St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1904-12-03

~ess$SMt enduring truth OF
God. In the con-
ceit of their own human wisdom they
have been striving to lay other founda-
tons, forgetful of Gods Word, that
''other foundation can no man lay than
that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. "
And men have not ceased in their Ell
forts to lay foundations of their own
construction. Hymenaeus and Philetus
have left a numerous progeny in the
world, and to-day everywhere We find
false teachers seeking to overthrow the
faith of some," and driving others who
have never come into the light of Gospel
truth farther and farther into the fatal
darkness of error. And with so much re-
ligious on every hand, so many
isms and cults, so many teachers, and
so many conflicting ideas and theories
and doctrines, it is so restful and re-
freshing to know that 'the foundation
of God standeth sure" There are false
teachers, there are false doctrines, but
nevertheless" the foundation which
God has laid can never be shaken by the
effort of man. The Babelites could not
build to Heaven, and neither can the
modern Hymenaeuses or Philetuses.
who concerning the truth have erred, dig
up Gods foundation and put in its place
one Of their own construction. It Is re-
assuring to the soul which seeks in sim
cerity to know the truth to hear God
say: ''The foundation Of God standeth
sure"
IT IS the sure foundation which the
! soul of man seeks to rest upon; It IS
the foundation which it must have. This
is the foundation which God has pro-
vided. Let us inspect this foundation
and then consider the superstructure.
First of all, we must recognize the
Builder. Have you not noticed where
building operations are going on the
signs of the contractors cohspicuously
placed so that all who pass may know
who is doing the work? When the
foundation is being laid the sign is placed
upon the ground at the edge of the ex-
cavation, or in some other convenient
place, and as the building rises upon the
foundation the signs appear upon its
sides, telling who is doing the construc-
ton work and who the plumber is and
the steam filter, and so forth. And the
name is often the guarantee Of work of
the most thorough and complete char
acter The foundation which God has
laid bears conspicuously His seal and
mark, and man may know for certainty
that it is His workmanship. The fact
that God is the Builder suggests two
things, reliability and permanency. God
is builder in whom mankind may put
implicit faith. He has not left incom-
plete in any respect the foundation. It
is exactly what man needs to rest Sc
curely upon While other foundations
are defective, the Foundation of founda-
lions is perfect And it is enduring. It
"standeth sure" 1t hath permanency
which partakes of the nature of God.
The Christ who is this foundation was
set apart as the Saviour of men before
the foundations Of the world were laid,
and He is to abide throughout the ages
as the permanent, enduring rock on
which His people may rest. How long
will your foundation last?" was asked
of a builder: "As long as it is needed to
hold up the building" was the reply.
And that is exactly the way God laid His
foundation. It was to last Just as long
as it was to be needed to hold up the
building, and that is for eternity.
pUT let us draw near to this foundation
u and examine it for its peculiar mark
ings. 1t was the ancient custom to place
upon the cornerstone or some visible
stone which rested upon and was part
Of the foundation seal or monogram,
Just as the custom continues to-day It
is this smile which we have in our
text The foundation of God has this
seal, and the very presence of the seal
is proof of the permanency of the
foundation, for the seal sets forth that
the Lord knoweth them that are Ills,
and who are depending upon the founda-
ton for sure support. Our text suggests
two notices which may be considered
part Of this seal. One refers to Gods
attitude towards man, and the other
mans attitude towards God. Elijah, the
prophet Of Israel, did not know that
God had 1000 faithful servants who
had never bowed the knee to Baal
He thought he stood alone in his loyalty
and devotion to the Lord. Ananias, the
aged saint at Damascus, did not know
that Saul Of Tarsus was the Lords till
it had been revealed to him by the Lord
in the vision of the night. But though
we may not know all who are on the
Lords side, all who are resting upon
the sure foundation by faith in Jesus
Christ, yet the Lord knows each one by
name. He "knoweth them that are
His" The seal on that stone is the
guarantee that not single soul shall
be missed. It is the reassuring testi-
mony of God that each soul has an iden-
tity and individuality in His sight which
IS as positive a. though the name and
description and likeness of every one
were engraved upon the stone. What
reassuring and wonderful guarantee that
is! The seal Of the mightiest potentate
upon earth could not more surely and
blessedly comfort the heart of his sub
ject than does this seal which God has
caused to be placed there.
A ND the second motto is r1an' s side. It
n is not enough that God knows them
that are His Man must know by his
life and his deeds, by his attitude to-
wards the goodness and truth of God and
his opposition to the evil within and
that he belongs to God. 1t is
not sufficient that God should claim us,
and lest any should see but one side Of