vate 
NORTH SHORE BREEZE 9 
“UNSEARCHABLE RICHES” 
Unto me *** is this grace (favor) given, that I should preach *** the unsearchable riches of Christ.—Epuestans III: 8. 
BY LOUIS H. RUGE 
[The above text was used by the pastor of the 
Congregational church, Manchester, Sunday, May 21st, 
to interest and encourage all those that may think 
themselves poor. It well deserves careful reading. 
-—Kditor. | 
Rey. Mr. Ruge said in part: 
The phraseology of these words is singularly the 
expression of a man of large affluence. I[t might be 
the message of a servant of some old Crassus coming 
to dispense the riches of Rome. 
That would indeed have been a Siren song to the 
world. What an audience he could have had, what 
a successful mission to the Gentiles. : 
Riches! Unsearchable riches! Put it at the head 
of a gorgeous prospectus and how it arrests the atten- 
tion. But put it, ‘‘unsearchable riches of Christ’’ and 
see the fools pass by the preacher and his message. 
Paul seems to have had the sense of true values. 
THe was enthusiastic about his possessions. You can 
always guage a man’s posessions by his enthusiasm. 
People don’t get enthusiastic generally about other 
people’s possessions, only about their own. So you can 
depend upon it Paul was rich in the Gospel. Would 
tnat all preachers had his inspired harp. You have 
read about the harp of Anacreon, how it was wedded 
to but one theme. The minstrel may have desired to 
sing other themes, but his harp would respond only to 
the theme of love. In the masterpieces of music there 
ure magnificent chords, runs, thrills and crashes, but one 
theme. As this Gospel minstrel pours out his soul for- 
ever, the cue great theme of Christ is heard, all else is 
simply an accompaniment. 
But you want to hear about riches I know. It 
is, however, pretty well settled in your minds that you 
will never be very rich in material possessions. Very 
well, then what is the use of exploiting these riches? 
There are unsearchable, inexhaustable, fabulous riches 
you may have that take the shine from the brightest 
gold and leave it dull and tarnished. Do you eare to 
hear about these? 
The wealth of nature may be yours. As the delicate 
chalice of the field lifted its dry lips to the rain a few 
mornings ago and said, fill me full of the wealth of the 
clouds,—and again held its brimming cup up and. said, 
now fill me full of the champagne sparkle of the sun- 
shine, so you may lift your soul and fill it with the 
unsearchable riches of nature. 
The gardens are abloom for you. The artist in 
landscaping a dull slope or in brightening up a gloomy 
vista, is working to increase your riches. We are en- 
riched by the inventor’s art in a thousand things that 
costs nothing or a mere trifle to possess. Ile puts a 
mechanical device in a mute instrument that we cannot 
play and behold we are enriched with musie that defies 
the genius of a Paderewski. 
You may cross the threshold of the ‘‘Boston 
Museum of Fine Arts’’ almost any day and carry away 
in your soul everything you can possess of anything. 
Likewise is the great public library for your personal 
enrichment? What more could you possess of its real 
riches if you held to it the title deeds? What are the 
unsearchable riches to a man dying of hunger and 
thirst? Bread and water. What are the unsearchable 
riches to a man sick or injured? Cordials, instruments, 
bandages in the hands of a surgeon. What are the 
unsearchable riches of a felon on the eve of execution? 
Pardon and liberty. Are we not rich in these riches? 
What stores of wealth for the eyes to look upon 
azd for the ears to take in! What riches for the sense 
ot taste, of smell, of touch. When you can no longer 
see, no longer hear, no longer taste and smell and have 
lost the delicate sense of touch so you ean feel an in- 
visible hair on the tongue then and then only are you 
poor. 
What unsearchable riches in the sense of appre- 
ciation! What will you sell this for and go a mere 
clod of vitalized clay all your days? Im a sense of 
appreciation you possess all the wealth of the Orient, 
the dazzling glory of the African diamond fields,— 
ail yours in the sense of appreciation, only lay posses- 
sien to them with eye and soul. 
I was once permitted, under the guidance of the 
Chief Custodian, to enter a great treasure vault, but 
I was not permitted to touch or take a single coin. But 
there are other treasure houses I can enter and carry its 
wealth away. The glories of nature cannot become 
less no matter how long [ look and they enrich me. 
There are melody treasures so vast, so deep, so infinite 
that I can never exhaust all of them and leave no less 
for others to possess. I can take from the libraries and 
art galleries treasures that would beggar a Vanderbilt 
and leave the treasure trove not a cent poorer. 
As | come away laden from these realms of strange 
and costly stores, enriched in thought and emotion and 
aspiration I have a better conception of this phrase 
‘-unsearchable riches.’’ 
Like Paul, they come to us from everywhere, these 
bearers of unsearchable riches for us. There are a 
thousand opportunities to pile up riches neglected to 
one improved. There is vaster wealth trampled under 
foot than is ever put under lock and key. Business men 
in the busiest hours of the day will stop to share the 
riches of their experience with you if you are in need. 
There is not a genius anywhere that will not open his 
treasure store fox you if you are only eager and en- 
thusiastic for them. You show anyone that you want 
kindle your cold hearth with their glowing embers 
and they will warm yours gladly. The reason men are 
stingy is because they see that nothing plays musie in 
your ears but the chink of golden coin; nothing, they 
find, sounds good to you but the tale of profit and 
percent. So these bearers of fabulous and strange 
riches of immortality refuse to throw their treasures 
at your teet to be trampled upon. Every enthusiast 
offers wealth of his soul to your soul but will not de- 
mean it too far in the interest of men of clay. 
All sorts of preachers of unsearchable riches have 
come to me during my life and have poured the riches 
of their souls into mine. I have met many incidentally ; 
in, the street cars, in the stores, on the highways, in the 
fields, by the sea, on the mountaintops, in libraries and 
ealleries, many in the halls of learning. They have 
(Continued on Page 63.) 
