Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1907-01-05
CalrnaQe
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmage, d. ID.

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, 2j "Tbe which If they should be
written every one"
"Have you ever heard of our buried
treasure" a gentleman asked me some
time ago. mo. What treasurer
"Well," said he, Il will come around
this afternoon with my team and take
you out for a drive, and then 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 q small hill which overlooked
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. He built 1t
there not only for its wonderful view,
but also for protection. Like many OF
those old houses, his home was a fort
MS well as a domiclle. This old settler
lived here for many, many years. lie
grew enormously wealthy, and as there
were no banks in those days, like Mon
te Cristo he gathered most OF his gold
into q chest and buried 1t. No one
knew where that gold was hidden. The
old man was without family, so he
talked about his gold to no one. lie
was taken suddenly sick and died De-
fore he could tell this secret when ne
felt himself going he gasped, "Gold
hiddenw and he was gone.
"No sooner did his breath leave the
body than the people began to hunt LOT
his hidden gold. Lawyers, doctors
merchants, rs we'll as common labor
ers. have been digging for 1t ever since.
Won 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. Inc
gold seekers have been hunting every
where for this gold Of the old man
And suppose men will continue TO dia
for this treasure In this region for cen
t,1rles 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 Cucamongf
valley.
But on my way back to the city tha'
afternoon | soliloqulzed thus In th'
traIn: Are not most acts Of a mar
hidden away from the eyes of the pub
lie at large as that treasure chest of th'
old California pioneer was secrete(
and hidden from prying eyes? Are no
the recorded actions of mans caree
only an infnitesimal part Of his life
| Can it not be said Of us what st
John wrote about Jesus in the las
verse Of his gospel? And there ar
also many other things which Jesu
did, the which, if they should be writ
ten every one, | suppose that even th
world itself could not contain tn
books that should be written"
The biographies on our librar.
shelves are all Of that kind. A lonl
story is told, sometimes in three vol
umes, and we suppose it tells all abou
the man, but how much there mus
have been in that life that was neye
recorded! How much there is In ou
lives that we never reveal even to on
most intimate friends. SO it was, a
John tells US. with Jesus We wis
we could know all he did and said
even IL 1t had multiplied volumes, a
John supposed. We can never know
now, but we can imagine from VIVA
we do know something Of the fact
that were never revealed. Let us tr
to think this morning what those fact
may have been.
st. Johns Biography.
was struck, in the first place, wit
the fact that Johns gospel opens wit
the fully developed physical, menta
and spiritual Christ. 'Tis true the firS
verse Of the first chapter begins wit
the words. "In the beginning was tn
Word. and the Word was with Coo
and the Word was Cod" but almos
Immediately after St John introduce
to US John the Baptist and the Jordai
ic baptism. In other words, the bio;
raphy Of st. John opens with full
deyeloped Christ. What Christ oil
during the formative physical perlo
between infancy and young manhoo
Is entirely omitted. OF what he dl
during the springtime Of his childhoo'
when life was in the blossom, as II
little bud changes into the roundo
form of fruit there is not word SAT-
OF course we read in another gosp
about Jesus in the temple with Il
doctors. But outside of that all II
biographies are silent about CHRIST
childhood days. And yet my friend
in all a mans life | do not behe'
there is a time when in his own real
or sphere a person has more inhuen'
for good than does the godly chi
within the four walls Of a home.
Oh, the patience and the gentlene
Of a holy spirit filled little emil
There is nothing like unto it this si'
of heaven. Christ said, "1f you wa
to become the greatest in the kingdo
e of heaven, then you must become III
one of these little children" And me
of us know that there is no one W
can walk closer with G6l than
some of our children. Some time a
Ii was my privilege to call upon one
le my Sunday school boys. The lad W
D. about ten years Of age. There he
u In bed, bound up with bandages, sutf
o. ing the most excruciating pain fr'
n. rheumatism. Yet not one compla
er came from his lips. AS left the sl
room the father said to me: THAT