New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-06-30
PRESIDENT CARTER AT WILLIAMS.

A DISCOURSE on THE PURPOSE OF THE CREATION.
WILLIAMsTowN, Mass, June % resident
Garter preached the bacoalaureae sermon as Williams
College to-day from the text know that N'dtsoever
God dOeth It shall be forever; nothing can be put to
nor ANYTHING taken from it, and God doeth II that men
should fear before him" lEccIesiastes, iii. III lie
,ad OF the relation OF u the divine order Of the
universe This text does the eternity OF mat
ter The meaning Is rather that whatever God does is
20 perfect as part OF eternal plan; and that tax
lng the world know T. and rs ln;!udlng man
moral nature and relative to that lie doetn 1t al
that men should fear before Him" But If evolution he
The method OF Gods creation and man be IT. highest
known product this sphere II is By no means certain
mat IN other spheres God may not have created higher
nteIigences that study and comprehend abd enjoy
bis works, and thus be higher huAi cause THAN man. Il
God has ere by successive fats II the unity OF nature
Is unity of thought, rather than of progressive eA
mansion OF evolution. then all the same We limit Gods
creation and claim by posting man as the hna cause
that these vast systems have no relations 10 beings
higher than man, that the mege OF God can be- or ~
Least rssip,partei to derived ateigoncee IN no higher
degree than II exists In What wise man can believe
,hsl scripture implies and distinctly teaches reason
suggests and plainly foreshadows higher type o. oenS'
than We are OF become. lie mtimauo1' are many
that though we crowned with glory ana honor tn'
~ haipg whose services can 10 worth more IL Woli
Of intelligence. than ours.
{" But even If IS not the maj cause OF "ouS
,a,ion Il there not sense in which II may he true
that whatsoever God doeth He doeth 1t that man may
I'll Moral excellence may and indeed must exist In
h,nrs higher than man. and they too may dcfuI "a
@ -,ra excellence from The contemplation D. III
La rfectiops As expressed In Gods creations; bnt
certainly OF nne enough to see Gods perfection bat
diniy that he learned fear awe ana "orsP rom ,u3
certSin sense we affirm Of mathematical tnt. VA j.
forever 4 would be absurd 20 STn ..', And ,nifs
thnsS; ~ ybcb Cod works are everlasting and uni
,nenffestatOn OF mathematician u uIH' AZ - o1 '
ner there are finite things the same mathematics
-iinIes must hold a. govern our system Tor te us
teiieVer in Sod there may be worm WIei ~ CT
,,,aTc i've but for the thelst such Woru ~ IA
s,0 and two make four on this planet, ana ~ So, anu
A. every irresOlvable nebula and Wllnln ,. 20, ~
Heaven The unit OF personal lntelnse genet - ~. -. 80
,nrersal measurement and II i a. lupossDie t''s '
shoud he excluded from Gods works ~ ron NJ , WI
Nor can believe that ny any tbat Knows
a. nv apv re versal OF conditions any nlht tai t
things can know them acc0rdlht 10 any O'"'4 -" ''
The fa@gi that the mathematical enactments IN
craven merely on the snns ara resoos MOI OF an
stones and granite DUST arr i"o baT s,e not also
-1i,~arv will but eternal reason Ltl 80 NJ
go .. whom he has gwen ana freed0nl IN Iay
o., dovyn laws aud ends Tor tnOst llau' III "Ia ~ -
feasoh tnn ga b snnremei We may then dismiss the
sy when reason ana freedom first appeared Oh tnl'
{lanet "a inchoafe Ne NAV dismiss the lded tnd
the Conscience Of the prmeVal inan o sIpreine ni
t snerior something only tht improving hstin 81 =
afIre slowly erecting itself above the ooze AM l o
,i,ahe gravity There il no lalf-way mouse 3
neccssifg and freedom. No chemistry no COM nv
- scfence can transform Instinct INTO COZ
tnce There h no work OF Gods III Nhcn "a" uo
, ,rsar from the outset reguant ana sutrei'e i
sosrnical vapor winch Is not stamped tn ~ 49,, ~ IL
,lss. no sentient organism that dOeshoV nv r
a,nted end; 10 that Is not at once aIlu ,rs
yitbiu the encircling DOMAIN Oh suOlue h, me com
Win " NAV waive the question as TO Wheh ne CON-
enSments were formulated and promu gatSoi ~ ba
limit 10 the during Wilivn naIi
an.non tbe earth; may wait 20 letsn s7
of Gods creation; but II II evtn existed al the
I az man unless rational and free ana Geee 10
mrs. Ist as ral natures and Just as contrary u l'a' =,
WIN h,r \. moral being and not CONSCIOUSLY
soi con- me sway of a perfect moral Law.