The Tupelo journal., 1903-10-02

ing verses of the
,&S3(Akk seventh chapter of
ESxzk = SeS0E Matthew. h
men were builders.
10th had the same
purpose, that of rearing house. Their
skill as workmen was not questioned.
But in the matter of foundation for
their buildings there was striking
and vital difference. One built on the
rock, the other thoughtlessly con-
structed his house on the sand. prob
ably the most convenient and easiest
place to be had at the time. In fact,
l have thought that perhaps the lum-
Der for the house had to be brought
by boat. and was unloaded upon the
beach, and here, while the skies over
head were fair and the waters in
front were placid and the sand lay
firm and smooth, he thoughtlessly and
foolishly built his house The OTTER
man, at the cost of great labor and
time, carried his lumber up to the
rocky heights above the shore and
built his house there. And probably
the foolish man, who built upon the
sand, had his house completed and was
settling therein almost before the wise
man, who built upon the rock, had be-
gun to get the frame of his house to-
gether. And | imagine, in the very
start, when the vessel was unloading
the cargo of lumber that he tried to
get his friend to build with him on
the sand, and when he was unable to
prevail upon him so to do, he took to
bantering and ridiculing him, and
sought every means of discOuraging
him. But the wise man knew the
value of a solid foundation, and in the
face of trial and Encouragement and
hardship he built upon the rock. And
the sun shone and the gentle breezes
blew and the waters rippled, while the
house upon the rock and the house
upon the sand stood bravely up and
alike gave shelter and comfort to their
occupants.
A the days came and went the man in
n 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
rnan with his feet resting upon the rock
would talk with tie 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 10 the
rock, but the foolish man would not be-
lieve the time would come when the sun
would be hid behind the angry clouds,
ho
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 a very poor
weather prophet, indeed. But one night
the storm swept down upon those two
houses and upon that wise man and his
foolish friend. All through the long,
black hours the wind blew, the rain de-
scended, the flood came and beat furious
ly The wise man heard the storm, he felt
its violence as it rushed and beat and
tore about his house, but never a fear
troubled his heart, for he knew the old
rock would stand, and with it the house
he had founded thereon. But he was
filled with dread for the fate of his friend
down upon the sand. The rolling waters
sucked the sand from underneath the
stills of the house, the wind wrenched and
tore at the creaking, falling timbers, and
great was the fall of that house which
was built upon the sand. The wise man
heard the crash of the walls, he heard
the groans and shrieks of the dying, but
he was powerless to help. The next morn
ing as he looked forth from his stanch
abode nestled safely upon the unshaken
rock he could see nothing but the glisten-
ing sand where his friends house had
stood, and along the shore lay strewn
the shattered and splintered timbers that
once had proudly sheltered the foolish
man who had built upon the sand. The
sand as foundation was insecure. I'M
stable The rock was the only safe, en-
during foundation.
r HE foolish man is the man without q.
foundation; he is the man whose
= life rests upon nothing outside of himself
or apart from the things of time. And
we cannot show him how to build foun-
dation, for as our text declares: "Other
foundation can no man lay than that is
laid, which is Jesus Christ" Men do try
to lay other foundations with such ma
terials as the world can provide, and they
exhaust human skill and learning and in
genuity in the task, but when they have
done their best and finished their task
they have nothing that will stand the
test of eternity, and a foundation which
is worthy the name foundation must be
enduring, it must sustain the super
structure as long as the superstructure
will last. The soul of man lives on be-
yond the grave, and If the life of that
soul is not resting on an enduring foun-
dation 1t is doomed to destruction be-
yond the grave, even as the house which
was built upon the shifting, uncertain
sand. "Other foundation can no man lay
than thatis laid, which is Jesus Christ"
Does man heap UP the glittering, shining
gold and establish his soul thereon, and
delight himself in the fairness of this
world? 1t is foundation which, even
though it should endure through this
life. is unayailing in the life beyond the
grave. Riches have wings, and like the
shifting sands they vanish away.