The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1920-12-09

is the great number of common folk
who are busy at ordinary things to
whom the Kingdom comes in the very
midst of toll with no particular looking
on their part. Recognizing its value
they eagerly embrace it but the church
was at their door, their heritage of
home was filled with Christian ideas
and some sudden event-sickness acct
dent, death, meeting Billy Sunday or
something else-caused their changed
condition. The pearl INGREDIENT is vi
tally different. He has a full under
standing of values and has his heart set
upon finding the best that life holds.
All other things are incidental to that
and his eye was never upon the field at
his feet but upon the far horizon of his
dream. For him there is no content
ment in any second rate thing. He is
the idealist, the thinker who carefully
weighs the jewel before investing and
then out of full understanding relates
his whole life to it. Such was the
Governor of Tennessee who found his
pearl wrapped in the letter of a Metho-
dist preacher. The third picture includ-
ed both these types each of whom has
builded home and became the keeper
of treasure only to be steward of its
richness that thru their hands blessings
may come to others. Among these the
Disciples were first but all the long
succession is under the same compul-
sion to use their treasure rightly as
those who give account.
THE TREASURE.
The pot in the field may hold almost
any conceivable thing that the owner
desired to preserve. The first glance
convinced the finder that it was of val
ue to himself but there could be no
time for examination lest another
snatch away the opportunity. He ex-
periences it and finds the hoard far
greater than he dreamed so that there
grows thru all his life the emotional
joy of its possession. There is no bot
tom to the bag of prayer, of worship.
of service and he develops the sense of
opulence as he goes along. Yet always
the treasurer was of human storing and
he finds his emphasis being placed upon
church building. upon the wealth of it's
fellowship and the activities in which it
engages. Organization and architec-
ture oyershadow other things. The
pearl was touched by no human finger
in its making and the mystic sees all
the wonders of the invisible in its sheen.
1t is the spirit that thralls his heart and
enlists his life. And it probably is to
be called out by the faith of the finder
who has finer eyes than others and is
willing to pay the price of faiths ven
ture. No where else does Christ so
faithfully draw His own portrait. For
the Kingdom is the merchant not the
pearl and Jesus embodied In Himself
all the characteristics of that Empire
of the Spirit. Possessing all things
that Heaven holds He saw IN this world
the fairest jewel yet and giving up all,
He sought it in the open market and
paying the unheard of price of Calvary
bought this old world for His own. God
had made it and tho it was still not
properly priced He knew it's infinite
worth and secured it for Himself. And
like the householder treasure old-not
breaking with the past-and now-not
content that only the old has worth.
THE FISHERMEN.
The tares had pictured the world field
with the mingling of good and evil.
This was spoken to those who were to
be fishers of men and concerned their
catch. They would spread out their net
in the worlds waters and would find it
filled with fish but not all would be
good. The fish have no choice here and
those that were not brought within the
meshes haye no blame. But what of
the fisherman? Why not bigger net
and more seaworthy boat? They had
been told to launch out into the deep
yet thru all the centuries the church
has been content with a small hook
and-line job. Only in these last DAYS
has it seriously considered its world
task and is seeking to spread its net in
all waters and bring all the fish within
its enlightenment. Yet even here men
are not the final judges of the good or
bad within its bonds-it little be-
comes faulty and little fish to complain
about the others in the net.
THE MEN WHO FAILED.
Back to the old home went Jesus.
Surely they would listen to His mes
sage now so they should have their sec
ond chance at life. But they knew too
much of the plain eyery-dayness of
this carpenter to dream of anything but
His presumption at claiming to be the
Messiah. 1t is the men familiar with
the Church of Christ who often stumble
thru their supposed full knowledge.
How can the church possibly settle the
racial frictions? How can the church
soften industrial strife? How can the
church do anything for the problem of
poverty? How can the church change
human nature? Yet we know that it is
only under the touch of the SCARED
hand that there is hope for this old
world and that all the failure in the
earth has been in following Nazar eth
instead of John and Peter and Paul anC