Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-06-29

EIGR1Y.FOURTH COMMENCE WENT
OF THE UNIVERSITY.
Opening of the Exercises Sunday-Bac-
calaureate Discourse by President
Buckham-A ddress Before the V.
VI. {. \. by Rev. j. Is. 4 h onas.

though the day was warm ana threatened
rain, very large audience was present,
filing the church to its utmost capacity,
The desk and platform were beautifully
adorned with flowers. A mass of trailing
green covered the front # the pulpit, and
fell gracefully to the lower platform A
handsome pillow OF WHITE flowers rested
in the centre of the green vines, while
streams of white blossoms were festooned
on either side. On the platform and the
stands on either side of the pulpit were
large boquets in vases. President Buck
ham was assisted in the reading of
scripture and opening prayer, by
Rev. Dr. Edward Halves of the
Winooski Avenue Congregational church
Miss Macomber presided at the organ with
her usual fine taste and skill, and the vocal
selections by the Lotus male quartette
were of the very highest order of excel
lence Particularly fine and touching were
the selections, shall we meet beyond the
river and Remember Low thy Creator, y
The club also sang beautiful arrange
ment of the Lords Prayer and Thou wilt
keep Him in perfect peace"
President Buckham's discourse was a
scholarly and profound plea for the claims
of advanced truth in Christian doctrine
and life. The following is an abstract Of
the sermon:
THE BACCALAUREATE SERMON.
have yet many things to say unto you,
but We cannot bear them now. Howbeil
when he, the spirit of truth is come, he
will guide you into all truth ; and he will
snow YOU things to come, He will glorlfy
me for he shall receive of maine and shall
show it unto yOu.-John xvi, l2-l4.
Very significant is our Lords reticence
on this occasion, and the reason for II.
Hp I'D N,
pies, but they could not bear them, and so
they remained unsaid. But more sgni
fcant is the compensation for this silence
Hereafter they should be taught by one
who would withhold nothing from them,
but would guide them INTO all truth.
When, and how, was this promise fulfil
led Not during the 40 days after his
resurrection, though he then talked with
them till their hearts burned within them
for the promise was that not he, but the
Spirit, should be their future teacher and
guide. Was ii in the revelations made by
the Spirit to the church through the Epis-
ties and the Book of the Revelations
In part, no doubt. But what utterances
do we find in these writings so far in ad-
vance of Chrlst's personal teachings that
they would have oppressed and overborne
the minds of the disciples
Have, then, these things, these many
things, which our Lord could not then
say but which he implies should after
ward be sald,-have they ever been said !:
Have they been said to us If 50, what
are the things which the disciples could
not bear but which we have received !!
If we follow our Lords thought through
this discourse, and the prayer which fol
lowed 1t, aud interpret both in the light
which Christian history has shed upon
them, We shall conclude, | think, that he
does not refer 50 much 10 any particular
truths which for their startling or over
whelming import he must keep back, but
rather TO the necessity of limiting his reve
lation to their apprehension, and the pro
vision he had made Tor revealing more
and more truth to them in accordance
periences and needs. 1.-THE Spirit he
SAYS. shall guide you'-and he must
mean you aud all dlsciples-'lnto ali
truth, and shall show you things to
come As believers shall advance in
spiritual life, having more and more en-
Gghtened spiritual understandings, ana
shall enter into new and larger relations
and become conscious OF new wants, the
Spirit shall open before them new and
larger vlstas OF ruth and guide them
therein. And yet not so that there should
ever De any new revelation which should
supersede the Old, any new gospel which
should supplant the old, for this revela-
ton OF the truth by the spirit, though plo
gresslve and fluent, is To be essentially
continuous with, and one with, ali proceed
ing revelation, because from first to last,
II is aud - to De revelation OF Christ
and from Christ.
Our theme, theA, is that, IN the progre~
sive revelation If truth BY Christ through
the Spirit, we have the means of solving
the successive problems of human life.
That God'- Spirit il constant revealer
of truth to men, not only Interpreting aud
unfolding the written revelation, but al %
revealing the mind of Christ in new truth
Is no new doctrine. 1t has in form always
ueen held by the church, and has never
been in express terms DENIED bv any of
the communions or any of the leading
minds OF the church. But by the great
body of the church it has been held feebiy
III comparison with its intrinsic impor
lance, and has at times had due emphasis
only among some of the obscurer secls.
special y since the Protestant Reformt-
ton it has been comparatively under Il
cloud, The advantage of making IN APP
peal to express divine authority against
the traditions and dogmas of corrupt
church. led the retormers to hold up AS
he one only and sufficient revelation of
God TO man that which is contained in the
Book of the Scriptures, and to dispara 5e
III comparison all accessory divine aids in
the search for the truth. This has I'M
doubtedly been the stronghold of PrDtes-
tant Christianity. And the more its posi-
ton has been aSSailed on the one side, by
ecclesiastical tradition and dogma, and on
the more stoutly has it defended Its in
trenchments, until the one characteristic
tenet of Professionalism has become, in
the old phrase, 1.-THE Bible, the whole Bi-
bile, and nothing but the Bible" The
first two terms of this triod no friend of
evangelical religion would dispute-nor
the third, if it mean nothing contrary to
the Bible" But the church of the pres
ent day IL saying, while we prize, no
less than our fathers, the written word of
God, let us enter more fully into the priv
ilege we have in the perpetual presence
anu guidance and inspira ion OF the Spirit
OF God" In this direction, in the hight
of this most precious truth, lie the best
hopes Of Christian progress in the near
future, both in respect to truth and life,
These words of our Lord, 81 have yet
many things to say unto you, but We can
not bear them now are in perfect accord
with the whole tenor of Gods relations
from the beginning. II ought not TO
sHrtle us TO conceive that God spirit
will reveal to the church of the presenr or
the future things which were not made
known to Paul and John. Gods cOmmu
nlcatlOns o men are never made prrna-
turely, but only when the fumes of the
time il co ne, Revelation is uuaVMlug
withOu Wis on, aud no matter ROW grand
and how clear il the revelation in itself