The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1891-12-28
THE SUNDAY SERVICES.
Services in Many ofthe City Churches
and Various Topics Discussed.
S.RMON ON ECONOMY.
A Talk on Three Ages Of Man by the
Rev. j. ii. Larry at Richmond Street
Church-A Sermon at Grace Church
The Other Churches.

At the evening service in Grace
Church last evening the pastor, the
Rev. Charles Babcock, addressed the
congregation. The speaker chose for his
text st. John xviii. ;37, "To this end
was l born, and for this cause came
into the world, that 1 should bear wit
ness unto the truth"
"It is but two days." said the speaker,
since we wished eacn other a merry
Christmas. Only two days since the
glorious anniversary Of the coming of
Jesus Christ into the world, upon whose
life and death, the destiny Of all human
beings so much depends.
And why did Christ come into this
world? If we were to ask the question
we would get many different answers.
Some might say he came into this world
to die on the cross in order that sinners
might live and be saved others would
say that Jesus came TO assure us OF
Gods merciful forgiveness; and still
others might say that he came to assure
us of an immortal hearafter and to show
us the way in which to attain that
exaltation. But the true answer Is to
I born, and for this cause came / unto
the world that / should bear witness
unto the truth" Now, what is truth
Truth is the sum of all realities. State
ments are not necessarily truths, al
though stated truths are often heard.
Words must express real motives TO be
truths. motives Of kindness and truth
fulness. Truth is not statement, al
though a statement may represent the
truth. In itself il is but reality
clothed in statements that may go ont
in the world and do good.
Truth is~eternal. 1t is like God him
self. Truth existed before the written
statements were made. 1t has always
been true that the wages of sin are
death, and it always will be true that
righteousness is exaltation. Because
these truths have been put into words
we cannot doubt them.
Jesus came, not to make the truths,
but to iead the ignorant and wandering
to the truths.
But Jesus said something else about
coming into the world. He said: " / am
come to seek and to save that which was
lost" He came because that was the
truth. stated long before. The world at
that time was the wandering place Of the
human race. They were as lost as is the
lonely sheep straying into a strange pas
ture. But as the sheep, though lost, still
belongs to the man who owned 1t, so
man so man still belonged to God, and
although led astray by his own wrong
doings. yet he bore in degradation that
truth that had right to dwell in him.
Man forever bears the marks of Gods
workmanship and never will lose the
marks set upon him by the divine being.
God came calling him through Jesus,
and brought him back once again to the
calm and peace of his Fathers presence.
Richmond street Congregational Church.
At the Richmond street Congregational
church last evening the pastor. the Rev.
j. II. Larry, preached a practical New
Years sermon. which he explained he
had prepared during his recent imprison-
ment in his home, because of illness.
His subject was ''Three Times Seven"
and dealt with the three stages of life,
childhood boyhood and manhood, each
stage covering period of seven years.
The first was the infant, the mothers
pride and love, the next the boy praying
at his mothers knee and whose character
is being moulded by a loving Christian
mother, and the third the young man just
reaching his majority, starting out to
fight the battle Of life and make home
and name for himself He pointed out
the stumbling blocks in the path of the
young man. the evils which beset him
on every side, the temptations offered,
which of the opportunities TO accept and
which TO reject, what to do and what
not to do. He advised the young man to
make home for himself and marry and
at the ballot box, instead of chosing be-
tween two evils, decide on neither, but
vote for principle and right.