Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-07-11
Y VI COMMENCEMENT.

/ >uAt> III NUM- Vi thS p"lPi'- i"N NfS
exercises were:
Organ voluntary by S. c. Moore.
Anthem by the choir-Te Deum lBaumhach)-
Reading Of Scripture by Rev. Il. b. Saiiord.
Anthem by the ehoir-Jubilate (Millardl.
Prayer by Mr. Stafford.
Hymn 81, Songs for the Sanctuary.
THE BAccALAUREATE.
The Presidents text was Acts xxyi;52-
% Thereupon, o King, was not disobe-
dent unto the heavenly vision = and his
discourse was beautiful and powerful en-
forcement upon his young hearers, az hl'
last lesson at the close of their scientific and
intellectual training in the University, oil
the fact that the highest truth Is reached
not by scientific research or intellectual in
duction, but by spiritual revelation. lie
said
The most intellectual and most logical
Of the apostles here declares himself a De
lever in visions. Indeed his Christian lie
began with a vision. and in one OF his epls-
ties he speaks Of " coming to visions and
revelations a. things peculiar to MN.
When an enthusiast or deyotee speaks thus
We can account for the hallucinatlon, but
when clear-headed thinker like Paul
D
by an anparition it at first coniounds u.
Give me. saws the man of strong sense and
reflection. something better than the base
les, fabric Of dream To shape my lie by.
In some such mood, perhaps, was Paul a
| be iourncyed to Damascus. lie had pre-
| iudred the case against Christianity. But
This vision. not ot the night, but OF the
dav. coming when every faculty was alert,
I sent him To retirement and prayer, from
which he came a new man and we lind
nothing here which requires Us to with
/ draw our respect from Paul rs man of
common sense and calm Judgment. His
conversion differs FROM that Of any
other man only in the accesSo-
rieS The new revelation. the flash
/ ing in of truth. were such a make the
/ birth and growth of grace in every Chris
/ tan. With such reflections the preacher
introduced the main statement of his dis
| course-that SPIRITUAL truth Arrays comes 10
/ Mc SoWiy rerciafion on Mcparf Of God, and
/ iv riQon on The part Of man.
This principle j. valid to some extent
/ even In physical science. Great diScOy erers
/ lave ever hchcld the truth before they
wrought out it, demonstration. as Column
bus saw the new world before he discovered
it. and lie Nerrier the new planet. and New
tom the law of attraction, before he proved
it, Scientific research l. not mere grasp
ing for possibilities. Scientific confidence
does not wait for demonstration. If New
ton had never discovered the diSconcerting
error in his calculations he would not the
less have been certain that he had OWNED
Alright the law of God in'the universe. God
has planted in Us confidence in our intui-
tions
In morals, this principle has an obvious
application. We need no demonstration
that we onght To speak the truth. No
child could he taught thata lie i wrong, if
his conscience did not confirm the statement.
Man a. man made in the imageo God,
always has in him the evidence of his high
ancestry. lie can say this Is right. and
this wrong. and nothing on earth OF in
Heaven can contradict him.
The highest Of all truth. spiritual truth.
can be perceived by man by direct vision.
Not that We can dispense with revelation.
Revelation in part assumes that there is in
man this capacity for spiritual vision.
Faith Is defined by the apostle as seeing
things not seen By the natural eve. The
Bible l. iuli of texts that set forth this doc
;rine Revelation docs not address
itself 10 the intellect. Ii tells u
what to believe and how to obey.
There l. not a single complete dem0nstra-
tion in the Bible. Il reveals truth a. one
who would SAY Here food for the hun
cry, eat and Dee welcome. Ii offers no Off
cial guaranty that the food j. wholesome
Ii It's tones are ever ID -cordant we have but
20 retire into The ~erc ner air, where secular
noises cannot reach Us. and in deyout medi-
tation lay our "a r. more closely to the
chords alonswhich the Divine Spirit breathes
his truth to the listening soul. Experience
90 W Auf
ana Luther and 8unyan and scoresUi others
who have noticed the breaking in of light
on the soul, aS though coming from voices
and appearances analogous 10 those of
Paul's VISION All must own that there l.
something within them, which whether
oheyed or di~obeyod. confirms this truth.
Nor do the false visions. as of SwedenbOrg
and the Mystics. disproye it, any more
than the iacl that sailors often mistake
clouds for land, lesser the value OF our
physical vision.
Still further, not only can the human
spirit apprchend spiritual truth directly, II
can apprehcnd it in 10 other way \
spiritual idea can De seen only in vision.
Proof, for instance of the being of God has
no cogeucy for a mind unable or unwilling
10 believe in God without the argument.
] a man challenges las To prove the medici- /
nal power Of prayer on the patients in a /
particular ward in a hospital, and the chal |
lenge were accepted, and the result proves |
the statement, Will he pray now But if /
IN some crisis between death and life, and |
his faith breaks through the chains Of 4
pride. and his soul goes ont TO God in sup |
him thencelorth the Throne |
of Grace ahides He las seen il. and /
though he turns his back upon it. he knows /
1t l. there. In this, the philosopher has no /
advantage over the wayfj ring man. The |
grandest truth beams alike upon the cotter
and the sage. And for Scho astic pedants who |
endeayor To confuse the ia it'll of plain people /
by perpiexing their int elects, they will |
always have tie reply, reasonable a it J.,
efectual Let me get home and get my old
Bible in my hands and | care not for your
line spun logic. And 10y such simple faith
Of believing souls, rath er than by the argu-
mentativc deiences Of & hristianitv, vital re-
lgi0n survives. and triumphS in the lives of
men. Christianity i Tor man not for think
inc men-that i not for men who think
only and suppress the rest of their nature.
And 1t i not for the intellect. though it
anlarses and glorifes it. lie who does not
accept the truth a. little child with the
child $ large round. open eyes to see and the
'hld heart to trust, shall not enter into
the Kingdom of God
The sublime doctrines of Immortality. Of
The Incarnation, of the Divine sacrifice for
IN, of regeneration, Of the Holy Spirit can
Dot be established by observation and in
iucton. That i the worst skepticism
" hich denies that there i spiritual realm.
ll~rermh.c by different faculties from those
Il nature. and because il cannot receive the |
ruth without asking leave OF the low prac-
heal Judgment, Is diSohedicnt to heavenly
l>ion.
THIS brings Us 10 the practical point. that
be truth requires not acquieseence but
obedience. II We ak, Is man immortal?
he answer l. Thou art. prcpa re thy
eli Tor thine own Immortality Docs
nod answer prayer? " AK and it shall be
.i1en you. is the reply. Happy the man
Who at the close of lie can say. | wasnot
i-obedicnt to the heavenly vision.
This admirable discourse, as C lear and
uong as it was simple and salts wing in
Is method Of presentation, closed with the
blowing address to the graduating class,
no rose to receive it.
address To THE CLASS.
GfRfiomcH u The Graduating Glass II *
ypressly declared in Scripture that in these
liter days, young men Shall zee visions.
his l. one of the priv ileseS, AMI one of the I
Teatest privileges Of youth 10 YOU truth
lmeS in the tinted and glorifie forms of
sion, rather than in the dry light of t
philosophy. Therein lies for Won the posi- ;
lity Of enthusiasm, and &C nerous faith. /
nd noble ambition. During these Years
lst. while you have been IA thfully accom-
fishing the formal and pre,eptive part of 8
sur education with such guidance and t
clip as we could render. the Divine Spirit
ls been carrying on another part of it. in {
hich We have had no STARE, opening the {
'es Of your spiritual un lerstanding to be- {
Did truths far ont of res Oh of your natural .
'wers. And now that you have satisiac- Z
rlly endured all our q lestioning. and have ]
irly won the academic honors which YOU /
e soon to receive. the re is another question '
ore important and f;ir-reaching which you Il
ust answer to yourselves and To God i
ave You obeyed the heavenly visions? I
1t would be wrong inference from what il