New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-06-15
DIR. HILL AT COLCHESTER.
ABSTRACT STATEMENTS OF BELIEF no PAR,
OF CHRIsT's TEACHING.

Rochester, " y. June ii (spccIaD.-Dr. David j.
Ill., president of the University OF Rochester delivered
his second baccalaureate sccmon at the First apuss
Church this evening His text Was: II Am Come .
Light Into the World that Whosoever Bcleycth on Ms
Should Not Abide In Darkness 81. John xii, &C. IIs
said In part
When Christ said TO His disciples 'Ye shall know tls
truth ana the truth shall make you free lie had n
mind abstract doctrines but the Incorporation into
human lite Of Gods purpose concerning mon fMs
discplneship. but BY process In the history d
Christianity the faith in Himself when Jesus and liz
dogmatio propositions. Christ promises ngnt and
rescue TO those who believe In Himself; men promise
Christ mede and never declared to be true. aha
process Of this substitution o. faith In doctrines los
faith in person Is not difficult To explain. II wa
effected partly by the attempt 10 fuse the purely ethical
and religious teaching Of Jesus with idea, borrowed
from Greek philosophy; party BY the twofoh aspect
sons expresses Itself fidelity, and results In deeds
and is sometimes directed toward statements, de-
generates into credunty and results in creeds
OIL ali the teachers Of religion, Christ Is the greatest
positivst. lie makes use OF abstract IDEAS aEd
frames theory Of being: God, the SOU, and LIE
who have not attempted to explain them But they
realities because they are not abS actions They
perience, untouched by the arace OF analysis. TIE
great central reality to Him is the fatherhood OF God
He does not think speak OF attributes, which may
be classified and compared He problem in The
recOnciing of Gods justice with His mercy or lils
holiness with His love. These ae scholastic questions.
not questions OF religion. God Is father who seh
In secret and will reward openly. His nature is love-
and the harmony OF everything is here Why should
SEEK out of dreadful forebodings and yacuous
ignorance, TO frame theory Of the tomorrow after
death Let listen TO the bird songs and consider
the lilies while wake, Divine Master taughb
us, and when sleep let fold our weary hands In
loving trust and the sweet sense OF the Fathers care
And IL we must think of that which has not been
vealed, let tighten terr0s with the assurance
Of the great Apostle, that Gle hath put all things
under HIS feet, {" that God may be all In ALL
But the instinct Of our race Is against II Is q
racial tendency of the Aryan mind 70 frame universal
philosophy into which omnscience Is 10 be compressed.
In epochs Of defeat and despair we tend TO become
agnostics, and to say, II We cannot solve the problem
OF universal being, it Is because there Is no
possible solution and there is no national mean
ing In the world. But soon recover from
this periodic rest and resume the effort The Semitic
mind knew nothing OF this passion for sharing the
divine councils and nothing Of this nescience of despair
Religion has gained little by It's marriage with
philosophy. Philosophy has lost much by the chaining
Of thought to the imperfect forms Of knowledge which
religion has seemed to sanctify because men have
said that II they abandoned religion would not
survive. Unfortunately the attempt to reconcile ro
ugion with any form OF science II successful leaves
the task to be repeated as soon the everdvancing
column Of knowledge perceives the facts In new
perspective. Had Jesus made an effort to adjust Hid
teac hing to the science of His time, IL is certain that
1t would have been sadly out OF harmony with that o.
our lay.