Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-01-10
Calr>naSe
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaae, d. d.

sermon the preacher taking the unre-
corded life Of Christ as an Illustration,
shows that consistency demands that
Christian principles should govern us
in our private and domestic affairs as
well as in public. The text is John
xxi, o. "TEe which If they should be
written every one"
Have you ever heard Of our buried
treasurer" gentleman asked me some
time ago. mo. What treasurer"
"Well," said he, 81 will come around
this afternoon with my team and take
you out for drive, and then I will tell
you the story"
That afternoon my friend drove up.to
where | was stopping in the country,
and off we went. We drove through
the vineyards of that region: then we
climbed a small hill which overlook ed
the valley for miles around. There,
upon the top, we found the ruins of the
foundation of an old home. Then. as
the horses rested. he told me that many
years ago one of the old Spanish set
tiers owned this home. lie built it
there not only for its wonderful view,
but also for protection. Like many Of
those old houses. his home was a fort
as well as II donicile. This old settler
lived here for many, many years. lie
grew enormously wealthy. and as there
were no banks in those days like Mon
to Crsto he gathered most of his gold
into Il chest and buried it. No one
knew where that gold was hidden. The
old man was without family. so he
talked about his gold to no one. He
was taken suddenly sick and died be-
fore he could tell this secret When he
felt himself going he gasped, Gold
hidden" and he was gone.
NO sooner did his breath leave the
body than the people began to hunt for
his hidden rol1. Lawyers. doctors,
merchants. rs we'll as common labor
ers. have been digging for it ever since.
You can see how all the land around
| this foundation is filed with holes
Every tree. every rock, every land
mark, as far as the eye can see in this
valley. has also been dug about, in or
der to find this buried treasure. The
gold seekers have been hunting every
where for this gold of the Old man.
And l suppose men will continue to dig
for this tren sure in this region for CEN
turtles to come" Thus was the story
told me as | sat in the wagon by the
ruins Of that old Mexican home upon
the hilltop overlooking the Cucamonga
valley.
But on my way back to the city that
afternoon | soliloquized thus in the
train: Are not most acts of man
hidden away from the eyes of the pub
lie at large as that treasure chest Of tho
old California pioneer was secreted
and hidden from prying eyes? Are not
the recorded actions of mans career
only an infinitesimal part of his life
Can it not be said Of us what St.
John wrote about Jesus in the last
verse Of his gospel? And there are
also many other things which Jesus
did. the which, if they should be writ
ten every one, l suppose that even The
world itself could not contain the
books that should be written"
The biographies on our library
shelves are all Of that kind A long
story is told, sometimes in three vol
umes, and we suppose 1t tells all about
the man. but how much there must
! have been in that life that was never
| recorded How much there Is in our
| lives that we never reveal even to our
most intimate friends So it was, as
John tells us. with Jesus We wish
we could know all he did and said
even If it had multiplied volumes, as
John supposed. We can never know
now, but we can imagine from what
we do know something Of the facts
that were never revealed. Let US try
to think this morning what those facts
may have been.
81. Johns Biography,
was struck. in the first pAce. with
the fact that Johns gospel opens with
the fully developed physical. mental
and spiritual Christ 'ris true the first
verse OF the first chapter begins with
the words. I'm the beginning was the
! Word, and the Word was with God.
and the Word was God" but almost
Immediately after St John introduces
to us John the Baptist and the Jordan
&c baptism. In other words, the blog-
raphy of st. John opens with fully
developed Christ. What Christ did
during the formative physical period
between infancy and young manhood
is entirely omitted. OF what he did
during the sprngtime Of his childhood,
| when life was in the blossom, as the
little bud changes into the rounded
form of fruit, there Is not n word said
OF course we read in another gospel
about Jesus In the temple with the
doctors. But outside Of that all the
biographies are silent about Christs
childhood days. And yet. my friends,
in all mans life / do not believe
there is time when in his own realm
or sphere person has more influence
for good than does the Godly child
within the four walls Of home.
Oh. the patience and the gentleness
Of n holy spirit filed little child!
There is nothing like unto 1t thla side
Of heaven. Christ said, "If you want
to become the greatest in the kingdom
Of heaven. then you must become like
one of these little children" And most
Of us know that there is no one who
can walk closer with God than do
| Coma OF oIr chil1raD Soma TINA oOo