St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-06-04
THE BISHOPS SERMON.
THE BAcckLAUREATE ADDRESS 10
THE CIR. QUITTING CT 'SSES
OF THE STATE UNIVERSITY.

Coliseum BUiid!ng-A Master
ly Serm on-President North.
rop's Address.
This years graduating classes of the
state university yesterday afternoon
listened to the baccalaureate sermon,
which was delivered by Bishop Charles
Ii. Fowler. The sermon was delivered
In the coliseum of the university, and
the immense building was crowded. II
is estimated that the attendance was
5000. The exercises were con
Quoted by President Northrop. The
classes. $50 strong, were ush-
cred into seats set apart fol
them and many distinguished divineS
occupied seats on the platform. Upon
the platform were seated Mr.. Hitchcock,
father-in-law of Bishop Fowler: DIR.
William Kincaid. of the Andrew Pres
byterian church: Rev. John Stemen, OF
the Como Avenue Congregational
church, and DR.. d. L. Klehle, of the
university. A life-size picture of Gov.
John s. Pillsbury formed part of the
decoration of the stage.
The sermon, which was most schol-
arly, was based upon text from Isaiah,
He that beleaveth shall not make
haste" He said. in brief: 1.-The thought
TO De chiefly emphasized today may be
concisely put in the words, go slow.
The prophet is looking at a naughty
and uncompromising people in the midst
of greatest danger. SO great is their
danger that one is alarmed even TO un'
derstand the story, and yet comes to
them the words of the text, He that
believeth shall not make haste The
storm of wrath may threaten, and the
lightnings OF vengeance may strike near
them, and yet there is sure founda-
ton. 1t seems to me in such a condi-
ton there is nothing better than my
text, go Slow
GREATNESS of all types. intellectual,
spiritual, all the elements of greatness
are of slow growth. A continent may
be lifted out of the sea in an instant
of time, but the forces by which the
catastrophe is caused have been collect
ing during upnumbered centuries. 1t
may seem to he the work of moments,
but in reality it is the work of ages.
Sometimes we try to understand Gods
providence by reading nature. God
truly writes His providence upon the
heavens, but our retinas are too
small to take it in. we can
see the armless handwriting on
the wall about us, but cannot
understand the meaning of the writing
until Gods revelation comes home to US.
| fancy that God. the Eternal Being,
does not take into account the element
of time. His chiefest conception is that
of perfectness. Look back over the
cycles of creation. No thoughtful man,
knowing the past, can ever expect sud-
den greatness. Human life develops
slowly. Little by little is development
brought about by unseen forces.
History unfolds by ages. The history
of Great Britain offers an example.
The Gauls appear. five centuries later
the Danes. five centuries later the Brit
centuries later the SaXOns, five centuries
later the Normans. Through strife,
conflict. butchery, cruelty was devel.
oped the most magnificent family en- the
earth. But the process is a weary and
painstaking one which God makes use
of when he wants 10 create great peO-
pie. In all this we do not find room for
haste.
again the text suggests the estab-
fishing power of faith. The human
mind demands a motive for its best
efforts. You see the lovely face of a
boy in the window of burning house,
and Immediately you are fired with
strong determination to save that boy.
Motive spurs to the deed. The average
man has mind enough, but is not awak-
ened 10 knowledge of 1t. He does not
know what he
CAN Do UNDER PRESSURE.
"The great mass OF humanity drift
along without knowledge OF whittier
they are bound. They live as If they
had been born into the world, having
left their souls behind. Now faith is
the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not SEEM 1t gath.
ers all the forces of the universe and
centers them into the bosom of the be-
lever. The man who takes Gods word
and relies upon it has the Almighty arm
power of faith. l have seen forests
growing from lodges of limestone,
where The roots of the oaks were sent
down into cracks of the rock for sup
port. Thus should we be rooted and
grounded in faith, upon the Rock of
ages. Faith is the great force suited to
our needs.
"Where great power is there Is quiet
ness. / knew deaf man who liked to
attend debates. He could always tell
which side was having the advantage
because the weaker side was likely to
get mad. The sunbeam is mighty
force, and yet its power cannot be seen.
Gravity holds the worlds together with
its strong arm. and yet cannot be
measured. Jesus is the solitary pic
ture of power in history. and He
appears greatest when unmoved He
stands before malignant mob and
quiets them. He transformed the
naughty PLATE into cringing coward.
PLATE saw, as the ages since have seen,
that He was anchored on the eternal
truth. He who is most certain of his
power is also most quiet. Everybody
who reaches great character mounts to
it by faith. Not always faith in God,
but, if not, then in some substitute. He
who believes in himself is apt to believe
in God.
"Great are the perils of haste. We
try to make haste in education, and the
result is evil. In theology we are apt
to he in haste, and will most likely find
ourselves in the wrong. The Bible is
the book of faith, and has stood eigh-
teen centuries of opposition. 1t sus-
tanned our fathers and will also sustain
US. In it will be found motive power
of life. That man is poor who has not
some idea for which lie would die. If
he has he is richer than his world. Paul
is an example. After undergoing the
greatest prosecutions that could be
heaped upon him. he said: None of
these things move me- When found
dead, may you be found with your pack
upon your back and your neck stretched
out toward Jerusalem. Thus will you
reap your reward.''
President Northrop then addressed
the class briefly but earnestly: "My
mind is today flooded with memories of
events similar to the present. l can but
think of the goodness of God in giving
us education for the training OF life.
There is greater difference between the
man who is educated aud the man with
darkened brain than between the giant
and the pigmy. You. ladies and gentle
men, have had training in your respect
i've departments. Some are fitted to
assist in having justice done to your
fellow man, and | hone the words vo,I