The herald., 1893-06-19
PRESIDENT WIONEYS SERMON,
The Head of the University's
Annual Discourse.
Some Sound Doctrine Which Was
Offered to the Students.
DIR. j. p. widney's Address Yesterday in
the University Chapel-A Thought
full and Earnsst Statement
of Doctrine.

the college and their friends yesterday
morning, the occasion being the delivery
of the baccalaureate sermon by the col
lege president, DIR. j. p. Widney. His
address consisted OF a mastery handling
of the subject and was delivered with
characteristic energy. lie spoke in part
as follows:
The pail OF great mystery hung over
antiquity. One reads between the lines
OF old records and finds a sadness, a
gloom, deeper than any that could come
from question of types of civilization,
from forms OF government, from social
life. 1t was q gloom which came from
an unanswered, or TO them unanawera-
BILE, mystery which ever confronted man.
They found themselves face to face with
three great facts:
First, Man, weak, imperfect, fallen,
unable by his own etrength to rise
higher.
Second, God. under whatever name,
pure, holy, to whom man must come II
he would find peace.
Third, A great gulf of Gin and death
between.
And the question which rested with
Hullbn klOblu vi Bhll ONOi lhuht INb
ever unanswered: How shall the gulf
be bridged2
The essence OF every religion was
simply an attempt to answer this quea.
ton. The winding lines OF prieHts bs-
meath the shadows Of the pyramids in
the hoary past were Egypt'e attempts
at an anewer. The huge alters of the
land between the rivers, were the old
Babylonian attempt at solution.
Socrates before his judges confessed
sadly the failure of the philosopbic mind
of antiquity TO grapple successfully with
the problem.
'sThe hour OF departure has ar
rived. and we go our ways. to die and
YOU 10 live. Which ia better, God only
knows" lie could give no other light.
Job, from the depths of his affection,
with the gloom hanging over him, yet
feeling that there must BIO some one who
could answer, cries out in agony, 80.
that knew where | might find Him
that might come even to His seat. Be-
hold | 90 forward, but lie Is not there,
and backward, but l cannot preceive
Him."
Yet in the heart OF man was ever
faith that sometime, somewhere, some
how, by some one the way would be
made plain. Socrates with the faith
that glimmered rs dim light even in
the heather world, could say. 81 know
that no evil can happen to q good man
either in life or after death" Job could
cry out from his misery and anguish, 81
know that my Redeemer lveth."
BALKAN with CLEAN OF prophecy light
ing the future exclaimed, II shall see
him. but not now, shall behold him,
but not nigh, and the age passed by.
~
In crossing the desetts of Arizona one
travels day after day over the brown,
dead plain--only barrenness and desola-
ton and death. have 30 ridden in the
fierce heat OF the desert sun, until sud
denly my horee would stop at the brink
of a yawning chasm and 10 away be-
low, In the depths of the oaflon, a vision
OF the tropice-a cool stream of water,
great green trees, vines clambering over
the rocky walls, and the glancing cum
light lighting it up until to the weary
ewes 1t came as some sweet dream of
peace. have stood upon the summit
of the Chirricahua mountains and looked
down across 80 miles of desert to the
line OF the ella, q green oasis in the
barrenness and deaolation. Such a
vision came at times to the old prophets.
Isaiah saw such a vision. Beyond, away
beyond the warning and the slaughter
and the blood, viBion of peace came to
him, and ms he looked and looked the
joy of great gladness lit up the desola-
tion. This is the vision that came to
him as he wrote il:
Sand highway shall be there, and
n Ill - IL La 81
holiness; the unclean shall not pass
way-faring men, though fools, shall moi
err therein"
And then the wave of war, and
slaughter and blood rolled back across
the vision and il remained as q sweet
dream OF peace. And the years rolled
on and men forgot. And then otherI
had glimpses. men of prophetic sight
of the dream of peace, and again mer
forgot. And last of ell One again LOOKED
and the CLEAN of light became to Hin
the glory OF the sunrise and He wrote
"But unto you that fear My name shal
the sun of righteousness arise with heal
ing in his wings" And then the boo
of prophecy was closed. And again th
years rolled by, and again men foTgo
and said there is no hope, and the
turned them away in their despair.
Yet, at times, some one readin
in the old records would find the lon
forgotten promise, and in glad surpris
cry out, sit is there 1t must be true
There lie hope!" And the years turne
to centuries, for the fullness OF God
time was not yet.
And mems hearts failed them. TIL
civilization of antiquity was come to
standstill. 1t could go no further, an
the old religions were dying. Tt
priests said that at night the sound
rushing wings was heard in the tempt,
and sad voices crying, LET us depart.
1t was the old gods abandoning the
fame, and afar over seq and land raj
the cry, "Great Pan is dead" Pan, IL
god of Joy and laughter and mirth; Il
one glad spirit in the old heather pal
theon.
*As
And then a strange thing came to pa
upon the plains OF Syria. A band
shepherds sat around their fire in Il
hush of the night, when great lig
ehone about them and voice cried GU
81 bring you good tidings of great 10
for unto you Saviour is born, which
Christ, the Lord" and q great sol
filed the heavens. "Glory to God
the highest, and on earth peace, go
will toward men,
At last. after 1000 years of war, al
slaughter, and blood, peace. Instead
the hand of every man against his f