The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1903-09-26

lASUt Matthew. Both
men were builders
Both had the same
purpose, that OF rearing house. lne.
skill as workmenE was not ques,ioneu
But in the matter Of foundation io
their buildings there was strihine
and vital difference. One built on INC
rock. the other thoughtlessiy con
structed his house on the sand' prop
ably the most convenient ana eas'oo'
place to be had at the time In iac''
I have thought that perhaps the ium-
her for the house had to be brought
by boat, and was unloaded upon inc
beach, and here, while the skies over
head were fair. and the waters III
front were placid and the SAND lay
firm and smooth, he thoughtlessly ana
foolishly built his house. The Quiet
man, at the cost of great labor anu
time, carried his lumber up 10 the
rocky heights above the shore anu
built his house there. And propapiy
the foolish man, who built upon the
sand, had his house completed ana was
settling therein almost before the wise
man. who built upon the rock had De-
gun to get the frame OF his house TO-
gether. And l imagine, in the very
start, when the vessel was unioading
the cargo of lumber that he tried 10
get his friend to build with him on
the sand. and when he was unable 10
prevail upon him so to do, he took 10
IL
sought every means of discouragihs
him. But the wise man knew the
value OF a solid foundation, and In the
face of trial and encouragement ana
hardship he built upon the rock
A 8 the DAYS came and went the man IN
~ the house on the sand seemed to be
as safe and comfortable and happy as the
man in the house on the rock. And the
man with his feet resting upon the rock
would talk with the man whose feet were
sinking in the sand. and he would con-
tinue to warn him Of the peril when the
storm should come, and would try TO
persuade him to move his house TO the
rock, but the foolish man would not De-
lieye the time would come when the sun
would be hid behind the angry clouds,
and the gentle breezes would be reused
to the fury of the gale driving the mad
waters mountain high upon the beach
And SO the man continued to enjoy life
in the house upon the sand and to consid-
,er his friend upon the rock very poor
weather prophet, indeed But one night
the storm swept down upon those two
houses and upon that wise man ana Ms
foolish friend. All through the long
black hours the wind blew, the rain de-
scended. the flood came and beat furious
~. The wise man heard the storm, he Eel
its violence as It rushed and beat ant
tore about his house, but never fea
troubled his heart, for he knew the oil
rock would stand, and with 1t the hous'
he had founded thereon. But he wa
Allied with dread for the fate of his frien'
down upon the sand. The rolling water
sucked the sand from underneath tn
stills of the house, the wind wrenched ant
tore at the creaking, falling timbers, AM
great was the fall of that house whicl
was built upon the sand. The wise mai
heard the crash of the walls, he hear
the groans and shrieks OF the dying, bu
he was powerless to help. The next morn
ing as he looked forth from his stanc
abode nestled safely upon the unshake
rock he could see nothing but the glisten
ing sand where his friends house ha
stood. and along the shore lay strew
the shattered and splintered timbers tina
once had proudly sheltered the FOOLS
man who had built upon the sand. TIL
sand as foundation was Insecure, I'm
stable. The rock was the only safe, en-
during foundation.
THE foolish man is the man without
foundations; he is the man who's
life rests upon nothing outside Of himse
or apart from the things of time. An
we cannot show him how to build four
dalton, for as our text declares: "Othe
foundation can no man lay than that
laid. which is Jesus Christ" Men do II
to lay other foundations with such mi
terials as the world can provide. and the
exhaust human skill and learning and II
genuity In the task. but when they hay
done their best and finished their tas
they have nothing that will stand II
test Of eternity, and foundation while
If worthy the name foundation must
enduring, II must sustain the supe
structure as long as the superstructu
will last. The soul Of man lives on b
yond the grave, and II the life Of TIL
soul is not resting on an enduring foul
dation Il is doomed to destruction b
yond the grave, even as the house whit
was built upon the shifting, uncerta
sand. "Other foundation can no man Il
than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ
Does man heap up the glitterlng, shiniI
gold and establish HIS soul thereon. al
delight himself in the fairness OF tn
worIdf 1t is a foundation which. eve
though II should endure through tn
life. Is unavailing In the life beyond u
grave. Riches have wings, and like Il
shifting sands they vanish away.