Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-07-02


WAIEKvILLE, July l.
Rev. G. B. ID. Pepper delivered, today.
the Baccalesureate sermon before the grad
yates Of Colby University at the Baptist
church He chose for his text LIST Cor.
Sd chap. 2lst verse; For all Things are
Yours
All normal developement is in these words
recognized as according IN the gospel. This
furnishes Us theme. The Friendship If the
old faith with the new age. We boast Of our
modern civilization, as well We may But the
question has been raised, is it at one, or al
war with the the teachine-rhe life of the
Bible? Contradictory answers are given to.
this question. Ii is important and should be
easy to get the true answer We may deter
mine by comparing certain determining char
acteristics of our civilization with the sum
Of revelation. This comparison will show,
first that they both have the same root
Drincipal-supreme love of truth. No pre-
scrip,ive or proscriptive authority is recog-
nized or respected whether in State, church
or social life, The only authority is that Of
evidence. Reason rests when it has under
its foundation known trdth.
II-Modern civilization and revelation
have the same mothod-the inductive
method-the determination of faiths by fact
the arrival at truth by the accurate and com
plete study of phenomina. Not till both i'm
agination and prior reasoning gave way to
careful and scientific explanation of
phenomina was start made in our modern
progress. The supremacy of a solitary fact
over cart-loads and even continents of rea-
sonings and closet 81 eculations was and is
conceded. The Bible is as clear and com
plete on this as are the best text books in
physics, aesthetics, metaphysics, all science
at this day. The very structure of scripture
both in the old and new testiments shows
this.
III-Our civilization and scripture agree
n both doctrine and exemplication of prog
ress. The great word of this day aud time is
development and evolution, this, too is the
great thing. The universe is a becoming.
Geology proves it, astronomy confirms the
proof history has the same word to say.
This evolution is the universal fact of the
past and this universal fact is the base of
hope fo- the future, 1t appears in the OBJ
jects of knowledge and in the knowledge OF
objects Is the ''old book" against this?
Nay, il is more complete than science for
this. The march of God from Chaos to
W in, tha al = In; "A
in the first chapter of Genesis. His onward
march in human history is the burden of
revelation from its first to its last word
History, doctrine and predictions, ali con-
spire to show it.
w. Revolution shares the assurances of
of civilization that we are Ultimately to come
to worthy good Resolution, as nourished
and lead by science, points on to unity. har
mony and absoluteness in life. Scripture
does the same and in its spirit and words
gives at once the ultimate ground of hope
and the sufficient reason for faith. Gentle
men of the class of 'S3, yours it is to put
yourself in line with the age in which you
live. You will do this best and most by sat
urating your whole being with the spirit of
the old but ever new book.
At $50 o'clock in the evening, Rev Geo.
Il. Boardman, ID. d., of Philadelphia, de :
livered an interesting sermon before the
Bosrdman Missionary Society. The local
attendance is large. bu, few of the alumni
have yet arrived. The indications are that
the most important feature of commence
ment week will Be the action of the trustees
on matters not yet made public.