Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-08-17

one man any spiritual help that He
grants another. The trials incident to
human life are common to all men.
The fifth proposition was there was
no evidence that the house which was
built on a rock was any better than the
other in architectural design or me-
chanical construction, or in the material
out of which it was built, The only
fault of the house built on the sand was
d lack of a suitable foundation. These
foolish builders meet lis everywhere,
men of strict moral integrity and busi-
ness honesty, but who have no Christ
in their lives. The truth is not more
than truth because spoken by Chris
tian, nor less than truth because spoken
by one who is not Christian. The |
same Is true of all the graces that endow |
human character. Good works, when |
performed in the name and for the sake
of Christ are meritorious. When they |
lack this they avail us nothing.
The next proposition was the circum-
stances of trial through which these two
buildings passed were just the same.
The results were just opposite, the one
stood and the other fell. The house
built ON the sand did not fall because it
was more severely tried. The Christian
shares no exemption from trial for his
religion. Conspicuous among the list
Of names of persons severely tried stand
Job, Daniel. Paul, the disciple martyrs
and John Bunyan. The difference is
not in the circumstance of trial but in
the fact that the Christian has God for
a helper. How much of sadness in the
expression at fell not because it was
unsightly, but because its sandy
foundation washed out" He had
built upon the sand and his
building had fallen just when
most needed. 1t was just when he
could not rebuild 1t is too late to
| build when the tempest is sweeping
you down with the torrent, too late to
stem the current when you are in the
| grip of the rapids and the oars are snap
| ping and Death stares you in the face.
| 1t is too late when fever rayages, and
the mind wanders, and the temples
throb, and the breath grows short, and
the pulse grows quick. 1t is too late
when the deluge is carrying you down.
But now think of the other, the wise
builder, concerning whose building
Jesus says it fell not. He doesn't say it
was any stronger or better, but it was
on rock.
How firm foundation, ye saints of the
Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent
word.
The granite of His truth is under
meath you. Call the witnesses and ask
them which of the promises Of God has
failed. 1t is like the granite belt that
girdles the world. No matter where
you touch His truth you touch the
whole of His truth. If one of His
promises should fail the whole of His
word would be unreliable. And yet lie
says mot one iot or little shall fail
unto all lis fulfilled" So, while God
lives and rules, and loves you, you may
trust Him. His word cannot fail. The
strength of this rock is yours. Ocean
waves may dash against it, tempests
beat upon it, lightning may strike it
but when they have spent their fury
there stands the rock secure. HEAVIER
and earth may pass away but His wore
never. Gould we ask Paul to-day how
he overcame he would answer: mo
by works of righteousness oat accord
ing to His mercy He saved me through
the washing of regeneration ana the re
! newing of the Holy Ghost" Wesley
when dying, was asked "What is you
hope for eternity?" and replied &c
] five years have gone up and down th
: earth preaching Jesus. have seTvei
J my Master to the best of my ability bu
/ my hope, my only hope for eternity, i
] in Jesus Christ. the chief of sinner
/. am but Jesus died tor me-"
5 The final proposition was we hav
: only to observe what is transpirin
: around us to-day 10 find these builder
still at work. Who are they? What
4 the sand on which they are building
4 II is anything and everything but Jesu
n Christ and His salvation.
/. He closed with a word picture of th
e two builders. He saw before him til
a two builders and paused first near wher
/, the foolish man is building. But surel
Il this folly is not displayed in the charac
d ter of the material chosen, for anon
the material are granite blocks of integ
rity, reverence, human kindness, truth
fulness, henevolence, &C., out of whic
|. he builds his house, roofing it with hi
l. own morality and men saying splendi
building. Now, the other builde
n begins operations. He is looking for
d peculiar sort of location; is asking abou
subsoil and finds it rocky. Then
e comes with strange tools, a pick an
st shovel, neither of the tools {
!: carpenter or mason, and begins
t, dig, cutting down through the dilferer
strata until he finds the solid rock. No
If see him gathering the material out {
10 which to build his house and ever
II block Of it is marked eternal and the
10 bear the marks of the quarry froi
20 which thnv cnmp One is marked i'm III
A. handwriting of David, King of Israe
ID "The stone which the builders rejecte
A. is become the headstone of the corner
,e Here is another which Isaiah took ol
of a Jerusalem quarry and on it he h,
50 cut: "Behold l lay in Zion for foul
is dation stone, a tried stone, elect, pr
Il. cious. He that believeth on Him sha
ii not be ashamed" Peter, one day, four
IS. this stone and on the reverse side Gu
is "Unto you who build upon Him He
e. precious" And here another, the Mast
Ii. Himself, took it out of the Galileea
I'd quarry with His own hands and on
lr He has cut in letters deep and broal
ii son this rock will build my churc
ne and the gates of hell shall not prevs
of against IT," These are the stones out
lie which this man is building on the etern
er rock. And at last the capstone is la
uAon it with shouts of .'Grace, gra
a unto It," And now we have before
IN two splendid buildings, the one b
ly building OF moralist and the other Il
in building of Christian, and men a
IN divided In their opinion as to which
,r- the more desirable. But wait! Yond
all see in the distance cloud rising tn
re foretells the coming of a storm al