Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1903-09-23

where Christ is. Repent! IL Gods mes
heart does not realize the peril OF the
sinking sand. but repentance opens
the eyes Of the soul to It's desperate
and lost condition In sin. God be
merciful to me. a sinner" must be the
cry. Repentance-sincere and genuine
repentance-is the condition of heart
which will break the fstters which
bind you to the present position on the
sand and will make you willing and
eager to get upon the sure Foundation
of Jesus Christ. And faith Is the
cable which will draw you and plant
your feet upon the Rock. Believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt
be saved!" And II your faith Is small.
very small. you may come to Jesus as
did that father long. long years ago.
and cry: Lord. l believe: help Thou
mine unbelief" All. how great IL Gods
mercy! 1t is able to reach to the depths
Of the mire OF sin. and place the feet
upon the Eternal Rock. All. how great
Is Gods patience as He waits for sinful
and lost man to turn from death to life.
from darkness to light! He hears the
to save.
PUT what does salvation through
- Christ mean? II means a new
heart and changed life. The old heart
has desires away from God. That is
the reason Jesus told Nicodemus that
he must be born again. But the new
heart which God creates for the be-
lever in Christ has a new and larger
capacity for God. Gods Word declares
that IF any man be in Christ Chat is.
II man by repentance and faith has
become established upon Christ the
Foundation) he is a new creature: old
things are passed away; behold. all
things are become new" The old man
with its affections and lusts cannot be-
come established upon Christ the
Foundation. IL the rich young man
could have come into the Kingdom OF
God dragging his riches with him. he
would gladly have come And IL many
soul, which is clinging to the old life,
TO its ambitions and It's sins. could bring
all those unholy things with IL, Il would
quickly come. But the life established
upon Christ Jesus must be the cleansed
life. The new heart is the possession
of the wise man whose life rests upon
the sure Foundation. The foolish man
without foundation knows no such pos
session. The new heart is part of the
glorious transformation which God
brings to pass In the life when IL turns
to the Rock Christ Jesus for salvation
and refuge. How appropriate IL is that
upon the only sure Foundation God
places the man with a new heart The
ola heart is "deceitful above all things
and desperately wicked" but the new
heart which God creates is the center
of the Divine life which is planted there
and which God desires to have grow
until II has attained unto The fullness
OF the stature OF Christ. The Founda-
ton Tor a purer and larger and better
Ire This is the building which il is
Gods purpose you shall place upon the
Foundation He-1las laid for you.
HIS means the changed life. God
never intended the Christian to go
on living the old life of sin The
Foundation is worthy of more ia. or
able superstructure. Right here is the
battle-ground OF the Christian. The
man with Christ as his Foundation is
the man who has conflict. There must
be a striving 10 put off the old man
and to put on the new The changed
life is the superstructure which graces
and honors the Foundation. Christ. II
is the gold and silver OF a pure and
| holy life, IL is the precious stones of
loving faithful service which the Chris
tlan must build upon the Foundation.
Paul goes on to declare that every
mans work shall be made manifest;
Tor the day shall declare II. because IL
shall be revealed by fire; and the fire
shall try every mans work of what sort
II Is If IL be gold and silver and pre-
cious stones, IL will abide. but If wood
I or hay or stubble. II will suffer loss.
and the soul will be saved so as by
hre God intends every life which IL
| founded upon the Rock. Christ Jesus
snail be the changed life Would You
dlshonor Christ by clinging to the old
Iife by seeking delight and satisfac-
ton in the old paths and old in
dulgences? Oh, what low plane many
or us live upon. We claim Christ as
saviour. but we do not live as though
we were saved. We call ourselves
Christian. but we cannot be Gigtin-
guished by our conduct from the chill
dren OF the world. We claim safety On
the Foundation, but most of cur time
Is spent down on the sand with the
man without any foundation. No won
der reproach is brought upon the name
OF Christ. and the people OF the world
are but slowly brought to realize the
peril Of no foundation.
Cd calls the man In this life who
- Is without foundation foolish. but
when the day Of grace has passed and
the soul passes on into eternity. lie