The Indianapolis journal., 1890-06-16

the movable secrets of God-secrets
which He designed we could solve. Copper
nicus was ''the lamp of the Lord In one
department of Knowledge. So. also, was
Newton, Faraday. Columbus, Hugh Miller.
Raphael, Franklin and Morse. So, also, was
Moses, Bacon. DAVID, Homer and Burns.
When God has a secret thing which be de-
sires to reveal unto mankind He lights
with genius human spirit, filling 1t with
the precious oil of super-excellent wisdom,
and then He. himself, holds the lamp so as
TO reveal the things of God. Wonderful
of the Lord. There are still vast fields
of hidden but discoverable knowledge.
God holds in His hand the lamp of mans
spirit Equally great strides have also
been made in the spiritual development.
Whether man. however educated. or en-
dowed or placed, shall prove in his spirit
and life to be 1.-The lamp of the wicked or
the lamp of the Lord" will depend on
the love of God fires and rules him. To the
one the Lord Jesus says: Depart, thou
cursed onen to the other, Come. thou
blessed one. inherit the kingdom prepared
for thee
At the conclusion of the main part of the
address the senior class presented them
selves around the pulpit, and the venerable
president addressed them in the following
words:
Gentlemen of the class of colt is not
needful should add much to what have
already said. Nor yet that attempt to
touch your feelings by referring to the ap-
proach of crisis In your lives which must
involve great changes When you leave
these familiar places it will be to ind
other places In which to secure professional
training for the practical work of life.
Hitherto all you have done has been pre-
paratory. / will venture the hope that
this preparation has included the discipline
oL - 4 h. ksx.Ho <.x~a In
vain it shall seem to us who have led you
If, In the years of training, you have only
been taught to strike an attitude, or use
the muck-rake of avarice.
II have known q man who went from
college TO the pulpit, which, with rare elo-
quence, he occupied until even bis ambi-
tion was sated. And from that throne he
went step by step down to the deep dark
ness of q drunk ards doom.
II have known man to go from such
platform as you stand on to the places
where money is acquired. But so seriously
had he undermined his moral nature-so
badly had he scared his conscience that it
mattered not how he acquired money. His
soul craved money, and money he would
have at any cost or risk, and / have seen
such one, having finished the acquisition,
suddenly stripped of 1t by misfortune or by
death.
II have seen q man who left college, his
soul on fire with the ambition of profess
sional and political eminence. With in
finite toll he succeeded. as he thought, and
heard his fame spoken of by thousands. l
saw him one day, when he was an old man.
in procession in New York. led by an in
ferior man who had won the prize to the
winning of which he himself had devoted
his life. He was-so people said-a heart
broken man. 1t was not a pleasant sight
nor one to encourage young man standing
where you are and looking out on the great
world with eyes lighted up with an un-
holy ambition.
Il do not crave for you such master
passion, nor either its success or it's defeat
1t may not be wicked. i will say more, it
may be your duty If you have great natur-
al gifts TO exercise them in high places of
power. If so, 60 and do your great work with
your might. and God be with yOu. Light
Is the great thing-light to make the world
of mankind moro cheerful. Suns differ in
grandeur and glory 0y There a;,, are greater
other star in glory. The sun 81 ining in the
fullness of his power not merely outshines
but apparently extingulshes the taper, the
candle. the lamp OF our dwelling. Even
the electric light seems scarcely to shine
when the sun is blazing out.
THE men of genius are like the sun
when compared with a lamp when we men,
tion ordinary men. Name the humble plow-
sional man in common life. Each one may
be noble In his own sphere or home. He
may be dear and essential to those
around him. But place him in such q
u
distinguished artist, of which the greatest
of them all, Sir Isaac Newton, was to be
the presiding officer. What can he do
this ordinary man-in the midst of such
we to exhort him to shine as Newton,
or Morse, or Cromwell, or Lincoln, he
would commit an objectionable folly
should he attempt compliance. But should
sphere to let his lamp shine-a little one it
Is true, but the best he has-we stimulate
him TO duty that is valuale and i'm
portant as the great lamp which Newton
held alofr in the world. The plowman's
lamp. or the schoolmaster's. or the clerks
or the country doctors, or the village pas
tors, or the plain man's-who only knows
how, by common sense, goodness and kind
humblest cottage bright with the light of
love and happiness say such plain
mans lamp Is as truly lamp of God as
that which Moses, or Socrates. or John
Howard was in the hand of the Lord.
when a college president addresses a
discourse to the young bachelors about to
receive their degrees, how little does he
know of them as related to the future.
dLo How little e. could ,n President Appleton rve
and Hawthornei How little could have
President Dwight have guessed the power
of John c. Calhoun, or President Wheelock
the career of Daniel Webster9 And how
great brotherhood of college pres
idents-know of your future! Perhaps
If i could throw such knowledge
in form of pictures on q screen for you to
look at, it might appall you; it might in
spire you with hope; an impenetrable vail
as yet hides it. But one thing is open. If
we to-day do our duty there will be hope
for tomorrow. If to-day each of us feed
his lamp with the pure oil of truth and
love, as found in the Bible, and trim it
with fidelity, SO that each one shall be to-
day as a lamp of the Lord we may hope
that tomorrow we shall lind ourselves pur-
suing the same way.
My soul is hungry in your behalf.
want each of you in world full Gf dark
ness and of people sitting in dark
ness, to be a lamp of the Lord to help Him
In lighting up the world with truth and
goodness. If you choose you can. by an
evil and selfish heart, fulfill the other
proverb. sin is the lamp of the wicked.
You can do it if you choose. The light in
you may be darkness. You may teach 9TH
ers to sin. You may lead others to cast
away truth and the fear of God. You NAV
shed the delusive light of error in the
binding light of passion. on the eyes OF
men, guiding them to ruin. Such q lamp
can be had on easy terms pray you dc
not buy it, or receive it. There is a world
of sorrow In it for you, and all you lead by
il into outer darkness. The proverb itself
ought to carry it's own warning. Sin ID
the lamp of the wicked
''Contrariwise in the culture of your
minds and social affect ctions, and your moral
nature fit vourself Tn he what the wise