The Portland daily press., 1879-07-07
BOWDOIN COLLEGE.
Opening Exercises of Commence
ment Week.
Sermons by Prof. Sewall and President
Chamberlain.

week opened with sermon before the Bow
dom Praying Circle this morning by Prof.
John E. Sewall of Bangor Theological Semin-
ary The text was from Acts 3:6-"Then
Peter said silver and gold have 1 none, but
such as have give thee. In the name of
Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk
The lame beggar crouching at the beautiful
gate of the temple, heard and obeyed and was
instantly cured. Neglected by the state and
overlooked by society, at last Christianity laid
hold of him and did for him what neither state
nor society could do-restored his lost manhood
and gave him health of body and SOUL We
may take this as a sample of the work of Chris
tianity. The damaged and degraded of the
race lie at every Gate Beautiful that opens up
on the highway of human life. Compare the
three forces that are at work upon the prob
Christianity, society and the state-and
see what they severally accomplish:
LIST. Their conception of the case is differ
ent. In this cripple the state sees only frag-
ment of the body polite, not likely to be dan
gerous but still to be watched. Society sees
an evil to be remedied by the best and cheap
est scientific method of philanthrophy, Chris
tianity sees not only a subject to be relieved,
but soul to be saved.
End. Their motives of action with regard to
the case are different. The state only aims to
protect and preserve the common welfare.
Society aims not only to protect but develope
its interest. Christianity aims not only to help
the needy but to develope character.
Sd. In the operations of these three agen-
cles, very different means are employed. The
state is personifed authority. Law and force
are necessary to accomplish its ends. Society
builds up the community by its wealth, by art
and education, by the appliances of culture.
Christianity has no occasion to use law or
force. While her main instrumentalities are
divine she endeavors to utilize and sanctify
the various agencies that are in operation
around her.
4th The results are different The state
has all it can do, sometimes more than it can
do, in preserving public order All the state
can hope to do is to keep public order and give
honesty and industry a fair chance. Society
attempts more. 1t works for the present life
Christianity works in the higher plane. The
external signs of her work are churches, chap
els, Sabbath schools, mission schools and
Christian colleges, indefatigable preachers,
missionaries, bible readers at home and abroad,
great streams of benevolence, and mighty hosts
of the reformed and redeemed. But her Pc
culiar and special creations are in the soul.
She brings to bear on that the special motives
OF religion, and rouses to penitence and hope.
Culture and art can build the Beautiful Gate,
Christianity can lift that poor damaged soul
into soundness and manhood and make him a
liking and priest unto God.'
BACCALAUREATE ADDRESS.
The baccalaureate address was delivered by
President Chamberlain, in the Congregational
church at p. M, from the text ga mans life
consistent not in the abundance of the things
which he posseseth." Luke -, 49, The sub
mot &c fI,af &c nIo
called the soul of wealth, as distinct from the
body of it.
The object of the discourse was to show that
while we have close and necessary relation
to material possessions, these are intended only
as means and instrumentalities to subserve the
nobler ends of man. Dominion over nature
was not given him to make him the supreme
beast on earth, but to enable him by right
mastery and use to rise above the beast and
bring out his likeness to the divine
The.promse of material blessings held out SO
constantly in the Old Testament was explained
as belonging to the necessary conditions in the
case. This was spoken to people who were to
be lifted out of poor, enslaved, deadened
state, to a life of spiritual excellence.
This was a motive within their reach and
comprehension. 1t was natural to set before
such people such goal. But there was con-
stantly in them, as in man generally, a tenden-
cy to rest in these material goods, and the mere
requirement and enjoyment of them the sole
end of life. This disposition was what Christ
so sharply rebuked. And the rebuke is still
needed Much of the teaching in Political
Economy carries the inference or implication
that the mere production and possession of
wealth is the great goal of human endeavor.
The maxims which are at the bottom of these
theories are either false or strained beyond
their just application. Such as that the So
called law of parsimony, "Get the most, and
give the least is the way to prosperity: which
is true as applied to dealings with certain IMAM
innate things, but hardly holds good with refer
ence even to our dealings with the earth itself.
Still less is it true when applied to our dealings
with men. Another soul-destroying maxim is
that competition must settle wages that the
able and strong have no responsibility for the
condition of the poor and weak, that men and
women are to be turned loose to bid against
each other for low wages, and that nobody is
to blame if they are crushed below starvation
point except God who has made them The
maxims OF free trade represent also distorted
view, as If trade We're the only thing to be free.
Most men have no commodities to exchange in
trade. They have only their labor. Freedom
TO labor, is what they want, and not merely
freedom OF trade, so that they can make the
best use OF their abilities and aptitudes.
There is a false civilization growing out of |
these tendencies and teachings, which regards
material wealth and the sordid enjoyment of
1T as the aim of society and the goal of history,
Christianity rebukes such civilization. 1t |
makes material goods not ends but means,
makes them ministers to spiritual excellence.
1t puts man at his best, even in the economic |
sense; gives him the best results of his tolls |
and trials, his doings and sufferings
Addressing the graduating class the Presi- |
dent referred to the practical bearing of the |
studies of the College course, and enforced up |
on them the teaching that an unselfish life is |
not incompatible with an earnest life. He ex- |
horted them to be Jealous in all good works, |
but not to measure success solely by immediate |
returns. Do your best in what you undertake, |
whether you get your pay or not. Give of |
your best, though you receive no present
reward nor recognition. Seek earthly gains
not merely to receive earthly enjoyments, but
70 confer blessings. on others, that you may
have treasure in heaven.