Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-07-18
MIddlebury commencement.
MrppLERrRx. July IA. ls7:

departure " from later in the season to this
time of sunshine and flowers. As the
train on Saturday brought Alumni and
friends again within the shadows Of its
walls, the delightful atmosphere and in
viting scenery imbued all with cheerful
spirit, prognostic Of a joyful season in con-
nection with tGe seventy-third anniversary
of Middlebury College.
While the boating spirit of Middlebury
is not sufficiently enthusiastic to engage In
the college regatta, yet the Otter creek is
honored with fine display Of craft, and on
Saturday evening the skifis of the societies
Delta Epsilon, Chi Psi, Delta Kappa Ep-
silon and other parties We'd with each other
in the honors shown to arrived guests.
Sunday even surpassed the previous day,
and Middlebury village donned its prettiest
regalia and crowded to overfowing the
Congregational church at l.30 p. m. to
hear the baccalaureate sermon of President
Kitchel.
THE BACCALAUREATE.
After a fine rendering of MY Faith
Looks up to Thee by Mr.. A. r. Sabin
and wife, of Chicago, Mr.. E. ii. Higley,
professor of Greek in the college, presiding
at the organ, the President spoke from the
text found in Acts iv Is: Now when
they saw the boldness of Peter and John,
and perceived that they were unlearned
4 how al lad a nd
took know ledge of them, that they had
been with Jesus"
Why did they marvel? To see uneducated
men. humble in their position, and to hear
them so speak. 1t was the greatest trial
to which the disciples could be put. They
were illiterate men, who had broken from
that old life and gone with Jesus; and
now thew stood forth before the assembly
to answer TO certain charges; to testify
against the strange man OF Nazareth, who
had been working among them and heal
ing their sick. etc. The disciples charged
that the cruciiixiOn was n blunder, that
Jesus was the Messiah. The people tried to
frown them down, bat they stood up nObly.
They were looked on with contempt; but
they met it with dignity of self-posses>iOn,
and the people wondered at the strange
scene. and the Seventy themselves were
overawed. They maryelled how these men
could be thus inspired and uplifted. They
took knowledge that they had been with
Jesus. who could not be overawod." To be
with Jesus in the true sense, eleyates, en-
mobiles and strengthens the human charac-
ter. lifts him above himself. This scene il
Illustrates that we are builded on better
foundation fills out our measure that has
been stunted By sin. We have proof Of it
in these men They were little cultured
and specially unfit for such stand: they
were plebeians, apt to be awed and dlscon-
certed Bat a wonderful change came over
these men one day: they were new men;
they became inspired the whole man was
uplifted and made a seer. They were
champions Of the new faith: wrapt up in
regenerating change made new creature.
What a blessed thing il i to feel to be i'm
mortal the power TO be the son
of God to burst the shell of self
and stand up in larger life.
The love Of Christ cOnstrains him
the whole being expands under such inhu
ence: he gets out OF narrOwness OF self and
evince, sympathy for all Ii Is made clear
that sin damages all 1t touches; shuts off
the channels Of inspiration from above, and
opens them from Glow. The posture OF
soul under the power Of sin Is untriendy
TO the spirit of man. Sin endangers all
it touches. Every capacity Of the mind
Is best when the love of God reigns over
the soul supreme. The lesson from those
disciples shows the working of God grace
in the heart. Look at Peter the b0aSter
and the example Of failure, now cool and
deliberatiye; another Peter How wisely
and calmly the soul OF fire speaks And
John, the loving disciple i aroused. His
J. aha NO
toned down: the other stirred up both
transformed from weakness into strength.
In these men We're shown the faithtulness
OF the promise Of Christ 10 be with them
always. Foreseeing their position, he pro-
missed them speech when needed. These
men stood there speaking the words given
them by God 70 speak. God viii not suffer
u 10 be tempted above what We are able.
We, too, in Christ, are heirs Of that prom
i>e. Trust Christ 10 the end. A. thy days
50 shall thy strength be Out Of the abun-
dance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
and men will marvel and take knowledge
that You have been with Jesus. Strength
comes only in the need of strength. Put
forth the pal-ied arm in the doing comes
the power 10 do, speak, and speech shall be
given you.
TIE ADDRESS To TIE GRADUATING CLASS
was a. follows More than ever before on
such an occasion it i my privilege to-day
10 address n company OF Christian believers.
And the JOY with which | am wont to send
forth a band Of disciplined souls intellectu-
ally loyal 20 all truth. gains a happy COM
pietenosS from the trust that You 90 from u
a. loyal ones toward God. You stand thus
far complete in your training. You have
run your course. and up to your measure
Of force and fidelity, and answering well 70
our ardent wish and endeavor in YOUR be-
half. You 20 forth from Us fitted to enter in
the life work that awaits YOU. And over all
this you recognize the claims of God under
the term OF Christian responsibility. And
As You look out to-day on the opening life
before you, more than ever feel the burden
of that responsibility presses upon you.
And that which weighs in my
heart and shapes my utterances TO YOU
at this hour, i the earnest wish to strengthen
your confident faith in the fellowship Of
Christ. and inspire You with a completer
trust IN His power and readiness to help
YOU in every crisis OF need And hold fast
TO this, first OF all, that whatever your
chosen line Of liie-work may be, within the
generous limits OF a loyal Christian inter-
est, You, too, stand consciously within the
terms OF that great commission good for all
time, and. a valid and precious to you,
a to the Twelve long ago go ye. |
teach. preach, serve. Loi am with you, |
even to the end" In one form or another |
of loyal service, hateyer your calling, hold |
that commission and promise for yours. |
And grid yourselves in the strength Of it. |
Put on the panoply Of Christ's fellowship. |
Beyond all that You have thought or be- |
lieyed, Christ has provided forour complete |
less in Him touched even with the sense |
of our iniiTmity, and divinely supplement |
ting all our need. This i the very gospel /
for us in all our insuiticiencies 1t Is not |
that God gifts Of faculty are not priced |
and honOred. 1t Is not that we diseSteem
the aids OF culture and scholarly discipline.
There l. ample acceptance of these in
Christ : service, welcoming all developments
of liberal culture, and the engagements of
a well ordered training. Only this | would
emphasize to-day, as you pass from our
hands with all we can give you. that your
in all suffcency for the highest
ends of life, must come from the supple
menting of Christ 5 grace, from the inspira-
ton, He gives to the soul that lies open in
loving faith to the impulses of His grace.
Your completeness l. in Christ Be sure
that He has other and higher ways for
and strengthening you to His
work, than all he has done for you in ma
tive endowment and scholarly culture
more direct and punctual to your want
natural and more than natural is the d.
vine fulness of his giving-more immedi-
lite supplies and power for US, if in loving
simplicity of faith we lean on Him in the
hour of our need Here are wings of His
and the freedom of open hea-
zen, uplifting US to all heights of dutiful
achievement. And crave for you, beyond
Ill else, in this final hour, this gift of faith
# Christ's fellowship to complete you for
III that lies before you. For, aside from
his revelation of the helping Christ we seem
. be butas souls gone astray seeking pr lost
elves, and bewailing the man We might
nave been. We fall so consciously short of
lur manifest intent-beneath our possible
ies We are such remnants of Il grand capa-
,ility, hints Of only what we were meant to
re. Something of the grand design of US