p. 3 | Hidden Treasures by George B. Starr

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · Nov 24, 1910

Hidden Treasures

By George B. Starr

G. B. STARR

HIDDEN away from the passer-by are the pearls, the diamonds, the sapphires, the gold, of the natural world. There are earth’s hidden treasures, the source of wealth and pleasure, the ornaments of home and castle, the adornment of the person, the reward of labor.

But these are not for the careless crowd. He who would possess them must separate himself from the multitude, and address himself with unremitting toil, with self-consuming devotion, to the attainment of the one object. All his energies must be bent in the one direction, if success is to be gained.

It was Christ, “in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,” who, as Creator, hid these treasures in the earth, perhaps for the very purpose of awakening in man the energy, and causing him to put forth the labor, necessary to obtain them. Only in this way would they be valued at their true worth. Only in this way, also, would the spiritual lesson be taught, and the discipline be woven into the school of life.

As with earth’s hidden treasures, so with the higher attainments. The “gold tried in the fire,” the true riches, the enduring wealth, the true knowledge,—all these are hidden in Christ. The passing multitude see them not; they are not found along the hard-beaten roadway. Hidden in Christ, these precious gems are found in the narrow way, there to be obtained and retained by every persevering seeker.

It is when he is alone with God that the secret of the Lord is revealed to the heart and mind of man,—in the secret place, long enough and often enough for silence to be obtained in the soul until the voice of God can be heard. “The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him.” The sheltered woods, the secret chambers, have their secrets to reveal to the constant, faithful seeker. “And thy Father which seeth in secret,” said Jesus, “shall reward thee openly.”

Melrose, Mass.