Morning journal and courier., 1885-06-22
BACcALAUREATE SERMON.

Delivered Sunday Morning, June 21s
 1885, at Battel Chapel by President
 Porter of Yale College.
 Tez ad Feter 1st chapter, 5th to sth verses nclu-
 sive)
 Matthew Arnold in his fine essay on Mar GUS Aurelius raised the interesting question whether the Imperial yet gentle Stoic had ever encountered the Christian sect which persecuted during his reign in any such way to understand it's characteristic spirit and aims. He ventures the suggestion that this was impossible. Otherwise, he argues, his attention could not have been arrested by the nobleness of the one, while his heart would have been touched by the gentleness of the other. Were we to suppose Chris tianized Stoic to have met his Emperor he would have expounded his faith in terms not unlike those which we find in the first chapter of this epistle. We might inn agine the Master of the world to have entered a Christian Assembly by night and in dis guiso and to have listened to an exposition of the new faith from a thoughtful believer, perhaps one of he would have heard philosophy of life not unlike that which we find in the chapter whole of it might have fallen from the lips of converted Stoic as with tender gratitude and exultant hope he should expound his new-found secret.
 We call this 8 philosophy of life and yet it is none the less gospel because it is 8 phil osophy. It is full of good news for mans comfort and hope although it overfows with instruction for his guidance. It is none the less philosophy because it is also gospel, stating the old problems which had vexed the earnest thinkers from the beginning and solving them more satisfactorily than was ever done before. It is -eminently prac tical philosophy, recognizing distinctly the fact that the world is reeking with corrup- tion through lust and that delivsrance is promised through the love and gratitude which it's exceeding great and precious promises call forth. This love and gf gfattqds fs imPslS rhs to life pe0a"r brsa aad sketched in it's prominent features of duty and conducted in triumph to its close In these particulars it stands in striking con- trast to the old Stoicism which it first encoun tered and to the new skepticism of modern times, which reject it with disaain.
 To the consideration of this Christian idea of a successful life I ask your attention as ap- propriate to the present occasion.
 First of all, this life is founded upon faith. The direction, Add to your faith virtue, 5 ,or, the revised version has it, ssIn your faith supply virtue does not recognize faith as CO., ordinate with other virtues, but derives from faith the various excellences of character which are named. In naming each and all it presupposes faith as the root from which all proceed. In this sense the Christian ideal of living begins with and presupposes religion or personal trust and love toward Christ as the object of love and confidence. It binds us to him by an act of allegiance in which blended honor and gratitude, love and hope. This peculiarity, in the opinion of some, takes the Christian life out of any kindred with philosphy, while in the judgment of others it gives to it as philosophy an addi- tional and peculiar charm.
 This faith is more than an intellectual assent to speculative truth or an historical fact. It is more than credit to any