The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1885-05-09
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The Westminster Theological Seminary held
It's second annual commencement this week,
commencing on Sunday and closing on Tues
day night. The Seminary was established in
September, 1882. One graduate emerged
from it last year, and six more this year.
The institution, from a small beginning, bids
fair to crow to large proportions and destined
: toI d great work in preparing candidates for
the ministry. ''The experience of the year,
says Rev. Thomas II. Lewis, principal. in his
report to the Board of governors, made no
/ Tuesday, "fully justifes your expectation that
the institution would prove to be the response
of want on the part of the large proportion
of young men preparing for the ministry,
and adds that the number OF pupils enrolled
in the Seminary exceeds the number OF young
men applying for admission into the timer
ancy in all the conferences contiguous to the
school, thus showing that young men no
longer look for preparation for the work OF
the ministry an the itenerancy, as was the case
heretofore, but they feel the imperative need
of preparation before they enter.
/ The Seminary building erected at
cost of 81, 900, and is nearly free from debt.
The second Sunday of October has been desig
mated as Seminary Day, at which time coilec-
ton vii lbe taken up to aid the institution. The
number of students enrolled this year was %
| 10 from Maryland, from Virginia, 2 from
J. IN
were in the Senior class, in the Junior, 9 in
the Introductory, and attending classes from
Western Maryland College. The institution
has corps of five professors, and every winter
there is in addition to the regular instruction
a course of lectures on special subjects per-
tanning to the ministry.
commencement Exercises.
Commencement exercises were all held in
the Methodist Protestant Church, and opened
on Sunday morning by the annual sermon, by
Rev. Thomas I'll. Lewis, principal of the Sem
mary, before large audience besides the
students. The choir of the church rendered
beautiful voluntary, under the lead of Prof
G. H. Spurrier, Miss Florence Herring organ
list. Prayer was offered by Rev. j. I.
Ward, d. D., of Western Maryland College,
and the usual services of the church were
held. Mr.. Lewis sermon was an able one,
and we'll delivered. We give it below in full:
Personal Purity.
l TIMOTHY, v:22-"Keep Thyself Pure"
In the immediate context Paul exhorts Timothy
to exercise caution, to proceed with deliberation
and impartiality in the administration of his office
a minister of Jesus Christ. And particularly
must he avoid haste in authorizing men TO preach
the gospel, for he who endorses a man becomes
partaker in that mans deeds. be they good or evil
Timothy must therefore beware, lest, sending I'M
holy to his sanction to facilitate their own
sins he come into condemnation as responsible in
part for those SINS Keep thyselfpure by caution,
prudence, wisdom and be free from every entan-
element with wicked men. So much is properto be
said to set before you the obvious meaning OF the
But two things are to be noted. l. The obvious
meaning of a text is not necessarily its full mean
ing and this text has evidently wider application
than is given it here. 1t belongs to all who find
themselves in positions like Timothys and more it
belongs to all in every position. am preaching
before you dear brethren of the Seminary, because
you are Christian men and as Christian men.
know but one gospel. That gospel makes but one
way fife both in doctrine and in morals, for all
whatever the calling, the race, the gifts the cir
cumstances. The solemn injunction addresses it.
self with impressive individuality to every soul
keep thyself pure"-soI humby trust this congre-
cation may receive the message of the hour. Be
cause we are servants-all OF us-let us be holy as
Master is holy. Because we are children-al of
us-let us be perfect as our Master is perfect.
but the significance and inelusivenes of the is
greater than that which is obvious. Nay we would
do violence to the teXtto conne its meaning within
its local Surroundings. We must, know, be faith
full to the Apostles position and present Intention
but we must also be faithful to the Apostles reach
The true and natural expansiveness of every word
of God must not be lost sight of. Keep myself
to guide in his relations with man; but it isas
much larger than all these as the sun is larger than
the light it gives us. 1t is the gospel prin-
sire to discuss before you this morning You, dear
brethren, SO soon to enter upon your holy work. and
you, dear brethren of this Christian congregation
invited to dwell upon the nature, the necessity
and the attainment of personal purity.
1. What is the purity commanded of every man
a. think we are scarcely on debatable ground
when we say that personal purity covers the whole
of life's expression What we do and what we say
ought to be pure. Christianity Sights obliga-
tion-not even the rehnements of the moral philos
opher. Christianity has not repealed nor in any
way deprecated the ten commandments. So far
from this, it establishes the law it finds new mean
ings and applications of it. Itsets watchmen upon
the walls to declare that heaven and earth shall
pass away, but this law of conduct shall never pass
away. So that Christian must say of those seek
ing purity by other systems, Are they true? So
l. Are they honest? So am L Are they just? So
am l. Are they pure? lam more; Whereinsoeyer
Christianity be divorced from morality is
blasphemous If the teachings of Jesus are not pro-
duetive of pure conduct, then they are immoral.
1t is say that Christ died to produce emotion
that the Holy Ghost ministers in us to no further
purpose than to make us know right and feel right
| b. No doubt our enemies have pressed this point
against us because we have not been satisfied with
their standard of purity. 1t is not that Jesus de-
mands too little, but too much that has led to this
flank movement for Christianity goes behind lifes
expression and demands that purity shall cover all
of iie's intention Thou shalt not KILL and more.
thou shalt not hate which is the murderous inten-
| ton. Thou shall not commit adultery, and more,
thou shalt not lust which is the adulterous inten-
! ton. Now, to cover mans intentions is what no
human tribunal can do, for it cannot discover
them. Yet, by SO much as purity omits the inten-
tion it is an imperfect purity and the tribunal an
mpotent one that cannot search it out. This world
furnish the Christian neither with the standard
nor the tribunal of purity. Our calling is of God.
The intention to do wrong brings us into the con-
demnatlon OF consclenee as surrey as the overt act
The absence OF the opportunity Is cause TOR thank
fitness in those who would have been injured, not
! in us who cherished the intention. A famous nov
eiist gives US the worlds standard OF purity In ad
minstering consolation to woman who is stricken
with remorse at the sudden accidental death of
snnnos ss cIergVf9an to saw I'VE mean to do
! wicked things that We never could do, just as we
! mean to do good or clever things that we never
could do. Our thoughts are often worse than we
are Just they are often better than we are, God
sees that you could not have committed the crime"
Whereas our Teacher says, Except your righteous
exceed the Righteousness of those who only
fair weak without, yet within are full of malice
] Il anna -NNhO n
! because they are impotent, but whose hearts are
full of hate, We shall in nowise enter into the king
! dom of heaven"
G. We are called further than this. The Christian
man groans under the burden of feelings passions in
his heart which never shape themselves into inten-
tons and yet are foul, and his ideal of purity lifts
him to the expectation of freedom from these. He
exults in the glorious faith that the blood of Jesus
Christ shall cleanse his heart to the uerOSt and
deliver him from corrupt imaginationS and detling
thoughts and passions well as from evil intentions
| and unrghteous deeds. And so does Christian pur-
ty cover the very pulsations of life well its
! intention and expression Consider my bretheren,
| how sublime conception is thisl We call him
public benefactor who by useful inventions and me-
chanical skill, mutiplies the forces of mans physi
1 cal powers and prevents the waste of energy. We
! count him worthy of public remembrance who
! opens new fields of knowledge and so widens the
and prolongs the vision OF research
| world perfectly new and perfectly sublime con-
ception of personal purity Not action alone as the
intention and not only intention, but the thought,
and passions of the heart are included. Shall we
not say that He along with life and immortality,
| hath also brought purity to light?
II: To describe personal purity as the Christian
understands it. is to argue its necessity its obligation
upon us. True, may rest its obligation upon the
| plain commandment of God. And doubtless we
| should never awake to righteousness, never begin
the pursuit of purity, did not this voice call from
! on high. But to seek purity with this command
| ment upon alone is TO seek to do as slaves what
can only be done by free men. The very slavery is
! impurity. God commands u.s. if we take that alone
we shall never discover that his command is not
grievous. We shall walk in an unlovely path and
! work out our salvation in discouragement If not
despair
And so there is the ground of expediency. Purity
| is the best policy The minister can hold the inu
| ence of splendid talents only by pure life The
eloquence of an Angel, the perseverance and indus
greYious disaster if the man descends even to
| the plain of suspicion. What care for the impress
sive exhortations to purity from him whose breath
| is laden with the Odor of hell? How can his elo-
| quence move me whose truthfulness would not
| trust? And equally in business, in social rela-
TONS We can have nothing but the wild anarchy
and loathsomeness of crime and lust unless we can
persuade men in some degree TO be pure. Butwhat
purity is that which arises from such compelling
leasons? 1t has lost its finest aroma under the
coarse handling of Selfseekng 1t is not by either of
these forces that the world of impurity is
The law Numbered and the symbol blaZed before
| Israel and the end of it was Pharisaism. The i'm
perial power of Rome crysalliZed into legal enact
inents and moral philosophy reached its Hover in
Seneca, and the end of it was Nero
The true necessity of purity is found in man him
self 1t must be lifted before him and his eyes
opened to il ideal before he be well started
brethren, it will be not because some else de-
lcira and net n he Int in