The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1905-03-20
OLD FRIENDS
HEAR DOCTOR
STINSON

There was a sort of union service at
the Union Congregational church yester-
day. the members OF Plymouth Congre-
gational church attending in considerable
numbers 10 hear their former pastor, Rev.
William c. stinson, u. D., preach He
is now New York clergyman and spoke
AT both morning and evening services and
was, heartily greeted by former mem
bers OF his congregation.
Both services were largely attended and
the congregation was impressed by the
truths ably presented by this successful
minister OF the Gospel.
The 18th chapter of Ecclesiastics was
the Scripture lesson tor the evening. read
by Rev Dr. William c. Stinson OF
Bloomingdale Reformed church New
York city
The text was from the sixth and
seventh verses OF Paul's letter TO the
Galatians. In part he said;
This is a moral and physical world and
man is moral being governed by moral
laws.
There is a philosophy nowadays OF fate
and chance and those who believe II think
they are as a shuttle-cock. the sport Of
destiny
This fstalism IL a sad thing. lkening
themselves 10 hit Of driftwood drawn
aoout by the waters
We have a great deal OF that sort Of
teaching I'm the fiction OF modern time
They would have us believe that man is
but as a piece OF shoddy cloth turned
out by the mill of circumstances stand
ing on the river OF time.
"Of caurse we must consider heredity
and environment. They are factors that
must not be underestimated, neither must
they he overrated.
That is a team that we have ridden
nearly to death in late years.
or course. there is a possibility Of a
taint by heredity. but that IL not all. for
A man can decide himself what he will
make OF himself
II you deny chat .nan Is free agent.
you are denying his moral responsibility.
God is A God Of morals as well as a
God of nature and man isu nder the law
of the harvest
He is constantly repeating himself re-
Producing himself, nheritng himself. IL
is true i'm the moral world as well as the
physical world. II you SOW wheat, you
gather wheat. II tsres--tares. You cannot
reap wheat having sown tares.
"If you SOW 20 the wind you shall reap
10 the whrwind." II shows that man be-
comes intensified as he progresses in life.
LAW OF THE HARVEST.
''If he sows Iowa of money he may
reap wealth. PERHAPS but his love OF mon
ey will surely grow and with IL averi-
cousness. II Is the same with good and
evil, the harvest will be greater than the
seed sown. Under the law OF the harvest
Phsroh reaped as he sowed, dreadful
crop OF moral PARALYSIS.
"Do not say when you are tempted
am tempted Of GOD. II is not true, GOD
tempts no man.
Il say there rs talent for godliness
and II you do not use II you will lose 1t. II
will become as II Cssifed.
Let us then not forget that man is
free moral agent and thus.he can make
whatever he wilt cf himself. Character
determines destiny.
DOCTRINE OF RETRTBCT1oN.
There Is In the Old Testament a
doctrine set forth which els rather hard.
IL In retribution. u means paying back
in the same coin with compound interest
BAD men are. as you will notice be
coming worse. and good men thank God.
are becoming better.
Young people I'm these days Of your
plastic youth remember that YOU are
electrotyping your destiny and that IL will
he as much easier To give yourself to God
now than IL will be five years from now.
as Il would have been four years ago. You
older people remember now before your
hearts are hardened and become adaman-
tive and your capacity for Godliness is
al nothing TO what II should rghtfully be.
May God take away from every one
OF us the heart Of stone and give us the
heart OF flesh
He dismissed them with the benediction.