The Indianapolis journal., 1885-06-08

PRESIDENT Tuttle's Baccalaureate Sermon
The Address to the Senior Glass.
s,.c,.l to the Indianapolis Journss.


CRAwFoRDsvnLElJ June ITO day is consid-
sred as important to- the visiting Alumni and
students as the day when the senior class gradu-
atas and bids adeu to Wabash College. To not
hear the baccalaureate sermon is to miss nalf
the enioymen; of the commencement season.
The president j. f. Tuttle, ID. D., delivered one
of his best ba,;calaureates this morning before a
large and atter tive audience at Certer Church.
The auditorium was beautified with plants and
flowers, and the music was prepared for the
occasion. The members of the junior class
acted as ushers. The following is an abstract of
the presidents sermon. and the address to the
senior class in full at the close of the sermon:
The text was the eighth Psalm The aim of
the speaker was to examine the Psalm, in order.
TO celebrate the praises of God. especially as IL
lustrated In man, the noblest of his creatures
This noble poem is pre- -eminently joyous Its
opening verse is like the glad expression of a
child: 20. Lord. our, Lord, how excellent is
thy name in ali the earth! Who hast set thy
glory above the heavens" And this is so mani
fest that even ''babes and sucklings" can
not refrain M from perfecting Gods
are two First, because of Gods
work in his inanimate creation The speaker
dwelt at length on this part of his subject, es-
pecially on the glory Of the heavens, the moon
and the stars. David did not attempt to write a
scientific treatise on astronomy but with
kindled emotion he lifts his eyes and exclaims,
when consider thy heavens, the work OF Thy
fingers, the moon and the stars which Thou hast
ordained, what is manl" He does not refer to
the sun, because he is pursuing his meditation at
night The fierce splendors of the day have been
toned down into the delightful but enraptur-
ing glories of the night. To David the sky at
night was a sphere of exquisite beauty, and the
moon and stars glorious but mys-
terious objects in it. How mag
nifed these objects seem when viewed
through the telescope. David's view of Gods
glory as displayed in his inanimate works is
quite ecipsed by his view of Gods animate
creation. The noblest of this is The
speaker contrasted man with the material crea
ton, and illustrated his superiority. In the
first place, man consider: He has the power
of reason. In the next place. the great answer of
the catechsm is only true of man. He is in
vested with the solemn glories of free moral
agency. He uses the word "oueht," and he is
responsible for his choices. He is capable of be
ing "a child of God.' "a child of the davil."
With such endowments man is greater than any
part or all the material universe. Add to this the
fact that God has made man to have dominion
over the works of His hand, He has put all things
under his feet and we have a new illustration
of the dignity of man. But, greater than this is
the capacity of man for goodness in which he
may exercise himself and also help others to the
same glorious attainment. In this he is capable
of becoming like Christ, the Son of God and the
Re6eemer of the world. AS ruler, having do,
minion over the realms of nature, man is great;
but in the subjugation of himself and others to
the easy yoke of goodness. the dominion of love-
he is glorious. Andin this way has God crowned
him with glory and honor--a coronation of man
as the son of the King of Kings, who created
the universe And God visits man as a
king visits king. He treats him
with the partiality bestowed His
royal son. o, glorious and honored creature!
The psalmist having magniied man by compar-
ing him with the heavens, and the stars. and all
the inanimate creation of God, and also with
Gods animate creatures, closes his magnificent
song with the word he had used in beginning it.
20 Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name
In all the earth!
The president having requested the young
men of the senior class to rise, he addressed
them in these words
Gentlemen of the Senior Class-The baccalau-
reate sermon to which you have been listening
explains the true meaning of the honor you are
to receive from this college That honor does
not chiefly consist in the years yon have been
studying. 1t is possible to spend all these years
without deserving TO be graduated Nor yet,
does it consist in the material on which your di
plomas printed, nor in the signature re-
quired to authenticate them. A perfect diploma
on the best parchment, and the required auto
graph subscribed. may not tell the full story of
q mans worth No, not by great deal. The
diplomas you are to receive must derive their
chief value from the joint action of those who
confer them and of those who receive them.
You who receive them must indorse the parch-
ments we bestow in the name of the college by
genuine worthlness of your own. Be in your own
character and attanments worthy this honor,
then you honor your alma mater as much as
she honors you. ! have been trying to impress
on you Gods estimate Of a true man. He lis
of infinitely greater dignity than any ma
terial objsct all material objects combined,
But one man differs from another as one star
from another The earth is mere speck
compared with the sun. Comparing men by the
standard of character, the humblest good man
is grander than the most gifted ba3 man. And
even one true man may IL some respects be
vastly inferior to another equally true man be-
cause his moral excelencies are associated with
the loftiest genius. The hero of the 'Cotters
Saturday Night no doubt as pure as DR..
Chalmers, but in the sanctiied and educated
genius of the latter We're the destinies of the
Free Church of Scotland and of philanthropies
affecting millions III Great Britain and India.
Other things being equal, education adds i'm
mense power to goodness 1t is great thing to
have the human faculties educated and subordi-
mated to good heart. Any good man is great
in the esteem of God. Young men, my. chief
desire is that you aspire after this attainable
greatness, and that your ambition also take the
loftier fight of educating all your powers so as
TO enlarge the reach and activity of your good
ness. That work has been begun here. You
have beea learning how to think In that noble
art you are beginners, and trust you will not be
through as long as you live. Back of this ask
you TO place the answers to the prayer you have
so often heard. Create within me a clean
heart, o God And let our Lords beatitude,
BLESSED are the pure in heart" permeate your
hearts your emotions, your volitions, and all
your thoughts. 1t is high ideal. Do not say
lit is so high that We cannot reach
unto it.p Strive to be pure in heart
and out of this pure heart shall
flow pure and grand lives. These shall make
the wildernesses to rejoice and the desert to
bloom Blessed is the man whose strength
is in God, who passing through the valley of
weeping makes it place of springs" In this
way young men, urge you to be ambitious to
deserve the partial consideration Of God your
heavenly Father Remember that. if you be
true and good men, Jehovah crowns you as his
sons, and sets you in honor above the heavens
and the glorious orbs that adorn them. 1t shall
be true of you. attaining such a character