The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-06-20
THE REV. DIR. KING OF WACO
DELIVERS AN ABLE SERMON
YESTERDAY MORNING
IN THE ASSEMBLY HALL, OF THE
STATE UNIVERSITY.
The Sermon Most Able One and Was
Listened to by Several Thousand
People, Many of Them Being
From Other Cities.

TO DE taken as u CrlIerlOu, Uue success Oh
this years commencement is assured.
1t is also we'll in this connection to state
that at no other particular time in life is
the average man so proud as when he
struts around college halls during COM
mencement days. He has passed through
10 months of work and if he is there for
his own good that work has been hard
and laborious. True, he has possibly had
a few and again many opportunities forl
little social recreation. If he is hard
student, however, these little recreating
SPELLS mean additional Juggling when the
books are returned to, and therefore the
hour of play generally terminates in sew
eral additional hours of labor.
Yesterday, however, all things were
changed. Books that had been his con-
slant companions for 10 long Glonths We're
placed safely in the bottom of his trunk,
preparatory to the homeward journey.
Dull care was thrown aside and for once
strained. He could quaff pleasures cup
to the very dregs and no one could dare
say him nay. His demeanor yesterday
gave evidence that it was certainly his
intention to quaff this pleasure to it's very
last drop. Owing 10 the fact that it was
Sunday his spirits were necessarily sub.
dued, but his general demeanor betOkened
that which was so near at hand. lie
spoke most gracefully to the dear and
sweet as well as pretty young ladies as
they passed by and he tipped them a very
knowing wink, Indicative of that which is
to come. In other words, the average
University boy was happy yesterday in
his bright prospects for the future of the
week. He was up early yesterday morn
ing and was up at the University long
before any one else was there, but by IL
o'clock he had plenty of company.
As early as 10 o'clock the crowd began
gathering and from that time until after
II o'clock the crowd poured into the as
sembly hall in steady streams until that
large chamber was packed.
Shortly after II O'Clock the choir, 30
strong, and under the leadership of Prof.
Collins, with the assistance of Doctor
Baxter, who played an accompaniment to
the organ on his cornet, opened the service
with grand anthem. None of the faculty
or the board of regents were seated on the
stage, although there were quite num-
Der of Austin ministers occupying seats
on the rostrum. Among these were no.
ticed the Rev. Drs. Mitchell, benson,
Lefevre and SmoUt.
DR.. S. A. King of Waco being the minis
ter chosen by the faculty to deliver the
baccalaureate sermon, was introduced
and took his text from Romans iii /, 2:
"What advantage then hath the jew
p Or what profit is there of circumcision
Much every way; chiefly because unto
them were committed the oracles of
God" He also read from Second Tim
othy, iii, Is: "From child thou hast
known the holy scriptures, which are
able to make thee arise unto salvation"
The speaker then proceeded with his
sermon in that clear, forcible and precisely
speaking manner so characteristic OF him.
Throughout, the sermon abounded in gilt
terlng pictures of biblical purely and
strength which he held up as
worthy examples to the young
men and women now leaving
the, University to enter the active paths
of life. DR.. King is one of the ablest
theologians in the Southern church, and
as a speaker he has sufficient magnetism
to attract the attention of all. His ser
mon yesterday was one of the ablest ever
delivered in this city, as can be attested
by the thousands who heard it. He point
cd out clearly and forcibly the unity of
the scriptures and showed that there was
absolutely no discOrd in the oracles. He
showed clearly and at some length that
in possessing these oracles of God the peO'
pie had a divine and authoritative reveal
ton about which there could not be the
slightest doubt. Cited that they were nc
system thought out by the wise men of one
generation and age, to he discarded OF
improved upon by the next. He said thai
biologists of today might put aside the
theories of those of hundred years ago
Inf while considering the interests of oul
souls we wanted the truth and 10 be able
TO be assured of it. And this advantage
is possessed by those who have the oracles
of God. The world has failed by It's WIS
dom to know God. While we bring nc
railing accusations against the wisdom OF
the present day there was much OF it II
the world when the apostles wrote; and
since their day the wisdom and science oil
men have attained great and valuable re-
shifts. But unaided wisdom has not at
tanned to the knowledge of deity or duty
or destiny. Socrates, the greatest OF the
w,or,dis wise men, seemed to assign the
first Dlsce among many inferior deltles
to the supreme God and Plato to limIt MS
omnipotence and ascribe co-ordlnate
jurisdiction to an infinite spirit OF evil
and held that what the Supreme Goa Wius
and how he was worshipped had best De
left to the oracle at Delphi. Cicero re
garded the question of "a Providence as un
settled and held it ITO be absolutely unlaw
full to declare the mysteries of the Supreme
God to the common people and ne
enioined upon every man to WORSHIP
God according to the religion of his
country. Pliny ridculed the idea ''that
Divinity should take upon Himself SC
troublesome a ministry as the care OF
human affairs.
But it may be supposed, and it is true,
that "wisdom" in these latter days has
something more satisfactory to offer. Fol
instance, there are the achievements OF
great minds in modern days to whom we
are Indebted for our great steam and
electrical inventions. ASK the moderns J,
what we are to believe concerning Iou
and we learn that one Of our famous
English skeptics says: 'There IS one
supreme, all-perfect being, me opt na,ar
cause of all things and of almighty power
But we must not ascribe to him any Nor LnOr'
al attributes. or be guilty OF the oias-
phemy of talking of initiating MN.
'This God made the world ana esua at,
lished the laws of the system, Dut now
has no more concern with its anal[S
except, so far, perhaps, as relates 70 cor
lective bodies. AS to the soul. 1t Is no. no,
distinct from the body and perishes VIII VII
If. While it of great use to believe t1t
impression of immortality and OF rewards
and punishments, the whole thing Is
fiction" II. a.
Another prominent English skepticc de
clarpd that all religious faith beyond De