Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1876-12-01

President HULBERr's BAcCALAUREATE at Middle
debury's last commencement has been on our table
several weeks. Ills theme is "God not altogether like
ourselves" from Psalm L. 81, %, His introduction is
devoted to discussion of the essence Of religion God
being the leading idea of religion, and religion be-
Ing determined by our idea of God the necessity Of a
correct idea of the Deity is at once apparent. The
work Of sin Is to degrade conception of God and
make him like ourselves "hence the historic God in
the calendar Of the ages has been little else than a
photograph of the debauched heart of the >" and
from this degradation OF God it follows that for men
"to worship him is to worship the image Of their
vileness and corruption. Hence a revival of
religion always involves not only regeneration of the
heart but also reconstruction Of the sinners thoughts
of God" The discourse is discussion of the perils
Of regarding God altogether like ourselves; that
he is like us in many respects is true the per is in
making that likeness complete This peril is incurred
in these several ways,
l. In supposing that God is like in that his knoWl
edge OF our characters and memory Of our deeds is
defective We know ourselves only in part
much less are we known to our fellow men but God
knoWeth altogether, every secret thought and deed
is open TO him. We also readily forget our own aud
others doods but not with God for he shall bring
every work unto Judgment with every secret thing"
H. That God resembles US in his relations. Men
say it would not be right for to treat follow
is based tho aacy that Gods relations to
the as our relations tothem. We have however,
in human relations, partial representation Of the
Dolty's relation to us, in tho relation which
the public magistrate holds toward criminal.
II would be very wicked for man in his pri-
yate capacity to hang another, but Us the officer
of the law 1t would be right for him TO do IT, SO We
that "a acting private citizen in his pri-
VRte capacity is one thngi acting ss public mags-
trate and under oath of ONCE he is another" Now,
then, God is the sovereign of all worlds, the chief
magistrate OF the universe; yea, more, he Is unde
oath Of office 10 execute tho high trust with impartial
justice, "and since, whom he entered 1t, he could
swear by no greater, he sWaro by himself"
III. Selecting some department of the divine ma.
ture we commit the fatal error OF supposng that God
exists entire m that single department. Thus some
seiling upon the divine Justice make God an ineIora
BILE tyrant; Others by taking ~ mpathy or mercy rem
der him the victim of his feelings or transient emo
tions. DIR. Hubert elaboTates this point with grea
hllness, porspicacity and power. His distinction be
tween sympathy and bsnevolenee is tho cloarest W,
have seen, and we must be content with this single
extract "we can we'll Imagine that Baron LArey
Napoleon's favorite surgeon, who in tho course o.
thirty hours alter the battle Of Waterloo amputated
upward Of thirteen hundred limbs, when the knife, al
he tells us, fell from his hand because the weary mus
eles could maintain their grasp upon II no longer,
say, We can well imagine that this surgeon was man
Of deepest sympathy, but where was his sympathy m
handling the knifei 1t was not oItrpated but II
oyerborne suppressed kept In suhordination and
allegiance BsneVolsnce, not sympathy, asserted do
mlnion in his heroic soul IN that hour Of human wall
ing and guided every movement Of his skilful hand
The sermon Is one Of great WORTH aud timely in view
the prevalence Of an enevated theology