The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1885-06-11
rHs nAOOALAUREArE SERMON.

THE BACCALAUREATE SERMON.
The auditorium and Sunday school |
room of the First n. E. church were
filed to their utmost capacity Sunday
by citizens and students. The bacca-
laureate sermon was preached by Rev.
W. Il. George Of Topeka. pastor OF the
First Presbyterian church of that place.
His sermon was q carefully prepared
study from the scripture according to
st. Luke, the 9th chapter, 18th, 18th,
10Th and 10Th verses, which read as fol-
lows:
And when II was day He called unto
Him His disciples, and of them He
chose twelve whom he named apostles.
Simon (whom He also named Peter,
and Andrew, his brother. James and
John, Philip and Bartholomew.
Matthew and Thomas, james the son
of AIpheus, and Simon called ZelOtes,
And Judas, the brother OF james, and
Judas Iscariot, who also was the traitor.
The text, said Rev. George, contains
the names of the original students in at
tendance upon the first distinctively
Christian school. In point Of time 1t
goes back to "early days. which &C
counts for the fragmentary record we
are to consider. There were no build
ings, no appropriations, no curriculum.
Neither Rome nor Judea, neither the
Caesars uer Herods favored the project
The school was decidedly unpopular. 1t
was Q genuine peripatetIc institution,
with each hill desk and every growing
thing an illustration. Nature was full
of object lessons and each stone was 8
sermon.
Nothing was required of the students
and no accommodations furnished
They paid no tuition, they received no
bedding. The Master is known to have
said: ''The foxes have holes, the birds Of
the air nests, but the Son Of Man (and
implicitly the disciples) hath not where
to lay his head" No books were stud
led; the master himself was the epite-
mized wisdom OF the ages. They stud
led nature, human and divine. and gave
the most astonishing proofs of their re-
lationship to this institution.
All evangelists agree in making Peter
the leader of the first four. Philip the
second and James the son of Alpheus
the third. All place Judas last, as
though he was always put as far away
from the teacher as possible. desire,
said the speaker, to draw few lessons
from the school of which have been
speaking.
Fret, The Lord Jesus can use any,
body. From the stand point OF
Rome this whole body of men
was Insignificant. Collecting taxes and
dispensing medicines we're the highest
cal.Ings, and taxation then had not the
dignity of the receiver of our day. nor
peddling drugs the character of ocr orig
inaI horseback riders and saddlebags.
Il The twelve were not chosen because
of their education. The master choose
the loWly because the educated and rich
refused to be chosen. Whitfield began
life as a hotel waiter, Livingston
as the son of a weaver. The three great.
were blind Prescott, the historian.
never saw Mexican landscape. These
and vast list of unheralded names are
supplementary to the twelve. This If
the succession that is worthy of success
Second, the Lord Jesus can use every
body. There were no two alike. Among
them were fiery dispositions, red hot
natures that boiled and scintillated AND
flashed like q sky rocket. Then there
were more quiet and thoughtful disposi
tons There was skeptlcal men whose
disbelief put TO shame the increduality
of the moderns. John was a pertec
woman in intuition and without thu
trouble of reasoning, could leap at con
illusions and do it successfully. jane
could dash like Sheridan.
Third, The ideal co-partnershlp-
Simon Peter and Andrew Peter, james
Zebedee and John Zebedee, James th'
Less and Thaddeus were q trio OF broth
ers. Philip and Nathaniel went together
. so did Peter and John, also Andrew anC
. James. Each drew closely TO that on
: who was the compliment of himself
, That is ideal copartnership. Peter tn
: first of the list had q wife. The rac'
E was started on this principle. The deci
3 pies adopted the principle. alt is no
i good for man to be alone"
. At home the elder brother is a sort o
D MINOR deity, the older sister princess
. The graduate of a family is sort o
P. oracle to be read and consulted by ever,
4 one. You will notice, said the speaker
: that they went to work by twos. A
3 they were selected they we've each tn
complement of the other. WheI
= coupled together one could act a
4 a check to the dashing and hastY ant
: the other spur to the lazy. God mad
r the arrangement OF companionship, au'
gave the command, "Be faithful ant
multiply" Mr.. George advised tn
{ members of the class to seek out thei
own compliments, saying that the.
= would be able to do then what the.
i could never do alone.
The Master calls for past experiences
He began where John LETT on. His ser
wants will always find an opportunity u
use what they have learned. When Pau
was ON Mars hill he might have swayeC
the GrecIan agonistics by an appeal T.
sentiment. On his right hand wert
the honey glades of Hymettus, on hi
left the white marble quarries of Pente-
items. before him the AcropolIs, covered
with schrines to Baccus, EsculaPiul
and Venus. On the top of the hill thu
temple OF wIngless victory, and covering
the summit of the acropolIs the fame
OF Minerva, surmounted with the col
losal bronze statue OF the goddess look
ing down upon the friendless apostle
Paul passed them by and used his pas
experiences. HIS birthplace, HIS He
brew training, all he knew of Greek anC