The Portland daily press., 1895-05-15
IT'S 18TH ANNIVERSARY.

second; Budd Donle, third. Best time, . aa2
IT'S 18TH ANNIVERSARY.
Bangor Theological Seminary Rounds Out
Three-ouarters of a Century of Useful
Existence
Bangor, May 14.-The 18th anniversary
Of the Bangor Theological Seminary be-
gan today with the examinations in the
forenoon and afternoon. In the evening
Mt the First Congregational church ad
dresses commemorative of the 10Th an
niversary were delivered, and the exer-
cises consisted of music by the seminary
choir, prayer by Rev.G. W. Field, DID,,
and addresses by Prof. II. L. Chapman of
Bowdoin College, and President of the
Board of Trustees Rev. E. B. Parker, d.
D., of Hartford, Conn.,, and the bene-
diction by DR.. Parker. DR.. Parker's adj
dress was as follows:
DR.. Parker pIefaced his address by
graceful reference to the relation which
his father, grandfather and father-in-law
had sustained to the seminary-his faith
er as trustee, and Drs. Pond and Harris
AS professors-and then announced his
su 5ject as Christianity the Consumma-
tion OLA Manifold Revelation of Gods
Truth and Grace to Mankind. He gave
the following synopsis:
Christianity is composition and har-
mony of things old and new. 1t is his
torically grounded, and yet possesses
originality. Its preparations were not
I0nO line nnlVs in narIOn- hIJt
along many diverse and converging
lines. 1t is invariable in its essential
spirit in respect of it's forms. 1t Is spirit
ual as opposed to legalism. Emanating
from and subsisting in a personality in
whom the Fatherhood of God, and also
the universal spirit of humanity were
most fully expressed, 1T is universal in
| its scope. Its fulfllment Of things old,
not only in.Israel but elsewhere,r it's har.
| monious com bination of prophetic testi-
monies wherever uttered; it's spirituality
| and freedom; its comprehensiveness and
| fulness; and the divine genius of Him
| in whom are eyermore the chief sources
of it's power:- these are the marks of
! its completeness and sufioiency. The
| speaker sketched the genesis of Chris
| tianity OUT of Judaism, showing. how
ever, that Jesus was far less influenced
| by Jewish forms than Paul. The earth
ern vessels in which Paul held the Cos
| pei treasure were often distinctly Jew
| ish, and gave to his presentation of the
| Gospel tints and tones, it not shape and
| form, which do not necessarily belong to
/ it, hut only to the vessel containing it.
| Yet, here in New England, some Paul
inc peculiarities have been set forth as
| the distinctivessan original features of
Christianity. The greatness and love of
Paul are not his handling and shaping
| of particular doctrines, but his appre-
hension of the universal spirit of Chris
tianity and his fidelity to that. Jesus
fulfils in a wonderful way, spiritually,
and as opposed to all legalism and for
| malsm, the great ideas lodged in Israel.
One of the most striking featules of
| DR.. Parker's discourse was his earnest
development of the truth that God had
never left himself without witness in
any nation. The pre-Christian revelation
was manifold. along many lines, among
many nations. The prophets by whom,
| in past ages, God spoke at sundry times
| and in divers manners were not all of
| the Jewish nation.
Jesus fulflls all that these widely scat
| tered prophets have uttered, harmonic
| ing their diverse and partial notes. This
| he does, not ny laborious electicism, but
as simply speaking out Of the fullness OF
his divine inspiration. God spoke par
italy and Professionally by the prophets,
| here and there. He speaks conclusively
and finally by his son. This is the only
true explanation of the striking similar
tiles between Christianity and other re-
ligions. They are such as might be ex-
| peoted, since it is the same God who has
spoken by the prophets and by Jesus.
| . All the great ethnio religions have
| been provisional dispensations of God,
with gates of salvation. All have their
fulfilment in Christianity which Sits out
| their chaff and retains their grain. From
| this point of view the vexed question OF
probation is relieved of many difficulties.
In all this the oirg!nality of Jesus APP
pears. Not in so-called distinctive doc.
trines, but III the spirit Of the Master
himself, and of his doctrine and king.
dom. does the originality consist. He is
the word incarnate consummating all
prophetic testimonies, and by his life
and death reconclling the world unto
God as we'll as revealing God to the
world. Nothing in all history is so
original. conclusive and attractive as
the cross.
| Dr.Parker spoke atlength of the spirit.
uality and freedom Christianity as
giving it universality and fnality. 1t
was not fixed in any doctrine, 1nstitu.
| tional, or ceremonial forms, but left free
to adjust itself to varying conditions.
Its stability is largely owing to it's for.
NAL mutablllty. And the course OF It's
history is strewn with the wrecks Of sys-
TENS constructed to contain and convey
it. No immutable organization, nc
changeless creed, no in6exible liturgy,
no stereotyped interpretation, no in
variabls type of experience. no fixed
methods of administration could have
been universal. 1t is only as with all
saints" that we can be able to compre-
hend the great dimensions Of Gods grace
insChrist. Not under the dome Of some
petty church or denomination, but under
that OF the armament. should we live.
God gives us part in the great com.
muuionssof "all saints'-saints of every
age and cline and nation and tongue.
We need to realize this I is p privilege. i Com
and world embracing grace, will give us
catholic experiences and fellowships.
God give us all the larger view. the
The number of students in the semi
nary is the largest o.s for man many years.
oeivsd as follows: From Rev. q
Smith, West Medfofd. Mass, for English