The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-08-14
snilIlr Facss in The Pulplts Of
SeYeral Churches.
~. Rishard Montague At the Central
Daptist Church-Rsv. Charles sum
nsr Nsoksrson - the First Univsr-
saliss Church.

Az the First Universalist church yester-
day morning Rev. Charles Sumner Nicx-
orson Of Barre. VT, preached. He chose
for his text John iv. IS; "Other men
labor for YOU" Said he. every life is one
OF progression in time. We. cannot
hinder the passage of the
say he will not grow old. Even before we
oan renlize outside things We have formed
4 part OF our history. Infancy Is the time
for laying the foundation for the future
career and as these individual careers
ara made so is the nation made. Every
thing has past and this past is made up
by tie isbors OF Others. Because we do
not know who was the architect OF the
pyramids il no reason for doubling their
existence. and we cannot therefore doubt
the existence Of these things which have
gons before.
Ouite often we are inclined to discredit
d e truth and reality of events W hicn do
rot happen today, and especially true Is
this Of events happening during
the time described in the Bible.
Tie miracles noted therein are discredited
by he scoffers and those without re-
liei, n. and these same believe nothing
but what Is seen by themselves. But,
with all this. the past should not he
taken - a pattern for our daily work.
How natural IL Is for some TO
bow down before that which has disap
pyared in the dim vistas Of forgotten
days. The a0ed man looks on the chill
dten Of his infancy as being far
superior aud Of greater intelligence
than those OF today, although
il to children Of both periods were
brought together very noticeable diff.r-
ence tor the benefit Of the present epoch
would be observed. Some p ope de-
humanizs the past. They do not see the
human agencies which depeloped
the age. They do not attribute any Of
the improvements to humanitS. How COM
even beyond all possibility. Que would
tlIink that Washington. the father OF his
country, was a saint made To order. 1t Is
well q reme n bor the good done by the
deparIei during their life, but it is
wrong to forget chat they had evils In
their characters which should have been
crushed out
The Old Testament brings humanity
into Wow during these days and shou Id
he studied deeply. To remove tn human
from the past is TO dective
ourselves; inen were then as now.
That which we investigate claims our
interest. and he who studies these things
osely finds blessings awaiting hi m. 30
ne who accepts the past without p erson al
invest gation loses the beauty OF It's TO ach-
ings; events of importance lose their i'm
portauce TO him. Instead. we should re-
gard the past as heing vast storehou'e
OF learning anu thinRs Instructive. For
six thousand years the past has
been receiving living streams Of life and
humaa experiences IN all its multitude
nous phases can be seen. From these
there IRE aqueducts connecting the soul
with the departed. You aud are con-
Ia cted with this reservoir and We
only need to grasp the handle to
turn the stream within ourselves
STRAIN that enthuses aid eases the
aches of the heart. The intelligence, Of
to-day In based upoa that OF the past
From the first man has descended the in-
q Iig CO and knowledge OF the world.
lie KIN owledge has been added to during
~ age<and the great discoveries OF our
line o the products OF the past genera-
20 h