The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1915-02-05


fire breaks out. 1t sweeps up one
street and down another, licking up
the buildings that lie in its path, and
finally envelops the palace and the
howell. When the fire ceases, not a
vestige of the howell remains. The
flames have wiped out the structure
built of wood, hay and stubble; but
the palace stands. The marble In it
CLEANS the brighter and the gold and
silver shine the more resplendently.
The fire has proved each mans work
of what sort 1t is. The workman
whose structure stood the test re
ceives his reward; while the other,
whose howell was swept away, suffers
loss, he himself being saved, yet so
as by fire. Such is the picture pre-
scented by the text. What are some
Of its lessons?
The Only Foundation.
There is only one foundation upon
which a man can build superstruc-
ture of works. That foundation Is
Jesus Christ. This is a simple, ele-
mental truth, but one which needs a
deal of emphasis in these days, for
many have not yet discovered that
the divine order in grace is the same
order which holds in the putting UP Of
building-the foundation first, then
the superstructure. Salvation first,
then works; and not works first and
then salvation. For by grace have
We been saved through faith; and that
not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
not Of works, that no man should
glory" (Eph. rs, 9, R. W.
Some years ago at Catawissa, Pa,
after the destruction of bridge, the
contractor upon removing the first
pier, prior to the building of a new
one, discovered that underneath there
was no foundation. The pier simply
when a heavy flood came the entire
structure was washed away. Yet, how
many there are who are building a
superstructure of works without the
real foundation, Jesus Christ! They
give their money to feed the poor,
clothe the naked, house the homeless,
educate the ignorant, heal the body,
relieve distress, In works they are
ceaseless and untiring, but they are
building their structure without the
foundation. They are doing like the
man in the parable, Of whom our Lord
told, who built his house on the sand
and when ''the rains descended and
the floods came, and the winds blew,
and smote upon that house it fell"
'For other foundation can no man lay
than that which is laid, which Is
Jesus Christ
We need to take heed how we build
thereon. For it is possible to build
on the only foundation a palace or
howell.
This is a truth which concerns the
saved and not the unsaved. 1t is not
a matter Of salvation, but of service.
Between salvation and service there
is a wide difference. Salvation is
work of God for us and in US and Is
all of grace. Service Is work which
those who are saved render unto God.
and for which they shall receive re,
ward, or shall suffer loss.
The Testing Day.
A testing day is coming when the
character of our work, as Christians,
shall be made manifest.
"The day shall declare it." Not a
day of judgment for our sins, which
were judged in Jesus Christ on the
cross; but day when our work shall
be made manifest. The day when the
Lord comes, who will bring to light
the hidden things of darkness, and
make manifest the counsels of the
hearts" Il Cor. 4:5). Then the fire
itself shall prove each mans work
Of what sort it is. Not literal fire,
but the holy, consuming energy of
the Lord himself, for Our God is a
consuming fire."
If we have built only a howell, we
shall suffer loss, irretrievable loss,
but we shall be saved, yet so as by
fire.