November 6

Let every man take heed how he buildeth. — 1 Cor. iii. 10.

And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. — MATT. vii. 26, 27.

AN inverted pyramid is an impossibility. A ship must have ballast. A balloon must have a car. In air, on water, on land, a good foundation is the most important thing.

In religion there is but one foundation. "Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." All others are sand. The silica may sparkle in them, but they are sand. Without Christ, God's mercy is sand: the cement of grace is lacking. Without Christ, man's excellence is sand: the cement of faith is lacking.

Every man's foundation will be tested, thoroughly tested. "The rain descended." It will be tested by God and by the Devil. "The floods came" from the deep. It will be tested by men and circumstances. "The winds blew" from all quarters, and these all beat upon the house. Whoso has built on sand must fall. Is it harsh to call such an one foolish?

Yes, great will be the fall! Not a leaning tower of Pisa has fallen, but a man! Fallen! not prone upon the earth, but down, down, down into outer darkness. Fallen! A building, every stone and timber and fresco of which was instinct with life, is in ruins, yet still lives.

These verses close the Sermon on the Mount. God grant they may not portray the close of your life!

J. B. Calhoun

My gracious Lord, I own thy right

To every service I can pay;

And call it my supreme delight

To hear thy dictates and obey.

PHILIP DODDRIDGE.