"Now If any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, every man's work shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire."

It is evident, from these verses, that the grace of God has not only secured for all believers in Christ eternal salvation, but is reaching out to draw them into communion with Himself in the building upon the one blessed foundation in order that they may be laborers together with Him, and receive at His hands a reward according to their work. This is grace upon grace, for the grace which saves the sinner is God's gift through Jesus, and is the foundation that is laid,-other no man can lay,- and is separated from the portion provided for the believer as a reward for all true work built thereupon. The wood, hay, and stubble shall be burned, and the builder suffer loss; but his salvation through faith in Jesus cannot be touched. " He himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire." It is, then, grace upon grace that God thus invites us to be laborers with Him that He may, in that day that shall declare every man's work, fill our hands with His own reward for every bit of gold and silver and every precious stone built, through that grace, upon the foundation He has laid for us.

It will no doubt be accepted that, as in Rom. 3:, the sinner is not regarded as being righteous or doing good, notwithstanding the righteous and good acts he may do, because he is not actuated by a desire for God's glory, that just so will the believer's work be judged according to his motive rather than by his intelligence. It must also be true, however, that where the motive is right, God will give light to lead in the work most pleasing to Him.

The gold, silver, precious stones, evidently speak of the character of the work, and the reward will be according thereto; and if we believe that every word of Scripture is divinely chosen, we will see divine value in the gold and the silver, and divine beauty in the precious stones. If we go back to the account of the building of the tabernacle, where God in His grace took into His fellowship and made fellow-laborers with Him all the willing-hearted in they building of a dwelling-place for Himself on earth, and examine the typical meaning of the materials there selected, we should get some light upon the thoughts before us here. The work which we build, after being purged by the fire, will surely be that in which God will find a rest, and in which His glory will be displayed, for all must be in Christ and for, Christ.

How beautiful, then, to see that when God would express glory, divine glory, the gold is chosen. The acacia wood, setting forth the humanity of the Lord, was covered with the gold to show us the glory of His divinity, thus crowning it with, the highest honor, and shadowing forth the divine glories manifest in God's beloved Son, in whom God has found His delight. How blessed, then, that we should have before us as the one motive actuating every work for God, the glory of that divine One. If it is only a cup of cold water given in His name it is surely the "gold " built upon the foundation which shall receive its reward. How sweet, too, will be the reward, to receive at His own hands that which shall eternally associate us with the glories of His own person, all our work seen in Him, of Him, and for Him, that He may be glorified. Oh beloved, what an object! – the glory of Christ, God's glorified Son! How every other glory must fade before this; how everything that is of man must be set aside, that Christ and Christ alone may be seen. This surely is the test that will try every man's work of what sort it is. How really, too, we may thus be found in fellowship with the Father, who in answer to His prayer, "Father, glorify Thy Son," and in answer to His finished work, has glorified Him. "Now is the Son Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him." May it, indeed, be the only motive of our lives that He may be thus glorified in every work built upon the eternal foundation that is laid for us.

Silver, as Ex. 30:12, 16, shows us, was selected to serve as the atonement-money of the children of Israel; and in chapter 38:25-28, is seen as the material used in the tabernacle wherever God, in that wonderful type of Christ, would associate with Christ those for whom He died, and thus it tells us the wondrous story of redemptive love. How fitting again, then, that the divine glories of His person as seen in the gold, should be accompanied with the glories of redemption as seen in the silver, and how fitting that in the motive which actuates all work for God, there should not only be the glory of Christ's divine person before us, but also the glory of His work. With what joy, then, the laborers together with God should take the silver trumpet of the gospel of God's grace and go forth with the glad tidings of salvation accomplished through Christ, and as the poor perishing sinner turns to find in Him his acceptance with God, the forgiveness of his sins; the eternal joys that heaven alone can afford, it will surely be declared to be the "silver" built upon the foundation which is laid. How sweet, then, again, will be the reward, to be associated with the glories that cluster around the Son of Man as He is displayed as the blessed Redeemer, our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. Then, again, how really we may be found in fellowship not only with the Father in seeking the glory of the person of His beloved Son, but also with the Son who took upon Himself the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men, that being found in fashion as a man he might humble Himself and become obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Again, beloved, let it be said, what an object! the glory of Christ, in whom we have redemption, a glory reflected in every redeemed sinner, from whose face all traces of the burden of sin have been forever wiped away! Shall not all this be a fresh incentive to preach the word, to be instant in season and out of season, that more and more glory may be added to His peerless name?

Precious stones are seen in the breastplate of the high priest, pressing upon his heart as he goes into the presence of God for the people, twelve stones and the names of the twelve tribes of Israel engraved as the engraving of a signet upon them, and as lighted up in God's presence, together forming the Urim and Thummim, the lights and perfections of God. How fitting, then, that there should be associated with all the work built upon the foundation the glories of Christ, not only in the divine glory of His person, nor in the glories of redemption, but also in Him as the glorified One at God's right hand, – those deeper glories that the saints are led into as their hearts are opened and are able to receive the things that the Holy Spirit would minister unto them. For He is the gift to the children of God, consequent upon the glorification of Christ on high, the One of whom the Lord says "He shall glorify Me, for He shall take of the things of mine and show them unto you," the One whom the Lord calls the " Comforter," to abide with them forever-the Spirit of truth to guide them into all truth, the One who searcheth all things; yea, the deep things of God.

What, then, can there be built upon the foundation that will answer more clearly to the precious stones than the heart that in all its service has for its object Christ in all those deeper, richer glories that only God's Spirit can reveal. How deep will be the joys, how wondrous the revelation of those glories to our own hearts, as we seek by the light and power of the same Spirit to exalt our glorified Lord in the ministry of His things to His beloved saints. The things of Christ,- those deep things,- the things of God that no man knoweth but the Spirit of God. Once again, how sweet will be the reward to be forever associated with the glories that the Holy Spirit will bring to the name of Christ, when His ministry through His servants, and by the precious word of God, is made manifest in that day. And once again how really, too, we may be found in fellowship not only with the Father and with the Son, but also with the Holy Spirit. And thus, too, every believer who seeks only the glory of Christ may find a blessed place in real service and ministry for the glory of His name, The simplest child that can only lisp the name of Jesus, and thus speak of the person of Christ, the beloved Son of God, builds upon the foundation just as surely as the evangelist does, as in all the power and eloquence of his gift he sets forth the glories of His work, or as the teacher does, who through the Spirit of God brings forth from the depths of God's treasury the richer glories which are displayed in Christ at God's right hand.

Thus, beloved, will be found in that day that shall declare every man's work, that which shall abide,–the gold, silver, and precious stones built upon the foundation in fellowship with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

May there be true purpose of heart to seek thus to exalt Him, that in His own glorious presence there may be eternal joy in His own eternal reward. J. F. P.