The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-04-27
At Asbury NJ. T.. Church.

In honor OF the 77th anniversary OF the
founding CT the order of Odd Fellows the
members OF What Cheer Lodge, /. o. o.
f., accompanied by rs mem bers of North
Star Lodge, 1. o. o. f., last evening at
tended divine service at Asbury Memo
rial M. II. Church by invitation of the
pastor. The musical program of the SER
vice under the direction of the organist
of the church, Mrs. Wheelwright, was
finely rendered.
Rev. ia. l.. Rich delivered an eloquent,
practical and thoughtful address. 1t was
powerful appeal to the members to be
true TO the high ideals OF their noble
fraternal organization and the important
duty imposed by chrisitanity, thst Of
service. was most forcibly brought to the
minos OF his many hearers.
Rev. Mr.. Rich spoke in part as follows:
1t is indeed great pleasure for me to
greet you brethren here in Gods house.
think l know you too well to believe
that you come here to have me extol your
order and trust l speak out of your
heart when say that you would wish me
rather TO point out the way to glorify
that God whom we SO love than to do
any other thing. / Shall therefore take
for my text to speak to you on this even
ing, the concluding clause of the 23d
verse OF the 9th chapter OF the Acts Of
the Apostles, "Whose.l am and whom 1
serve"
service. Man is a social being and his
history has been one of progression. He
was never meant TO act alone for his mis-
sion, go where you will, has ever been to
help some one and to worship something
above himself. He has tnreefold nature
and a threefold service. He has his duties
to God, TO himself and to his neighbor
The first refer to his spiritual nature, the
second to the government of himself and
the third to his moral duties through
which be develops his life.
"We speak OF the fatherhood of
God and the brotherhood OF man. We
cannot accept the fatherhood of God
without Christ, and we cannot be true to
our idea OF the fatberhood of God with
out acknowledging the brotherhood OF
man,
The speaker then quoted the incident
OF Christ when questioned by the lawyer
a. to the greatest of the commandments
and TO the neighbor being the one who
had assisted the unfortunate even though
he who aided the unfortunate was
Samaritan. Continuing, Rev. Mr.. Rich
said, "We have In the account of st. Paul
on the ship an expression of man all of
US have accepted as hero. We cannot
read of st. Paul without thinking OF his
service. The words OF the text were
spoken in an hour OF peril when the cap
tain had, after losing control OF his sail
ors, lost control OF himself. Paul was i'm
fill possession OF himself and his words
are those of a true man. So we see by
the text that the object OF mans life is
service. Let us consider this a moment.
There is not in this land an independent
man; the merchant depends, on the man
ufacturer; the capitalist on the laborer
and the laborer on the capitalist. The
tiller OF the soil depends on the sunshine.
All OF us are dependent on one another.
Thus was Paul teacher and we, like
him, are placed here for service, To aid
others.
"we are dependent on those that have
preceded us. Washington could not have
fulfilled his splendid mission I'm the time
of Charlemagne. The greatest of our
patriots was the best OF all that hau pre-
ceded him. We are the possessors OF all
that has gone before; we are the sum-
ming up of all men have done before our
time. This Is true of nations.
England first had-in 1915 her Magpa
Charta, next her will OF rights and we
our declaration OF Independence In 17T6.
These all followed in natural order.
First came the right OF trial by Jury and
mans right OF protest against unjust
laws, then the removal OF many barriers
60 his freedom, and one epoch following
another brought with II our liberty. SO
we i'm i716 steed ON the vantage -rroun d
the previous efforts for liberty In England
had given us.
"In ancient times men knew not OF the
fatherhood of God. liz was Jesus who
taught us TO say "our Father The
times OF dogmastic creods came and went
and today what men do IL counted Of
more value than the articles i'm their creed
that were once deemed SO all important.
IL was the spirit OF Bruce that won liber-
" for his country; u was the example ~
that sanity woman Elizabeth Fry, teach