better far than mountains of gold, said Jesus. To find God, to possess him, is wortfi the sacrifice of every other thing. God is the greatest discovery a man can make. Job cried out for God. Philip asked after the father. Tennyson said the greatest desire of his life was to have a new vision of God. Let us follow the path of this unnamed discoverer and, if we can, learn his secret. He was surprised into his discovery. It was all no unexpected and so amazing and so wonderful that he could not believe his eyes when the glittering gold and the shining silver lay spread out in a heap at' his feet. So does God sometimes surprise the souls of men. We would not be seeking him had we not already been found of him. Our search for God has been so long and so patient as has his search for us. Sometimes he discovers himself to us and ere we know it we are in his presence. Like Livingstone in the African wilderness suddenly facing his discoverer, so does God discover us. Nicodemus may search for God in tne secrecy of the night, but in the broad daylight Jesus reveals himself to the surprised. Samaritan woman. Zacchaeus may climb the tree to see the Christ, but Jesus unexpectedly calls Matthew from his customary place. So do men stumble upon God in life. Men are surprised into the spiritual by the very act of the eternal spirit they are not looking for God, they are found of him. Paul went with slaughter in his heart to Damascus and lo! he found not the Christians but the Christians’ God. Verily, said the prophet, thou art a God that hidest thyself. The spiritual life from beginning to end is one long series of discovery. The hidden treasure of God’s all-pervasive presence is ever revealing new wonders to our souls. He was surprised into a new mental temperament. The very grammar dances with joy. The words as they fell from the lips of Jesus are bubbling over with a new found delight. The man walks as it were on air and lives his life in gladness of a present possession. So rejoiced is he in his new found treasure that he again hides it away as something too precious to exploit, and holds his secret for a little while at least, in selfish monopoly. The spiritual life must ever surprise men into a very intoxication of delight. The early church was one great merry making community. The people of that age did not understand the abounding joy and the overwhelming gladness that possessed the Christians who sang in the midst of defeat and who rejoiced In tribulation. When Gods surprises the soul there is abounding light-heartedness and a burst of melody. Every revival of _true religion has been accompanied with- a burst of song. The miners of Wales went down into the dariipess with gospel songs upon their lips. In the prison-house of Phillippi Paul and Silas sang songs of joy until the very prison was smitten as with an earthquake. God, pity us for our dry-as-dust religion! There is no gospel in the religion of many of our people, and the missing note in our modern Christianity is the note of abounding joy and spiritual cheerfulness. Our missionary meetings are too often places ,of tears and tragedies. Our prater services are too often a followers. x Awake, awßEeT'put on thy beautiful garments. Our Christ is a conqueror and our treasure is pure gold. He was surprised into a new interpretation of sacrifice. In his joy he goeth and selleth all that he has. and buyeth that field. There is nothing to weep over in that transaction. There is no use to shed tears over that sacrifice. Indeed; there is no sacrifice. Men talk about sacrifices, said the Immortal Livingstone; God knows I never made a sacrifice. This from the man who wore his life out to heal the open sore of the world, ancj we, with out petty self-denials talk about sacrifice! If we wish the priceless treasure we must oay the price.