The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-06-08
TRUTH ETERNAL.
Is Not New But as Old and
Everlasting as God.
Application May Be New But
1t Cannot Be Revised.
Sermon by Rev. Mr.. Nutting at Union
Congregational Church.

At the Union Congregational Church
yesterday, Rev. Wallace Nutting
preached on the topic "Old Truth and
New" and took - his text:
"Every scribe who hath been made a
disciple to the kingdom of heaven is like
unto man that is householder, which
bringeth forth out OF his treasure things
new and DID," Matt. 1852.
Jesus had been speaking in para bles,
and illustrating old truths by new lights.
His words appeared to the world to be
original, but an analysis of what Jesus
says proves that a great portion of His
teaching consisted of the setting forth SO
that every once could see IL, OF some for
gotten truth, which had been hidden in
the rubbish garnet OF the brain. 1t was
astonishing to His disciples that He
could make SO much OF old material. As
He poured forth parable after parable
and explained them at the request of His
disciples, they seemed in continual
struggle to keep pace with the rapid un-
folding OF truth, and so, after His ex-
planation, He asked them IL they UNDER
stood these things. When they said yes,
He advised them t. act accordingly:
To store these truths In their minds, to
believe that they would sometime prove
OF value; to initiate their Master in their
ways of using them; and to make a
proper and just application Of immortal
principles to mojern living.
Very simple and sensible advice, this,
but often not understood. We are told
that II is mark OF good artisan to
use material to The best advantage, and
to produce good results with slight
means. 10 the really skilled person al
most nothing comes aIniss. To the pru-
dent dressmaker some suggestion Will
come as to the use of old pieces stored
away in the garret, the thoughtful viii
pass along the magazine ne has read,
into the hands OF the patient at the hos
pital; and the novelist will see some-
thing for illustration in street Arab or
q mud-scow.
think 1t was only yesterday that we
saw an account of a violin maker, who
had been enterprising enough to procure
from an ancient house a spruce beam,
thin boards from which would produce
the mellow tones OF an old instrument.
Now there are people who don't like
this steadiness OF the old things, ..and be-
cause they don't like II, they think there
Is no truth in it, They are not satisfied
with new applications for old truths, but
they want new truths also. But dear
friends, there are no new truths. Truth
Is as old as God and as eternal as He. Ii
that Jesus came-ihto the world, 10 stir
them up, and to show them something
new. He cleared away the rubbish froiu
the pearls they had trodden under foot,
and showed them that what God said 10
Abraham was true when he said II
through Jesus also. You cannot revise
truth. IL Is new only in its applications
When you look into a Kaleidoscope, OF
when you show il to your child, he will
hardly believe you when you tell him
that there are only fixed number oi
pieces always before him, end that the
new figures arc formed only by new com
binations. Thus God gives new revcln-
tions ever TO the reverent student of his
tory, but they are revelations OF The same
unchanged character, exhibiting its glo-
ries to the wondering mind of the world
of his children.
Let us therefore never be above our
master, and reject what he was willing
to retain, nay, what he must retain. lie
worked according TO the principles that
had ever obtained sway in the universe.
But he made more OF them because hc
combined them in just proportions, gave
each LIS proper weight in the redemp-
tion of humanity.
OF all the people In the world we Ame-
ricans are most liable TO suppose that
we have no need of wiat is Old. Eul as
IL takes the accumulated capital OF MANY
Nctle W utNtiop tht WCSi, III ihkCs TIE
old thoughts about truth TO draw out
and educate the modern mind. All the
sages have lived for-us, and we shall ind
that they were very bright men, oven
compared with the editor OF n country
weekly. Some things have been done SC
well tnat we shall always find them OF
value to the race.
AS you cannot have n willow tree with.
out something TO start from, thus YOU
cannot have religion without older
elements. The eternal religion will
spring from the eternal GCu. rot from
some spontaneous generation i'm tns mind
OF visionary who suppose that be has
discovered new path To glory.
-Me4eak into cur paper ana we soc that
some times one day contains the record
OF a half-dozen divorces, ana one marriage
50 that we are half inclined 10 believe
that some people are divorced who never
were married. We hear an argument IN
the air.--a sert OF windy, gushy, logic.
which suggests that after all marriage Is
simply contract that Is broken by the
failure of one OF the parties, and tbat n
has no concern with a msn's eternal
nature. But when Jesus came into the