The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1872-06-27
BACCALAUREATES SERMON,
BY REV. DAVID COPELAND,
President Of Hills5oro Female Col
tege. Delivered an the M e.
Church, Sunday, June 16.

ana trusted Him; they had found the
source of their strength in Him.
But now they were climbing the
mountain which Jesus had appoints
ed them, there to listen to His part
ing words. To them it seemed that
nothing remained for them but to
return, one to his fishing nets and
another to his tax gathering. They
well remembered the discontinue
and gloom that fell upon them dur
ing the three days that He remained
in the tomb, but now He was to go
and not return; they were now to be
left by their loved Savior; no more
were they to see His beaming face,
no more to hear His words of in
struction and sympathy.
What wonder that they were sad
and discouraged? They were poor,
ignorant and weak. The same num-
Der of men could hardly have been
found, possessing less elements of
strength than they. They were the
very weakness of humanity; had
nothing to commend them to the
confidence of any one. They were
despised because they were Galile-
ans; their very speech was against
them. They were hated because
they were Christ's disciples, and the
very utterance of His name would
subject them to insult and abuse,
and it may be to persecution and
death. While He was with them
they could hope for protection in
His power to destroy their enemies,
but now what could they weak crea-
lures do =? The outlook was indeed
dark and forbidding, and it is not to
be wondered at that they met
Christ on the mountain with down
cast hearts.
But to be left alone was not all /:
had it been, they could each have
gone to his humble home and
mourned and loved their departed
Lord. In this there would have
been a melancholy satisfaction-a
saddened joy. But the Savior had a
work for them 10 do; they were to
go into all the world and preach the
Gospel they must go forth to
teach the truth as their Master had
taught it, and be subjected to the
same disrespect and outrage that He
had been subjected to. To be hated
of all men for His sake was to be
their lot. What wonder was it that
they cried out, "Who is sufficient fol
these things ?" What wonder that
their hearts quaked within them and
that they looked out into the dark
future with foreboding feelings?
Their commission fell heavily
upon them. "Go ye into all the
world and preach the gospel to ev-
cry creature 1t was like a death.
knell in their ears but that sweet,
loving voice, as they depart down
the mountain, adds a grand word o.
encouragement-a word that should
be constant solace and comfort tC
them in all the vicissitudes of theil
future career: "Lo, 1 am with you
alway, even unto the end of the
world" Not a greater promise die
Christ ever make than this. Never
did Christ speak words that hav,
done more TO chase away the gloon
of this suffering world. Never have
other words brought greater Joy t.
burdened hearts.
What comprehension they have
How Christ's great, yearning, Low
ing heart reaches out beyond tht
present time and place. He knew
that there would be others besides
His immediate followers that woulc
need His aid and encouragement
He knew that there would be othe
generations in other times Wit
would be oppressed with the weigh
of their work, and would cry ou
for help. He knew that there nigh
arise fear that His presence nigh
not be constant, Or that there Nigh
come a time when be would fnall,
withdraw himself permanently from
His disciples. So He says, "Lo,
am with you eUery day, (thus i
reads in the originaD even unto th
end of the world" Every day an
every moment of the day shall m,
presence be with my people unit
: the end of time, and then will
take them to be with me and th
Father and the holy angels, foreve
and forever. The promise is to e1
ery disciple of Christ, and for eUer
day Of all time. 1t is so compreher
sive that it embraces the whole race
the whole world and all time it
applicable to each individual, I
each place and to each day. Whs
out-reaching the words have to th
humblest follower of Christ in th
remotest future What an infnitud
of love and compassion they pol
sess! What overflowing sympath
with the tears and sadness of BIT
manity What tenderness towar
the weak labOrer in this vineyard
All the humanity and divinity {
Christ seem to be compressed int
this short utterance; it is the EN-
bodiment of his great, loving sou
II will never leave thee nor forsak