Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1864-08-05

I,e exercises Of the szuetb Anniversary 0
a~ nIvcr-ity of Vernon, opened with
rHEBAccALArREArl ,rRuoS,
By BEv ". e. ]. sHEuu. D. b.
Ur. Shield took tor hi text. Romans tn, 10Th
lid The commandment l-sict l-as ordained
us,a HE, found 70 he uaio deafb-' Noticing
rbc seemingly disparaging way IN which the
4r,.tle Paul frequently -peaks Of the moral
.tv, and showing that it = hut seeming. Mr..
oneid pro,eeiol to remark that the law
Is not found to be unto death in any unfallen
creature. ], Is So With man because he is out
Ut his original relations, 50 that what was or
jained unto ljfe has become unto death. But he
still hears 10 his conscience the voice of the Law
.aying constantly thou shalt or thou shalt not,
and thus working on hun through his sense Of
duty. This sense Of duty IS for the great mass
tormenting one The preacher selected, and
proceeded to deyelope two main reasons why it
50.
First The sense OF duty IS pain and sorrow
to the unrepenting man, because it is a coDtin-
nal restraint There are but two ways of con-
tentment II the Law could be changed to
agree with mans perverted inclinations, he
could be happy in sin. But the Law is immu-
table. and the only other way to peace is to
change the inclinations.
Second. The sense OF duty Is pain and
sorrow because if demands perpetual effort.
Now toll was not the state to which man was
created. Adam knew nothing Of painful effort
till sin made of obedience toll The condition
Of the laboring and grooming nations is not the
Elysium of man. He finds labor curse.
Never since the fall has it been easy for man to
do right Thus the Law becomes a strict task
master. From such views as these the preach
er drew the practical conclusions
LIST, That the mere sense Of duty is not Chris
tianity Fatal mistakes are made on this point
The consciousness Of responsibility is a noble
sentiment, but something more than that is
needed to prepare man for the judgment
2nd, We see here the meaning of Christ's
work of redemption. Christ frees the sinful
soul from its guilt. by assuming it, and from its
toll by SO changing the heart that it becomes
delight to obey the law.
Having developed these and connected points,
in closing DR.. Sbeid urged on the young gentle
men before him the conception Of the two great
ideas of Sin and Redemption. He described, in
order to warn them from it. the large class of
amiable, educated and refined men, who remain
not far from the Kingdom Of Heaven, but never
enter it; who mistake elevated sentiments and
disgust ct the repulsye forms Of sin for religion;
who never seem to learn the difference between
the appreciation Of goodness and the lore Of it;
and VINO pass IN without any full sense of sin
or conflict with indwelling corruption, and 90 to
judgment without repentance He charged his
young hearers not thus TO substitute natural re-
hgion for revealed-but TO learn and realize that
without the sense Of Sin, and redemption from
it, they could have no religion.
The discourse which we have so imperfectly
sketched. was clear, earnest, thoughtful and
practical Wemissed the direct personal closing
Address to the Class, which has been customa-
~ feature Of the Baecalaureate when delivered
by the President, and which Pres. Pease espe-
cially was wont to make 50 impressive