J l\0 EVANGELICAL TRACT SOCIEV Wft oon /?• HID TREASURE. It is possible that you may have lived a lung lii- poverty, while yet you were every day close upon im- mense riches. It is possible tint you may have walked over the field where treasure lay hid, and have harden- ed the ground by the tread of your feet, without being aware that you were at the very door of wealth. You may have been within reach of the Sabbath bell, which said " Come, come/' La your ear, inviting you to the sanctuary where Christ was preached.; you .may have even sat under a gospel ministry; and, no doubt, you have had the Bible within your grasp — that Bible which afcs every one ords to y There is a parable of our Lord's which mas thus : — " The kingdom of heaven is like unto trea field, the which -when a man 'hath found, h hideth, and, for joy thereof goeth \and aelleth ;. This parable may, concern you sinners. U- shews how souls get the treasure of the kingdom of heaven by getting ed trith the K 1, 2 ling hi awakened, sinner. You are ft field or a fan e, and diligently s t cultivating* it. Hish< ashishai Z HID TREASURE. no. ricliea but what may come to him from the produce of th^flfcrcs, if well wrought ; ami so he ploughs,. • yowsTuarrows — attends, in short, to. every process in it* season. Qne day, while thus busy, lo ! his plough or his harrow strikes' on something hard — a large flat stone, which is somewhat shoved from its place. As he is stooping down to see if his plough has got no injnry, he espies beneath the stone, at a chink, something glitter- ing ; and, on closer inspection, this proves to be silver!- gold ! lie wonders, and stands rapt in thought a while — a ne^way of reaching the goal of riches has occurred to him. Without waiting for the produce of his fields, th{g trea&yre — this unexpected, untnought-of treasure — ; become his wealth! * ; Ah, then, *' says he, 'Met me. <*et the field as my own !. Oh, if it were altogether mine Here, in a parable, you see a man plodding at his worldly calling, day by day, year after ' year— rising early, working late. He thinks*" I would be happy if omv I could get and lay by so much money ! *' Up to old a^e this may go on — the man still thinking that happiness is to be reached^ what his trade or business brine's in. When some prosperous season come?, how diligent! how. anxious ! how persovcfcng ! But all the while he thinks not that there is bliss of another sort for Some day, in the good providence of God, this very man is led to heaV and reflect upon things unseen. The Holy Spirit causes * verse, or a word, of Scripture, to arrest his attention— a > whori '" i^searchable rkhes of Christ " made one who before was easy-minded start with surprise, and begin'tb inquire whaUin Christ was HID TREASURE, 3 " unsearchable/' A. ray has shone in. A ufw idea is shot into his soul, drawing the man to think of God,* from whom it came. Or perhaps it is a providential event that arouses him — some friend's death, or some sadden St nvifiirawa; a neighbour. Or else a long-forgolten truth rises to view on a sick-bed ; as when Lady Glenorchy began to recall the truth — " Mori* chief end is U> glorify Grod and to enjoy Bod for err,." This is the plough hitting on the stone, t hat disc'- a glimpse, of the Treasure. Or it may be like Luk<- Short, of- whom Mr, flave] tolls as. The old man *a sitting lolling intke sun, musing over his youth, when rmoa and a blessing, uttered eighty years ago, flash --I! hie soul, and he saw all things in a new light. Here surely the man has got a new thought, and it may turn on i a treasure. There is another worid; glimpses of it, and glimpses of blessedness to be attain ed from thence, have been obtained. Still, the man says little about it to any. He "hide.-" tbe treasure, afraid of being laughed- at, and perhaps laughed out of it, and scarcely yet quite sure himself if nil tnis reality. V J. T/w Hid Treasure is. Qhrist //><- Saviour. — lie is little biowo to tii^-orld. little thought upon, .seen by few, and so is spoken of as " hid in a field*" But though hidden in this sense, the field wherein he is hid is nojfc far off: you are walking over it daily. Unclasp thai Bible, open ir out, read its pages — and in So doing you • are almost touching the Treasure. Gro to the house of GocT. listen to a minister who tells of Christ, understand what he says — and you are almost touching the Treasure. "The word is nigh the%, the word of faith which we t HID TREASURE. &om. x. 8). it is yery nigh ; but you may nawarfe of its presence. You may be treating the el a: a child often does a nut — -playing with the '/and never breaking into the savoury kernel, But Christ, to them who knew Him ? is truly trmmre, He is God-man m Hit person— really God and really man in 'one person ; and lienor all fulness dwells in Him". There is an infinite treasure there of 'norfuetion— - what- ever in God is glorious, whatever is generous, whatever is gracious, and whatever in man is Suitable for pounrg. .out affection, as well as fit for exhibiting holy obedience. And this wondrous Person obeyed the law which we disobeyed, and gave His meritorious suffering unto death, to pay our last mite of punishment la He net. then, a Treasure? Here are the riofees a soul needs in lealings with God. 4 Here is merit for you, here ig ransom-money, here is righteousriC If a true friend is truly a treasure^ Christ is so to all who know Him. Jonathan was a treasure to David — a friend ready for fellowship^ with a bosom open to receive David's cares, joys, anxieties, thoughts, hopes, fears, wishes, affection. Such is Christ. Pour into 'Hie ear el cry sorrow, care, fear, as well as every joy, and- all your soul's affections. Your hear tip! meet with sym- pathy there. He listens, and is never weary ; He speaks a word in season to you when weary ; He careth for your every care; He fhinieth on you; He fools to the very soul. H: ; > op'cn cut ail His Tr q%wrc. We know ijfc oat in jjart. He gites His own hereafter a crown of ■ life, a crown of 'rights ;i crown of glory, a palm HID TREASURE^ of victor y, a white robe, a golden harp, hidden manna, a* white stone whereon is written a new name ; and He places them 'in the glory of His kingdom, close to Him- self. At His coming agahi, He gives them a glos resurreetiou-body, which never shall feel weakness, of pairij or' weariness ; and He snews them all the endless magniliccnce of fifew Jerusalem and His kingdom, telling them that all is tJieirs, for they arc Christ's — joint-heirs with Christ, the heir of .all things ! And to sum. up oil. they shall be "like Him, "in the image of God, perfect- ly and for ever holy. What treasure! Amdit is lying roadyfbr yoa*— riri ing your coming to find it : 3. Tkk ing the field repre* the awakened • parting with all, that he mat/ win Christ. — In the parable you may suppose the an a loverer of the treasure in the field plannin and day how to purchase the field, and make it his own personal property. Where is ho to get money enough ? He inquires, and finds the price such that he # can meet it only by parting with all his present goods and chev — ho must sell his furniture, and even his clothes. If he does this, then he may make out the purchase-money. Now, he is loayflto do this — it is difficult for him make up his mrW to part with that article, which is a fatnily.-piece, and that otheY, which is a gift from a dear friend. But, though many difficulties occur, the joyful hope of being enriched by that treasure prevails-— he parts with everything he ha:-: thai} he may raise the purchase-money: and the field with all its imbue U his own ! And now, in the $ttiet of evening, he* repairs to the fk-kl and surveys his immense gara 6 . HID TREASURE. Whether his farm yield much or little, is to him now a small matter — he has other riches — helms better treasure .' - It is thus with the anxious soul that has got a glimpse of something better than earth, and would fain possess it. The hoped-for joy therein is ever flitting before his eye; but there are hindrances in his way. The natural love of this world's objects suggests a caution, "Will you really renounce 'this world as your portion ?" The love of self, too, hinders the man from, listening to tin- proposal to give up all he has, and buy the 'field. He has regard for his own fancied righteousness, strict walk, regularity of conduct, decency, morality. He suspects, too, that he must not only part with all he has, but that he must, in addition, obtain something valuable, sueh as deep feeling of love, and bitter sense of past folly. :tinl ^tt-ou;;- hatred tf-fftft-; But the Spirit of the Lord, in sueh a east', continues, to Hash across the man's mind the joy which would be found in the actual- possession of this treasure. And further, ^e fixes his attention more specially than be- fore on the simple terms by which he may obtain all. These terms are — parting with all you have. Nothing beyond this. Whatever is yours, give -it: up; account it no more any part of your real treasiutffc| Present your- self in after poverty at Christ's feet, auono ! the treasure is yours ! Present yourself before Him srript.of what- ever y cm bef< d in. ^.d H^ itofljed-iateljl gives you Himself ! . The hand of a believing sinner drops, all it had before in order to make room for all that is .in Christ. The treasure is for the poor — for sinners who have nothing— for souls who sell off all — for such as part with what II ID IREASUftfc. 7 they had, and cast it away as dross, that they may win Christ. Who would not envy the blessedness of this soul now ! He finds himself possessed of righteousness and merit, Dfoiafr rigfc h» miriness and Divine merit. Christ's right- eousness and Christ's: merit. He finds himself rich in the favour of God, and entitled to count as his own every grace which the Holy Spirit has to give. He discovers himself to be heir of all things, in due time (Rev. xx. 7). by being joint-heir with Christ. And all this the first moment he consented to be poor as to any- thing of his own ! Aged friends, however long you have lived without this treasure, yet now it is within your reach. You have heard of it: you have heard, too, that it is got by the poor) and gnT iTt suelfa way % you. Had anything, such as strong and lively feeling, or vigorous exertion, been required previously to your making it yours, you might have shaken your head, and said, "It is not for me at my time of life." But you are asked to part with all that is yours* The terms are of this strangely simple sort ; it is not some enormous amount of giving* of doing that is required,' but it is a parting with wjiat you have. The older you are, yo u have the more l^art with — the more sins, the more prejudices, the more old ideas; but let these go; for believe The Lord's- word — " My in ire not j thoughts, neither are your ways ray ways, jaitb Lord" ( Isaiah lv. $). * Hollinger Corp. pH 8.5