St. Paul daily globe., 1889-06-03
Drew Seminary's President
breaches the Baccalaureate
Sermon at Hamline.
Faith in Jesus Christ Alone
Meets the Questions Of
this Age.
Christians Are Rehearsing for.
a Grand Concert in the
Hereafter. /


Drew Theological seminary near New
York, preached the baccalaureate ser
mon at Hamline university yesterday
morning. The announcement of the
event had been well made, and the
speaker was greeted with one of the
largest audiences ever gathered at that
institution. Many of the commence
ment visitors had arrived, and num-
Der of the alumni and old students were
seen in the assembly. The graduating
class occupied seats Immediately in
front of the speaker. Upon the ros-
trum with DR.. Upham were Bishop Fitz-
gerald, DIR. T. A. MuCurdy, president
of M acalester college; DR.. Brush, presi-
dent of the Mite tchell, Dak., Methodist
college: Preside mt Bridgman, Of
Hamline; Rev. David Brooks and
DR.. William Mckinley. The opening
prayer was made by Bishop Fitzgerald,
after which DR.. Brush, of Mitchell. Dak..
read the morning lesson. DIR. Upham
spoke from the text:
The other disciples therefore said unto
him, ssWe have seen the Lord but he said
unto them, Except shall see in His hands
the print Of the nails, and put my finger into
the print of the nails. and thrust my hand
into His side, 1 shall not believe. John,
2J:25
The sermon was upon the subject of
doubling the Christian faith and the
free and skeptical thinking OF the pres
ent age. His sermon was pronounced
by many as one of the ablest discourses
ever delivered from the university pull
pit, and for an hour and quarter he
held his immense audience in rapt at
tention. The following is synopsis OF
his discourse:
Our divine Lord left the establishment of
the church to the twelve apostles. In these
apostles every variety of character is seen.
Twelve men of more varied dispositions
could not we'll be found. At the head of the
list is Peter fiery andIimpetuous He is hon
est, and there is something of the rock like
ness in his character. Christ said to him:
'.Thou art Peter; and upon that rock will l
build the foundation Of my church." John
tinction will be that he was the disciple
whom Jesus loved. Matthew was a man of
the world Then we find Andrew, about the
greatest of them all. He was polite, and l
think a committee of one. to introduce
strangers. And now we come to doubling
Thomas. 1t was he who said that except he
see the print Of the nails he would not be-
lieve In him faith and unbelief struggled
for the mastery. 1t will be my pleasure to-
study his character.
The speaker has reviewed the script
ural scene which accompanies his text
the assembly of the disciples in the.
closed rooms when Christ appeared
unto them. Thomas, he thought, was
away weeping over the scenes which,
had so lately transpired. He painted a
word picture of the subsequent meeting
Of the disciples with Thomas, and de-.
scribed the latter questioning whether.
they had been deceived, The scepti-
cism of Thomas, he thought, might be
partly accounted for in the fact that he
was born doubter. and he recited liz
cidents in his life where his doubts had
BEEN clearly shown. Thomas was dis
posed to doubt almost everything, and
in this the speaker thought he had more
ollOWers to-day than any of the other
apostles. He would prefer to reach all
unfavorable rather than favorable
conclusion. In speaking of the causes
of the scepticism of the age, DR.. Upham
said
Notice the nature of Christian evidences.
They are moral rather than mathematical.
In the common affairs of life we depend
upon the probability of events and only IN
dence Another cause is the spirit of the age,
which is skepticism; it is in the air. But this
is not an age of infidel1ty. Tom Paine would
now be excluded from the circle of free
devil is not the ugly, uncouth being he used
to be- He has sawed off his horns and goes
under the name OF modern thOught ana
works mischief tourfold in its efforts: The
skepticism of Thomas was Of the head. He
was born thinker. Not like great many
people who accept their religion simply by
Inheritance. The latter accept Christianity
without a single doubt, but men who
great strain placed upon him. He had seen
the spear enter the side of Jesus and had
heard that awful cry 1T is finished, and
now he is asked to believe that Christ had
And notice how kindly Jesus dealt with him.
In my opinion the management OF doubling
people by other persons is often most
wretched in the extreme. know OF col
lege president who, when sought by young
man filled with conflicting doubts. answered
young man. you have no right to doubt. and
that young man went forth a confirmed
doubter. The scepticism of others is of the
and they will not believe he for they sd%0 are
Gates Of positive philosophy decide
that as scientific demonstrations become
known faith will become less thought of. It;
must be admitted that some scientists are
scept1cs, but OH the other side there are
devout astronomers and scientists who es-
TEEN it the highest joy to worship at the
manger and the cross. The great .Agassiz
would not begin his lectures before his pupils
on one occasion without q few :, words WORD OF
do not swing free from restraint. These
difficulties follow us because we are men and
women, and not cattle. The great questions
to-day are whether there is God, and
whether, if he exists. he cares for US. You
may close and forget this book-you may cut
loose from the Bible traditions and swing
out in scepticism, but these questions
will not down. Those who destroy the
foundation of faith do not erect any.
Faith in Jesus Christ alone meets these ques--
tions. 1t was the sight of Jesus that cured
Thomas. 1t is only sight Of this Christ that
can anchor man to the rock. do not de-
preciate the evidence of design. Modern
tnitarianism began with calling Christ a
divine man. The next generation called Him
good man. the next called Him Mr.. Jesus,
and this generation has lost sight of the idea
of personal God and now talks of law and
force The brief life OF man also points
to life beyond, and his intellect
and power demand it. We seem
to be rehea1sing here, as some one has said
for grand concert IN the next world.
look into coffin upon the form Of ali ora
tor and am asked to believe tnat an intel
lectual orb has fallen and its light has been
extinguished. Our love also goes out and
demands another ife and God ought to blot
out that love if there is not this future life
The great question of the age is: is there
any light?' and from nature l learn that it
seems as if there is; but, thank God, He has