Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1857-08-07


The exercises of Commencement week
for the University of Vermont
were opened Sunday afternoon by the ser
Pres. Pease. The text chosen was Rev. Sd
chapter and I'd verse. We give brief alb
stract Of the discourse.
The text implies that all things are not
perfect, certainly when judged by the eter-
nal standard Of truth. Yet mans works
can be worthy of appreciation, and some
times are 30. The many who fail should
teach US not to presume, while the solitary
one who holds fast his own, should teach us
not to despond. Some of the Characters
les of perfect life are that it has solidl ty
because all its forces work together in har-
mony; stability, because in consonance with
Gods will. and beauty because not isolated
and broken, but harmonious and true.
perfect life then must have relations to
both the eternal and temporal spheres. 1t
must be subject to Gods eternal order and
yet must be perfectly free, and yet the
two must work together in perfect har-
mony.
But the delineation of perfect life fur.
nishes us with little but contrasts with our
actual life This lacks all these elements of
solidity, stability and beauty On mans
soul, mans own folly has written "Icha-
bod y Yet there are things that remain,
or we should not be sitting by the ruins of
tn Al.
show what the city was intended to be,
and it shall yet be restored. Man retains
still the consciousness of freedom, the sense
OF responsibility to law which is above
nature, and the intellectual apprehension of
truth and while these three thiogs remain.
we still retain the true idea of man, and
therefore are not fallen into remediless ruin.
The mind also retains the power of being
true to itself in its perceptions of intel
lectual truth or of moral truth. A nan
can never really love falsehood. 1t must
always be away from home to him
There remains the love of Justice and
also the sense OF freedom, which if we re-
tain, We may regain whatever wo have lost.
Ibis sense does remain even in slaves
whether slaves Of physical force, or of opin-
ion, or of passion. Though buried, it is
not dead. Without it man is no longer
man.
But although these things remain, they are
ready to die. Man can make way with them
all. There is nothing on earth free but man
he iac bao l.
own image, and he is free, even to become
slave if he willard everything is hurry.
ing US to the destruction OF even these
things which rem ain. How then shall we
strengthen them BY watchfulness which
gives US strength by exercising our powers
and pointing out their weakness, by giving
us right habits both of thought and NOR
ais, which aid in strengthening the will,
especially the habit of finishing whatever
we begin. This habit was called foible in
Goethe, but it was the secret of his works
and his influence man who has that
Will always finish because he has begun
and he will begin, because..he knows he shall
finish.
We may strengthen the things that re-
main by exercising them to the attainment
OF rational ends and in the light of ideas.
thus only may we conform to the Divine
mode of working, Man needs the stimu-
liant of an ideal everywhere. lie must aim
at perfect works to accomplish anything.
And above all we need the Spirit of God
to strengthen us.
The discourse closed with an exhortation
TO the class, to begin at once to work.
and to work Understandings and with an
ideal before them-to be watchful against
eteminacy, against idleness, against sin and
Satan to be watchful for all the things
that remain and all that is capable of be-
ing made of them, for their freedom and
their manhood, and above all for the intlu-
ence of Gods Spirit, confident that by So
doing. so far as human imperfection will
allow, their work and their life would be-
perfect before God
The discourse was full Of good and i'm
pressive thought, clearly and beautifully
brought out. The following hymn written
for the occasion by one of the Senior class
was sung at the close of the discourse
1hEFARsD 10 AoooMPASY IHs BAccIArAsA1t srtNo,
Sunday, August ID, 1857.
----------
he Will tIy