The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1879-07-04
COM MENCEMEyT...fS1e.

calaurcate Sermon by the president. A
|cold, drilling rain had fallen all the
morning, and the attendance was small A
Rev. Truman NJ. Post, ID. d., invokedl
the blessing, read the third chapter OF
Philippians and offered prayer. Revl
DR.. Hubert delivered the address upon
the subject of "Christian knowledge, y
taking for his text Philippians 3:7, "But
what things were gain to me, those ]
counted loss for Christ. Yea, doubtless,
and count all things but loss for the
excellency OF the knowledge of Christ
Jesus, my Lord" We subjoin an
ABSTRACT OF THE SERMON:
Let us consider the superex ccllence
of Christian knowledge. This is seen
in its nature, its object and its effect.
First in its nature -what is it!
/. 1t is in its preliminary form what
we commonly understand by knowl-
edge, an intellectual apprehension OF
truth. Our first relation to truth is a
cognition of it. In this case ii is right
intellectual or brain relation TO the
truth of the Bible. Here we have a
series of divine facts which in their uni
ty enunciatc the principles of a divine
science. We call these principles dis
scminated doctrines. In biblical history
they are both supernaturally taught and
concretely illustrated. The body Of
Gods people have carried in them i'll
their experience and with them in their
archives a body of divinity. To get
rid of the truth of revelation would re-
quire the suppression of facts that UNI
derlie and pervade the history of this
peculiar people on the earth for peri
cd of forty centurics,-a thing rs i'm
possible of accomplishment as the re-
moval of the Gult-Strcam from the At
lantic. All things, facts or truths OF
Revelations are to be studied just as
much as the facts and truths of natural
science. They assert claim upon
every mans intelligence and insist up
on their altenable right to be intel
lectually examined, tested and received.
Here in the Bible is truth concerning
God; concerning Christ and the Holy
Ghost; concerning man, the church, its
destiny. On these subjects there is in
the Bible vast amount of truth, which
every man who has brain is intellect
ually,to study and receive just as any sort
of knowledge is to be. Observe that
such mental knowledge abounds The
first man you meet, though not a Christ
ian has in mind vast amount of excel
lent knowledge for the want of which
millions arc perishing i'll sin. Going him
self among the pagans he might, by i'm
parting truth which is imperative in his
own heart save some thousands. Such is
the superexcelencc of the knowledge of
Christ Jesus when it docs no more than
engage and pour light into the human
understanding.
2. But the knowledge of which the
apostle speaks, while including this il
Elimination, is yet an exceeding advance
upon it. Thosewho accepted the truth
of Christianity in the form now consd-
cred, are Christians in opinion; but this
is not enough. Christian knowledge is
more than mental acceptance OF truth :;
more than opinion, culture, polity.
Often the assent of the understanding
is obtained while the heart remains UNI
affected. The kind of knowledge of
which speak is acquired by no method
of the schools, by no ordinary process
of learning. 1t is made ours in way
as extraordinary as thc,facts of biblical
history arc unparalleled and astound-
ing. Here the offence of the cross is the
greatest. "The natural man receiveth
, not the things of the spirit of God: for
they are foolishncss unto him." Were
we unfallen beings this would not be
, the case; but as man is in his apostasy
the most important inlets of knowl-
edge to the soul are closed. The entire
GOd-ward side of his nature is in par
alytic condition. The light that is in
him is darkness. lie is alionated from
the light of God through the ignorance
, that is in him. The Gospel is hid to
them that are lost; in whom the God of
| hi hot l. q
them that believe not. This suggests
, the nature of the difficulty which our
! Lord encountered in his controversy
t with the Jews. His light fell into blind
eyes. To them was not given to I'M
, derstand the mysteries of the kingdom
of heaven. Question arises What is
the cause of this paralytic condition of
, the God-ward side of the natural man !
Not constitutional infirmity, aud there
/ fore inevitable; but wholly moral de-
flciency, and therefore voluntary and
sinful. What blinded the minds of the
Jews, what blinds the minds of men in
all time and every cline is sin-free
sin. The specific form it takes in its
[ binding work is disobedicncc, II is
: stated by our Lord in the pregnant ut
! terancc: IF any man wills (theIc) TO
, do the will of God he shall know of the
, doctrine" That is, an obcdient heart is
the organ OF spiritual knowledge. If
, such heart exists not the man Stun
bles in darkness, We sec the difficulty
| of those who attempt TO teach cvangc-
lical religion to persons whose hearts
are hostile TO ii. The preposterous de-
mand is made that the peculiar truths OF
the Christian system be explained TO
men living in disobcdicnce. eve
have" they say, "a very extended
knowledge of biblical truth already. a
knowledge acquired in an exercise of
our cognitive powers, and we ask that
the biblical doctrines be so explained TO
us that these same powers may have ali
the difficulties removed without our
having it." This cannot be. Ii intro
verts the order of the souls action. To
a person in that state religion witbholds
its secret. Our Lord was a GOOD.
teacher, but he could not teach his doc
trines TOT the Jews. Neither can the
modern preacher make them clear to
those who repel them. While our first
relation TO truth is the cognition of it,
and while the cognitivc powers arr
never set aside but always kept at work
yet we need to know that the copnitive
|
the most important inlets of knowledge
to the soul There arc other entrances
innumerable. The conscience, the emo.
tons, the will, faith, Imagination, love.
obedience, devotion, are all as really in
lets of knowledge as thought itself. Be-
lief is the ground of reason. ain the
last resort" says Sir. VIM. Hamilton,
I'VE must, perforce, philosophically
admit that belief is tho nrimo,.,, oo,1;
ton of reason, and pot reason the ulti-
mate ground of belief. We are com
PEELED to surrender the proud "I,,teHi0e
ut credaS" of Abelard TO content orr
selves with the humble "crede nj IN
fettigds" of Anselm. Modern science
now agrees that the original inlcts of
knowledge are innumerable. In reli- |
gion, in morals, in our daily business in
inc care OF our lives, in the exercises OF
our senses, the rules that guide our
PRACTICES cannot he rnlncnd 70 ,...;..a: