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08 - Hidden Treasure - Christ's Object Lessons · Sacred Texts Archive

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  Chapter eight, hidden treasure again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto treasure
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  hid in a field, the which when a man hath found, he hideth,
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  and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath and buyeth that
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  field. In ancient times, it was customary for men to hide their treasures
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  in the earth. Thefts and robberies were frequent. Now whenever there was a
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  change in the ruling power, those who had large possessions were liable to be
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  put under heavy tribute. Moreover, the country was in constant danger of invasions
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  by marauding armies. As a consequence, the rich endeavored to preserve their wealth
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  by concealing it, and the earth was looked upon as a safe hiding place.
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  But often the place of concealment was forgotten. Death might claim the owner,
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  Imprisonment or exile might separate him from his treasure, and the wealth he
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  hath taken such pains to preserve was left for the fortunate finder. In Christ's
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  day, it was not uncommon to discover a neglect did land, old coins
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  and ornaments of gold and silver. A man hires land to cultivate, and
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  as the oxen plow the soil buried treasure is unearthed. As the man discovers
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  the treasure, he sees that a fortune is within his reach. Restoring the
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  gold to its hiding place, he returns to his home and sells all that
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  he has in order to purchase the field containing the treasure. His family and
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  his neighbors think that he is acting like a madman. Looking on the field,
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  they see no value in the neglected soil. But the man knows what
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  he is doing, and when he has a title to the field, he
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  searches every part of it to find the treasure that he has secured. This
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  parable illustrates the value of the heavenly treasure and the effort that should be made
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  to secure it. The finder of the treasure in the field was ready to
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  part with all that he had, ready to put forth untiring labor in order
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  to secure the hidden riches. So the finder of heavenly treasure will count no
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  labor too great and no sacrifice too dear, in order to gain the treasures
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  of truth. In the parable of the field containing the treasure represents the holy
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  scriptures, and the Gospel is the treasure. The earth itself is not so
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  interlaced with gold veins and filled with precious things, as is the Word of
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  God. The treasures of the Gospel are said to be hidden by those who
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  are wise in their own estimation, who are puffed up by the teaching of
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  vain philosophy. The beauty and power and mystery of the plan of redemption are
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  not perceived. Many have eyes, but they see not. They have ears,
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  but they hear not. They have intellect, but they discern not the
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  hidden treasure. A man might pass over the place where treasure had been concealed
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  in dire necessity. He might sit down to rest at the foot of a
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  tree, not knowing of the riches that are hidden at its roots. So
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  it was with the Jews, as a golden treasure. Truth had been entrusted
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  to the Hebrew people. The Jewish economy, bearing the signature of Heaven,
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  had been instituted by Christ himself in types and symbols the great truths of redemption
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  and werevailed. Yet when Christ came, the Jews did not recognize him to
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  whom all these symbols pointed. They had the Word of God in their hands.
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  But the traditions which had been handed down from generation to generation, and
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  the human interpretation of the scriptures hid from them the truth as it is in
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  Jesus. The spiritual import of the sacred writings was lost. The treasure house
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  of all knowledge was open to them, but they did not know it.
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  God does not conceal his truth from men. By their own course of action,
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  they make it obscure to themselves. Christ gave the Jewish people abundant evidence
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  that he was the Messiah, but his teaching called for a decided change in
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  their lives. They saw that if they received Christ, they must give up
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  their cherished maxims and traditions, their selfish, ungodly practices. It required a
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  sacrifice to receive changeless, eternal truth. Therefore, they would not admit the
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  most conclusive evidence that God could give to establish faith in Christ. They professed
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  to believe the Old Testament scriptures, yet they refused to accept the testimony contained
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  therein concerning Christ's life and character. They were afraid of being convinced, lest
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  they should be converted and be compelled to give up their preconceived opinions. The
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  treasure of the Gospel, the way, the Truth, and the Life,
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  was among them, but they rejected the greatest gift that Heaven could bestow among
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  the chief rulers. Also, many believed on him we read, but because
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  of the Pharisees, they did not confess him, lest they should be put
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  out of the synagogue. They were convinced they believed Jesus to be the Son
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  of God, but it was not in harmony with their ambitions desires to confess
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  him. They had not the faith that would have secured for them the heavenly
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  treasure. They were seeking worldly treasure, And to day men are eagerly seeking
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  for earthly treasure. Their minds are filled with selfish, ambitious thoughts for the
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  sake of gaining worldly riches, honor, or power. They place the maxim's
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  traditions and requirements of men above the requirements of God. From them the treasures
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  of His word are hidden. The natural man receiveth not the things of the
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  Spirit of God, for their foolishness unto him. Neither can he know them,
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  because they are spiritually discerned. If our Gospel be hid, it is
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  hid to them that are lost in whom the God of this world hath blinded
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  the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel
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  of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
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  The Savior saw that men were absorbed in getting gain and were losing sight of
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  eternal realities. He undertook to correct this evil. He sought to break the
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  infatuating spell that was paralyzing the soul. Lifting up his voice, he cried,
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  what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose
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  his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
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  He presents before fallen humanity the nobler world they have lost sight of,
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  that they may behold eternal realities. He takes them to the threshold of the
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  infinite, flushed with the indescribable glory of God, and shows them the treasure
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  there. The value of this treasure is above gold or silver. The riches
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  of the earth's minds cannot compare with it. The depth saith it is not
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  in me, and the sea saith, it is not with me. It
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  cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.
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  It cannot be valued with the gold of ophir, with the precious onyx
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  or the sapphire. The gold and the crystals cannot equal. It and the
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  exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold. No mention shall
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  be made of coral or of pearls. For the price of wisdom is above
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  rubies. This is the treasure that is found in the scriptures. The Bible
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  is God's great lesson book, his great educator. The foundation of all true
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  science is contained in the Bible. Every branch of knowledge may be found by
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  searching the word of God, and above all else, it contains the science
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  of all sciences, the science of salvation. The Bible is the mind of
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  the unsearchable riches of Christ. The true higher education is gained by studying and
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  obeying the word of God. But when God's word is laid aside for books
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  that do not lead to God and the Kingdom of Heaven, the education acquired
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  is a perversion of the name. There are wonderful truths in nature. The
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  earth, the sea, and the sky are full of truth. They are
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  our teachers. Nature utters her voice in lessons of heavenly wisdom and eternal truth.
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  But fallen man will not understand. Sin has obscured his vision, and
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  he cannot of himself interpret nature without placing it above God. Correct lessons cannot
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  impress the minds of those who reject the word of God. The teaching of
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  nature is by them so perverted that it turns the mind away from the Creator.
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  By many, man's wisdom is thought to be higher than the wisdom of
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  the divine teacher, and God's lesson book is looked upon is an old fashioned,
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  stale and uninteresting. But by those who have been vivified by the Holy
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  Spirit, it is not so regarded. They see the priceless treasure and would
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  sell all to buy the field that contains it. Instead of books containing the
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  suppositions of reputedly great authors, they choose the word of Him who is the
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  greatest author and the greatest teacher the world has ever known, who gave his
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  life for us, that through him we might have everlasting life. Satan works
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  on human minds, leading them to think that there is wonderful knowledge to be
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  gained apart from God. By deceptive reasoning, he led Adam and Eve to
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  doubt God's word and to supply its place with a theory that led to disobedience,
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  and his sophistry is doing today what it did in Eden. Teachers who
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  mingle with the education they are giving the sentiments of infidel authors plant in the
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  minds of youth thoughts that will lead to distrust of God and transgression of his
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  law. Little do they know what they are doing. Little do they realize
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  what will be the result of their works. A student may go through all
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  the grades of the schools and colleges of today. He may devote all his
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  powers to acquiring knowledge. But unless he has a knowledge of God, unless
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  he obeys the laws that govern his being, he will destroy himself. By
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  wrong habits. He loses his power of self appreciation, He loses self control.
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  He cannot reason correctly about matters that concern him most closely. He is
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  reckless and irrational in his treatment of mind and body. By wrong habits,
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  he makes of himself a wreck. Happiness he cannot have, for his neglect
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  to cultivate pure healthful principles places him under the control of habits that ruin his
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  peace. His years of taxing study are lost, for he has destroyed himself.
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  He has misused his physical and mental powers, and the temple of the
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  body is in ruins. He is ruined for this life and for the life
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  to come. By acquiring earthly knowledge, he thought to gain a treasure.
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  But by laying his Bible aside, he sacrificed a treasure worth everything else.
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  The Word of God is to be our study. We are to educate our
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  children in the truths found therein. It is an inexhaustible treasure. But men
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  fail to find this treasure because they do not search until it is within their
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  possession. Very many are content with a supposition in regard to the truth.
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  They are content with a surface work, taking for granted that they have all
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  that is essential. They take the sayings of others for truth, being too
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  indolent to put themselves to diligent, earnest labor, represented in the Word as
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  digging for hidden treasure. But man's inventions are not only unreliable, they are
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  dangerous, for they place man where God should be. They place the sayings
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  of men where a thus saith the Lord should be. Christ is the truth.
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  His words are truth, and they have a deeper significance than appears on
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  the surface. All the sayings of Christ have a value beyond their unpretending appearance.
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  Minds that are quickened by the Holy Spirit will discern the value of these
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  saying. They will discern the precious gems of truth though these may be buried
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  treasures, human theories and speculations will never lead to an understanding of God's word.
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  Those who suppose that they understand philosophy think that their explanations are necessary to
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  unlock the treasures of knowledge and to prevent heresies from coming into the church.
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  But it is these explanations that have brought in false theories and heresies. Men
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  have made desperate efforts to explain what they thought to be intricate scriptures, but
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  too often their efforts have only darkened that which they tried to make clear.
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  The priests and pharisees thought they were doing great things as teachers by putting their
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  own interpretation upon the word of God. But Christ said, unto them,
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  ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God. He charged them
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  with the guilt of teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Though they were
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  the teachers of the oracles of God, though they were supposed to understand his
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  word, they were not doers of the word. Satan had blinded their eyes
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  that they should not see its true import This is the work of many in
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  our day. Many churches are guilty of this sin. There is danger,
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  great danger that the supposed wise men of to day will repeat the experience of
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  the Jewish teachers. They falsely interpret the divine oracles, and souls are brought
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  into perplexity and shrouded in darkness because of their misconception of divine truth. The
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  scriptures need not be read by the dim light of tradition or human speculation.
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  As well might we try to give light to the sun with a torch,
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  as to explain the scriptures by human tradition or imagination. God's Holy Word needs
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  not the torchlight glimmer of earth to make its glories distinguishable. It is light
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  in itself, the glory of God revealed, and beside it every other light
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  is dim. But there must be earnest study and close investigation. Sharp clear
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  perceptions of truth will never be the reward of indolence. No earthly blessing can
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  be obtained without earnest, patient to persevering effort. If men attain success in
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  business, they must have a will to do and a faith to look for
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  results. And we cannot expect to gain spiritual knowledge without earnest toil. Those
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  who desire to find the treasures of truth must dig for them, as the
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  miner digs for the treasure hidden in the earth, No half hearted, indifferent
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  work will avail. It is essential for old and young not only to read
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  God's word, but to study it with wholehearted earnestness, praying and searching for
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  truth as for hidden treasure. Those who do this will be rewarded, for
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  Christ will quicken thee understanding. Our salvation depends on a knowledge of the truth
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  contained in the scriptures. It is God's will that we should possess this search.
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  O search the precious Bible with hungry hearts. Explore God's word as the
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  miner explores the earth to find veins of gold. Never give up the search
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  until you have ascertained your relation to God and His will. In regard to
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  you, Christ declared, whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will
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  I do, that the thought may be glorified in the sun. If ye
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  shall ask anything in my name, I will do it. Men of piety
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  and talent catch views of eternal realities, but often they fail of understanding,
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  because the things that are seen eclipse the glory of the unseen. He who
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  would seek successfully for the hidden treasure must rise to higher pursuits than the things
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  of this world, his affections, and all his capabilities must be consecrated to
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  the search. Disobedience has closed the door to a vast amount of knowledge that
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  might have been gained from the scriptures. Understanding means obedience to God's commandments.
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  The scriptures are not to be adapted to meet the prejudice and jealousy of men.
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  They can be understood only by those who are humbly seeking for a knowledge
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  of the truth that they may obey it. Do you ask what shall I
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  do to be saved? You must lay your preconceived opinions, your hereditary and
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  cultivated ideas, at the door of investigation. If you search the scriptures to
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  vindicate your own opinions, you will never reach the truth. Search in order
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  to learn what the Lord says. If conviction comes as you search, if
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  you see that your cherished opinions are not in harmony with the truth, do
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  not misinterpret the truth in order to suit your own belief, but accept the
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  light given open mind and heart, that you may behold wondrous things out of
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  God's word. Faith in Christ as the world's redeemer calls for an acknowledgment of
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  the enlightened intellect controlled by a heart that can discern and appreciate the heavenly treasure.
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  This faith is inseparable from repentance and transformation of character. To have faith
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  means to find and accept the Gospel treasure, with all the obligations which it
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  imposes. Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of
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  God. He may conjecture and imagine, but without the eye of faith,
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  he cannot see the treasure. Christ gave his life to secure for us this
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  inestimable treasure. Without regeneration through faith in his blood, there is no remission
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  of sins, no treasure for any perishing soul. We need to the enlightenment
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  of the Holy Spirit in order to discern the truths in God's word. The
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  lovely things of the natural world are not seen until the sun, dispelling darkness,
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  floods them with its light. So the treasures in the Word of God
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  are not appreciated until they are revealed by the bright beams of the Sun of
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  righteousness. The Holy Spirit, sent from heaven by the benevolence of infinite love,
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  takes the things of God and reveals them to every soul that has an
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  implicit faith in Christ. By his power. The vital truths upon which the
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  salvation of the soul depends are impressed upon the mind, and the way of
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  life is made so plain that none need air Therein, as we study the
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  scriptures, we should pray for the light of God's Holy Spirit to shine upon
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  the Word, that we may see and appreciate its treasures. Let none think
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  that there is no more knowledge for them to gain. The depth of human
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  intellect may be measured, the works of human authors may be mastered, But
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  the highest, deepest, broadest flight of the imagination cannot find out God.
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  There is infinity beyond all that we can comprehend. We have seen only a
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  glimmering of divine glory and of the infinitude of knowledge and wisdom. We have,
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  as it were, been working on the surface of the mine. When
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  rich golden ore is beneath the surface, to reward the one who will dig
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  for it, the shaft must be sunk deeper and yet deeper in the mine,
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  and the result will be glorious treasure. Though a correct faith, divine
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  knowledge will become human knowledge. No one can search the scriptures in the spirit
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  of Christ without being rewarded. When man is willing to be instructed as a
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  little child. When he submits holy to God, he will find the truth
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  in his word. If men would be obedient, they would understand the plan
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  of God's government. The heavenly world would open its chambers of grace and glory
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  for exploration. Human beings would be altogether different from what they are now.
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  For by exploring the minds of truth, men would be ennobled. The mystery
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  of redemption, the incarnation of Christ his atoning sacrifice would not be as they
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  are now, vague in our minds. They would not be only better understood,
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  but altogether more highly appreciated. In his prayer to the Father, Christ
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  gave the world a lesson which should be graven on the mind and soul.
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  This is life eternal. He said that they might know thee the only True
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  God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. This is true education.
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  It imparts power the experimental knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ, whom
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  he has sent. Transforms man into the image of God. It gives to
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  man the mastery of himself, bringing every impulse and passion of the lower nature
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  under the control of the higher powers of the mind. It makes its possessor,
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  a son of God and an heir of Heaven. It brings him into
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  communion with the mind of the infinite and opens to him the rich treasures of
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  the universe. This is the knowledge which is obtained by searching the word of
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  God. And this treasure may be found by every soul who will give all
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  to obtain it. If thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thine voice
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  for understanding, if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as
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  for hid treasures, then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord and find
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  the knowledge of God. End of Chapter eight.