The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1894-06-21
THE BACCALAUREATE
THE REV. DR.. A. 7. ROBEaTsoN,s
SERMON YESTERDAY MORNING,
The Opening Day Of the University Com.
mencsmsnt Week Is Largely att, nd
ed, Many Old Students Being
Present to Participate in
the Exercises.

The commencement exerclses of the
University of Texas opened yesterday
in the public hall before a large and
brilliant audience, composed of visit
ors from every part of the state, citi
zens OF Austin, the students of the in
NNstitution and number ofthe Alumni
Those seated on the rostrum were
Rev. Drs. Briggs, Garrett and Dem
son and Professors Mcfarland and
Baldwin of the University faculty.
The choir consisted of about so mem
bers, comprising the choicest singers
of the Capital City.
The services were inaugurated by
that beautiful anthem by Mendel-
ssohn, sung by Mrs. Maxey, 81 Wait
ed for the Lord" Prof. H. Guest Col
Inns at the organ and cornet accom-
paniment by DR.. Baxter, followed by
an invocation by DR.. Garrett and the
hymn "Glorions Things of Thee Are
Spoken by the choir and congregation
of at least 5000 people. The Festival
TIE Deum" was then rendered by Mrs.
MaXey, Mrs. Hunter, and Messrs.
George P. Warner and Frank Brown.
DR.. benson read scripture lesson,
followed by HandaPs Hallilujah an
them.
THE SERMON.
The Rev. A. T. Robertson, professor
in the Southern Baptist Theological
Seminary of Louisville, KY, was then
introduced by the Rev. DR.. Garrett.
DR., Robertson read the 10Th, nth, 18th
and 10Th verses OF the III chapter OF
Paul's Epistle co the Epheseans, AZ
the basis of his sermon.
That He would grant you according
to the riches of His glory, to be
strengthened with might by His spirit
in the inner man. That Christ may
dwell in your hearts by
faith that you being rooted and
grounded in love-"
MAY be able to comprehend with
all saints what is the breadth and
length and depth and height"
"And to know the love of Christ
which paseeth knowledge, that We
might be filled with the fnlness OF
God.n
The preacher said in substance he
had not come all the way from Louis
vile, KY, merely to entertain you.
The chief thing shall not be IDEAS OF
his own; his sermon would be Wish,
q prayer; all that the preacher can DO
is to wish. The words that he speaks,
those words of st. Paul, were TO Chrls-
tians at Epesus, where Paul had long
dwelt, and it was q prayer OF Paufs
for the things most needed by the
Ephesians; first for strength in
the. inner man. He drew contrast
between physical strength and moral
strength. Samson was in one
way the strongest man, but ne was
weak and feeble before the smiles OF
Delilah. strength OF character was
measured by the inner man. me
battle of life is either lost or won by
the qualities of character in the inner
man. My wish, he said, for you all Is
that YOU will be strong in the inner
man. No one can be Christian
without this kind of strength. He
compared men lacking this strength
70 little boats set afioat in the stream
bv children, dashed about by the
waves and winds, with no controlling
mower to steer. In the great breakers
u life the ship must have ballast to
meet every storm aud sail serenely
through every tempest. Houses
nronned up on the outside are
not strong, The strength OF
a house is in the cement
and the brick compactly built
compactly Joined together. The cars
are freighted with merchandise. me
engineer stands ready to throw open
the throttle that these cars may rush
an to their destination with their
merchandise, but there is no ire In
the engines, no force to propel them.
The train has no inner strength, then
what use for engineer and wide open
throttle. they stand still without
mower of locomotion. The jelly hsh
has no form of its own. Its form Is
moulded by the pressure OF the waves 81
and the winds. A Christian must De
strong within himself. Goa cannon
be deceived. Your character VIII pe
found out. You may hide your real
character for time. Your inner
character will work off the outer rim
and the world will know who you are
and what you are. In the egyptian
temples the priests would 90 throuIg a
with their mummeries but
thew did not reveal what was
in the inner shrine where
the serpents were. The serpent Will
some day stick out his twining and
poisonous tongue through the eye
stOles of the skull
E-The preacher then directed his con-
Negation to the manner of obtaining
ISha inner strength. 1t must be given
in in answer to prayer, and rounded up
into the inner strength of Christians
by the Holy Spirit. We need divine
supreme strength to contend with the
world and the devil, to stand firm ano
unshaken before every storm t INA,
blows, every tempest that RACES, Inc
cyclones of moral depravity may come
and we need the aid OF the Holy
Shirt to resist its fury. He Illus
rated the influence of the Spirit by
saving that Daguese took picture
watched the Impression on the plate
and was delighted with his success
but when the picture was exposed t. t.