The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1904-11-19

| MP ag Of Of g taa church, rgat Dars
iSe EsIEsN77E71zA ticularly Hymen-
Observation-Disclosures aeus and Philetus.
II AYBNifiRs isI1nQ3lH is referred to and
Il NsIisIE1sRM IH7H their false doctrines
lIfRpSsg aAliSs5M denounced and
. as11ssAssgssetss99assE brought into sharp
ISsSSsS&4 contrast with the
asSSNArA enduring truth Of
Cod In the con-
celt Of their own human wisdom they
have been striving to lay other founda-
tions. forgetful Of Gods Word, that
'tother foundation can no man lay than
that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
And men have not ceased in their eff
forts to lay foundations of their own
construction. Hymenaeus and Philetus
have left 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-
lfgious confusion on every hand, SO many
isms and cults, SO many teachers, and
so many conflicting ideas and theories
and doctrines, it is SO restfu1 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
certify TO know the truth to hear God
say: 1.-THE foundation OF God standeth
sure"
1T 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 conspicuously
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-
| eavation, 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 construe-
| 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 conspieuously 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 permaneney. God
| is builder In whom mankind may put
| implicit faith. He has not left incom-
plete In any respect the foundation. II
| Is exactly what man needs to rest Sc
curely upon While other foundations
are defective, the Foundation of FONDA
| tions Is perfect. And it is enduring. It
'standeth sure" It hath permaneney
which partakes OF the nature of COD.
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 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.
| DUT let us draw near to this foundation
u and examine It for its peculiar mark
ings. It 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
u 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 His,
| 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 t'knoWeth them that are
1 His" The seal on that stone is the
| guarantee that not a single soul shall
be missed It is the reassuring testI-
nony of God that each soul has an fden-
| tity and individuality in His sight which
| IS as positive a3 though the name and
description and likeness Of every one
were engraved upon the stone. What a
| reassuring and wonderful guarantee that
is! The seal OF the mightiest potentate
mon earth could not more surely and
biessedIy comfort the heart of his sub
/ 3ao+ than does ffis seal which God has