OH, how simple is the story
Simple, yet divinely grand
Of the wise and foolish builders
On the rock and on the sand.
‘Twas with this that Christ concluded
His discourse upon the mount,
Saints may sing and sinners tremble
As they read the short account.
He who hears the words of Jesus,
And obeys by grace divine,
Builds where neither flood nor tempest
Can destroy or undermine.
‘Tis on Christ, the Rock of ages,
That this house securely stands,
Jesus is his sure foundation,
Laid by God the Father’s hands.
But the man who hears the Gospel
Only with the outward ear,
Foolishly and blindly ventures
On the sand a house to rear.
Worldly honours, wealth, and pleasures,
Lifeless works and empty forms,
Many on these sands are building,
Thinking not of coming storms.
Now the sky is draped in darkness,
And the rain and stormy blast
Beat against each house in fury,
While the floods are rising fast.
Earth and hell may raise a tempest
Round the house upon the Rock,
But in vain: its sure foundation
Holds it firm against the shock.
But the other habitation
Lies in ruins on the sand,
For the storm of God’s displeasure
Shook it, and it could not stand.
If we build on Ought but Jesus,
Terrible must be our fall;
May Jehovah give us wisdom
On the rock to fix our all!
Wllingborough. THEODORA.