Los Angeles herald., 1892-06-20
DR.. Chichester's Church Mem
bership Increased.
Dean Matthew's Baccalaureate Ser
mon.
Large Aceession to Immanuel Church
1Iembcrship-Doctrin Preached
for Universfty
Students.

baptism according to the simple and
impressive form Of the Presbyterian
church. DR.. Chichester was unusually
happy in his address to the new recruits.
His text consisted Of the two little words,
Stand Fast, from the fret chapter oi
Philippians, and he urged them all to
Christian steadfastness. Their hearts
we're evidently moved to be faithful
unto DEATH"
DR.. Chicheater's eermon was eloquent
and touching.
This new acces sion makes the mem
bership of Emmanuel church considera-
bly, over 500, and 165 is the largest num-
Der of new members that ever Joined a
church at one time in this city.
DEAN Matthew's SERMON.
The exercises of commencement week
at the University of Southern California
were begun yesterday. The students
love feast was held in Aristotelian hall
at 8 80 O'Clock. It was led by Prof.
Hardy. 1t was testimony meeting, in
which vast majority Of the students
took part.
At il O'Clock the annual baccalaureate
sermon was preached in the college
chapel by Dean Matthew before q large
congregation. Professors Gunnett and
Hardy, Revs. Williams and Colburn,
Dean Matthew and Presidenf Widney
occupied seats on the platform, as did
also choir of ten voices. After a song,
prayer was offered by DIR. Williams Of
University church. Revs. Gunnett and
Colburn each read scripture lessons.
Prot. Bacon sang a solo, "Jesus, Hear
My Suppllcation." Prof. Hardy an
nounced the exercises of the commence
ment week. A song was sung, followed
by the delivery of the baccalaureate
sermon by Dean Matthew, from which
the following extracts are taken:
"And we believe and are sure that
Thou art that Christ, the Son of the
living God" John 6, SO.
For years it has been my principal
concern to know how l may put myself
into sympathy with the growing young
manhood and womanhood of my time
and to strive in my email neaeure to
turn the current of their thought toward
those high themes which shall surely
lead them to useful lives here and to
eternal blessedness in the world which
is out OF sight. And oft a. I have had
in imagination this company before me,
I have said to them, "What think ye
of the Christi" As the great central
thought in the Christian system,
would solemnly, thoughtfully ask that
question today. Believe me, the anewer
to that question must finally decide our
destiny. Around the personality of
Jesus of Nazareth center all great inter-
ests of man both for time and eternity.
My general thesis is this: Jesus
Christ of Nazareth is Gods Son, CO.
equal with the Father, eternal in His
nature, everlasting in His power; that
He came to earth in the form of man
for the suffering of death that He
might redeem us to God; that He rose
from the dead and ascended up to
Heaven; that He now sits upon the
throne of mediation; that at the end of
the world He will come again to Judge
the living and the dead.
The Jewish race is probably the most
narrow that the world has ever con.
tanned. The individualisna, the intense
personality, of the race is one of its
most striking characteristics. You
know Jew to this day, wherever you
meet him. Not only go, but you know
that under every circumstance he will
exhibit the traits of his nation. That
which is good in q Jew is supremely
good; that which is bad is infinitely
vile and mean. Now how does it hap
pen that this mean spirited, narrow
minded, self-contained race OF Judea
should have produced the one Reformer
of the ages who is cosmopolitan in His
whole makeup and absolutely without
a taint of narrow Judean prejudice?
"Like produces like" ga fountain can
rise no higher than it's own head" A
human reformer will take on the char
acteristics of the time; above all he
will exhibit the traces of race influence
in his system. Confucius belongs to
Asia; Mahomet to Arabia. the Mahdi
exhibits the wild credulity of the
Mohammedan faith in North Africa.
But here is reformer who rises ou. of a
narrow land almost unknown to the
worlds historians before that time, and
who within less than 1000 years fills the
eyes of the nations. He comes of mar
row, despised race, whose very name
is by-word and kissing
among civilized nations, and yet
He is conquering the thought of
those same nations. He comes upon the
theater of human action without any of
the advantages of birth, of wealth, of
scholastic training; and yet He is march
ing on to the conquest of the world
How does it happen? Why was He not
q Jew, with the preiudices, the race
characteristics of his people? Why is
he 80 broad and catholic? Why is he
the friend of publicans and sinners-why
is He the Savior of the world? Evil
IDENTIFY because He is more than human
He is the Son of Godl The old Ma
poleon said: I search in vain in history
to find the similar of Jesus Christ, or
anything which can approach the Cos
pei. Neither history, nor humanity, nor
the ages, nor nature. offer me anything
with which I am able to compare it or
explain it. Here everything is extraor-
dinary. The more consider the gospel
the more I am assured that there is
nothing there which is not beyond the
march of events and above the human
mind. Even the impious Themselves
have never dared to deny the sublimitv
of the gospel, which inspires them with
a sort of compulsory veneration. What
happiness that book procures for those
that believe it! What marvels those
admire there who're upon it!' Such
was the estimate of the worlds greatest
military genius. And he added this
thought: alexander and Caesar and
myself could do great things while we
live. We could gather armies, overrun
country after country, cement empires,
build cities and change the face Of the
al 81 Dat xrvlx