New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-06-16
UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER.
PRESIDENT hill or TRUTH AND TRUE LLANN

Rochester. y. ~ June II CSpccan.-President I'M,
~ the University Of Rochester delivered the irS'
i,,l,ur,atc sermon in the history Of that instltu'
ti,u AT the First Baptist church this evening" HIS
t.,t WAS. Ever learning and never able to come To
ho knowledge Of the truth" II Timothy, ILL., = -After
1,,llu- upon the importance Of arriving at truth
and the difficulties in the way. Or. Hill contnueu
The primary scientific virtue. a wen a. tho
urinary theological virtue. Is simply faith IN the
meaning Of facts, The root Of all sccptcism-
,bilo.opbic,l moral and rcuglous-is I'm the denial
~ such meaning. Even doubt may have icrhl 81
s,dline,-.' but its weakness lies III denying u''
mower thereof There seems to me nothing WHICH
hrugs Us nearer to the heart Of things thdA 'hesc
considerations. rheism and atheism morantS anu
immortality. optimism and pesSinisn nope ana ueSpan'
truth and croI-thc anthesis which diHcichua'e INC
,r,u de,tb-all grow out OF the initial impulse 10
believe or doubt the reality and the validity OF mean
ins in phenomena. Here Is the centre oi r'uaVi''
from which all creed, and systems diverge, Ter
minating In afrmations negatons according ~ the
IMPULSE is o. believe or doubt From tins cehue
every soul may view the bursting visions OF It's own
future as from it CLEANS out the upward surilt
path of faith the downward winding pain OF deha"
But II life has meaning have seen where II
lie. II is In tho development OF manhood to"nd
It's primal a,ohetype, In the realization WltWh our
selves OF that Christ like perfection which eniOodleS
the final aim Of creative activity. Here Is TIE truth
which known shall Rake us free. Whoever accepts
it enters into the voluntary service of tod, not ~
slave driven by the lash of duty, but a emo
inspired by the impulse Of love. MI noble and
spiritnal aspirations spring from this love. all
bencncent activities presuppOso us presence III inc
heart; all imlhcrtal hope rests upon ltS Inspiration
IL ceInot be said that this view OF truth applies
only TO enlightened minds In Christian dlspensaton
There are two ways of contemplating tiut''' one II
Retrospective. historic. passive. regarding That "hch
tfp fn, al q =
prospective active. the expectation of revelation
vet to come. There were Christians before Christ ;
there are Christians who never heard OF ChrstS name
The Hebrew prophets looked for His coulns Trey
dscerned the mental and moral necessity OF perlc'I
man who should be tile climax and elimination Oh
the spiritual possibilities of humanity. ANA thcN
were not alone Ia their cNrcctatlonS. There Is not
an ancient literature that does not contain some
partial prophecy least OF the advent of the perfect
man. The tendency To read personality mo AatuIt,
the apothcosis of great men. the anhrOmOrphc iorN
under which every race and every generation oil i.eh
have conceived theli sOdo, the aNataro ana h'lfi"
tons of divinity with which every ancient religion
abounds; are all so any blind rihtc, to tns nn",
process OF human conformity To divine Npc OF
perfection. II Is that perfection. realized ana en-.
. am the truth whoever does not accept Him ma,
ever learn hat VIII Eever be able to come to kho"l
edge of the truth. ,
aaying. What have l. a an investigator u naiiir'
who seek truth By observation. TO do with ms
INV pursuit, / reply that 1t aitecta both the clear
ness OF vour intellectual vision and the fruitfulness
Of your observation. II has been wisely said science
makes true discovery, save that IL opens mo
some new hw. which IS Gods thought threading
the creation The truth which ! have been pre-
scpting gives clcarness of Intellectual VISION because
ii lights all thought with central luminous del' an
asccrtalncd end Of creative action Ia establishing the
laws Of nature. and prompts MS to connect every
discovered fact with This highest truth 1t affects
tho fmitfmlness Of observation because it suggests
the presence everywhere In nature Of all perNadnE
thread of purpose which connects All facts Win
human perfection and thus renders them all nationally
,ipuincautH