The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1888-05-25

NJ. Carter, and an anthem, "Is Deum
LautidmuS," was sung by the Congrega-
tional choir, Miss Nellie Burt playing
the accompaniment.
Rev. +. q. Holman was then intro
duced, and spoke for fifty minutes. de
took for his text the I'D, Sd and 2lth
verses of chapter l, first Epistle to the
Corinthians, which read as follows:
"For the Jews require a sign, and the |
Greeks seek after wisdom: but We preach |
Christ crucitied, unto the Jews q STUN
bling block, and unto the Greeks foolish-
ness; but unto them which are called,
both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power |
of God, and the wisdom OF God"
He explained that at the time Of Paul
two kinds of religion were wanted-one |
with a sign or material manifestation, by
the Jews, and one with philosophy, by
the Greeks. There are many to-day
and probably some in this audience who
want either one or the other kind. This
brings out the various eXtrayagant types
of religion. Some of YOU want to be laid
out by an epileptic tit occasionally as
sign. You want to see some miracle.
Paul turned to the Jews and said I'VE
preach Il crucifed Christ, the sign OF our
religion"
The Greeks wanted philosopy in
their religion, and through all the ages
man has been trying to obtain mathe-
NAUTICAL demonstration of God. GOD Is
bigger than the mind, and you can new
er apprehend Him through the syllogism.
You can demonstrate Him, however,
not through the eye Of philosophy put
through the soul. The Greeks had lost
their gods and wanted something to take
the place of them. There are great
lusnr Nn-Hav this
Western country. The Jews wanted q
God who should be constant nantes
tation of power, and the same kind of
people now will not believe the accepted
religion. The Greeks and their de-
scendants want a rational" religion.
The speaker gave a magnificent word
picture of storm on Genesereth, as an
| illustration of Gods power as the Jews
wanted it manifested. Many people
now don't believe in that kind Of power.
| Take another scene. A feast was in
progress, and a sinful woman steals in
and drops ointment on the feet of the
Lord. She weeps and wipes the feet of
| the Lord with her tresses, holy love hav-
ing taken possession of her. The Lord
makes her soul as white as snow, saying
go thy way, thy sins are forgiven"
That is the power of God we teach.
Paul turns to the Greeks and says
lyon want a philosophy in God: If you
will accept it We have a philosophy.
What is MANI" That is the great prob
lem of philosophy that has engaged the
attention of wise men fol ages. what
is the worId?" That is the philosophy
of God. Philosophy and science say
they don't know anything about the
world. Turn to Christ and He tells you
all about tit is the direct result of the
activity of God. When you look down
into the great white calyx of lily YOU
are looking the work Of God. Not
sparrow falls without Gods Willie
does not merely sit off and watch it fall.
If YOU listen to Christ He will teach you
the philosophy of this world. What is
life ? What is its significance Huxley
tells you man is little developed tad
pole; does that satisfy you? 60 to my
testament, and here the Master tells me
how to find out what man is. He tells
us we are Sons of God, not mere bits OF
slime shaped into some form. The phil
osophy of the future will be built on the
teachings of Christ. We teach not pow
er, but we have Christ of power. We
teach not philosophy, but we have q
philosophy of Christ.
Addressing himself more closely to the
graduating class, the speaker said they
were going out into profession exceed
Ingly difficult and responsible; they
would meet the deepest problems of re-
ligion; they would be Interpreters OF
these problems and of life. They were
not warehouses that give knowledge in
chunks to the pupil-they were interpre:
tiers. If there is no future for the soul
they would teach the pupil to care fol
the present only. Teach him that to be
; a man Is more than to be millionaire,
and that to be true to himself and to his
God is more than to hold a sceptre. Will
you teach him the doctrine of everlast-
ing destruction; or that he is surround
ed by great Mystery, and that his Faith
er is everywhere present and that by
self-denial and suffering he may inherit
the great kingdom of heaven? You will
interpret history. Have you gone out
and seen all the gigantic struggles fol-
) liberty and truth for all the ages2 What
means human history? Will you
teach your pupils that the
strife of the ages has been that one man
NAV tear the coat from the shoulders OF
> his neighbor and put it on his own-that
it is a mere selfish series of struggles OF
scrambiing ape forms? Or will you teach
them that the finger Of Providence can
be traced throughout history and all the
struggles of the past, and that it all leads
up to a central accomplishment? For
eighteen hundred years the name OF
Christ has been the most potent name
in all civilization. A wooden cross, an
empty tomb, and an outcast Jew are the
foundation of this immense potency.
What Is 1t that has enveloped these
with such wondrous charm2 If you
can answer this question you can an
swer the question of all life. Take Jesus
Christ as your main principle. The
world is plaustic, especially here in the
Northwest. Only as you study the life
and achievements of Christ can you
rightly interpret the problem of life. If
You follow His footsteps men and women
will call you blessed and some will come
after you who will drop tear and say
that you lived for something. Yours is
a noble profession. Some Of the grand
est people of earth, nay the grandest,
have followed the same profession.
Mr.. Holman enddd with q short
prayer. During the latter portion of his
remarks to the graduates the latter
arose and remained standing.
An anthem, "SdLtItanets," was sung by
the Presbyterian choir, with Miss Kate
| Robb as accompanied.
The audience was dismissed with
benediction pronounced by Rev. Mr..
Holman