Treasure

Ella W. Hoag

"The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field." So spake Jesus when he was endeavoring to bring to the world the understanding of the supreme value of all that is spiritual. It has long been recognized that humanity is constantly searching for what it considers desirable. Indeed, all men are laboring incessantly in one way or another to obtain what they believe they need or desire. Then how important that their desires shall be right, in order that their efforts shall not be mere fruitless chasings of the will-o'-the-wisps of materiality.

It is only as men throw their entire weight into the scale with spirituality,—indeed, it is only as they find there is no opposing balance,—that they will work in the way which will insure their entrance into heaven. The unsatisfying human cravings, which have brought little else than torture and torment, have all been material in nature. Because they started in the belief of good in matter, they necessarily ended in the belief of evil in matter; for all materiality is under the law of sin and death (destruction).

While the prophets and Christ Jesus continually proclaimed this truth to the people, the world has been and is still very slow to relinquish its pursuit of what is at the most but transitory treasure even to the human sense of things. The stanza of Calderon which Mrs. Eddy quotes in her book,

"Retrospection and Introspection" (p. 32), is a true picture of the fleeting nature of things material:—

What is life? 'Tis but a madness.
What is life? A mere illusion,
Fleeting pleasure, fond delusion,
Short-lived joy, that ends in sadness,
Whose most constant substance seems
But the dream of other dreams.

To this state of disappointment as well as of distress and dismay Christian Science comes with its glad message of deliverance not only from these evil effects but also from their suppositional cause, so that they may be done away forever. Isaiah pictures this in the glorious prophecy: "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, ... to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness." Jesus always urged the importance of discerning that all true treasure is spiritual, and the advisability of seeking it with the whole heart. Christian Science is here declaring that this spiritual, real treasure is constituted of God's thoughts, which are in fact the only realities of being. Our God is continually calling upon us to come and buy this perfect treasure which He has for us,—"Yea, come, buy ... without money and without price."

Listen to the wonderful way in which wisdom is calling us to-day. Listen to the revelator of Christian Science, Mrs. Eddy, in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 261), "Hold thought steadfastly to the enduring, the good, and the true, and you will bring these into your experience proportionably to their occupancy of your thoughts." Just see the simplicity of it! To think only of "the enduring, the good, and the true"! And then the glad promise, that if we will dwell there we shall bring them into our experience! Who would not sell all that he had,—relinquish all that is false and evil,—in order that he may come into the possession of such treasure.

It might almost be said that the entire teaching of Christian Science is the discovery of this treasure and the revelation of the way to sell what we have, that we may buy and possess it. Again and again the rule is stated with great simplicity in Science and Health. On page 248 we find: "Let unselfishness, goodness, mercy, justice, health, holiness, love—the kingdom of heaven—reign within us, and sin, disease, and death will diminish until they finally disappear." What simpler statement of a rule could there be? And coupled with another wonderful promise! Who would not give up evil for good, sickness for health, sin for holiness, hate for the bliss of understanding divine Love!

And then there is the glad assurance that as mortals undertake obedience to these commands, however frequently they may falter, however often they may seem to fail, there is still the simple rule, with the glorious promise all unchanged and unchanging as the law of God, awaiting further endeavor, more earnest effort for obedience. Then there can never be any room for discouragement in the heart of the Christian Scientist since he knows there can never be any diminution of the inexhaustible treasure of his Father, and neither can there ever be any lack of opportunity for selling the false and buying all that is real. Under all circumstances he has only to press steadfastly on in obedience to God's law, as defined in the teachings of Christian Science, until he shall have entered completely into the kingdom of heaven, the treasure house of our God, who is infinite, eternal, inexhaustible good. Ella W. Hoag.

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