The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-09-22

DIR. KLGo TO THE NEW STUDENTS

| church, DR.. k1IgO preached Inc "ci-
| come sermon before the students OF
| Trinity College during the year just
| beginning. His text was the advice OF
| David to Solomon, as found In the hrst
| verses of the second chapter OF hIn2s'
! His subject was Christian Manhood. 10y
| general consent it was one OF the great
| est sermons he has ever preached mere
lie said in part:
"AU national life reaches it's height
in some great man. In Greece that man
was Pericles, in Rome it was Caesar
| in England it is Victoria or Gladstone
and i'm Israel it was David He gave the
| Jews their song, their inspiration,
their spirituality, their heroism. As
he was closing his life he was counsel
! ing Solomon. He spoke from his long
| experience Old as he was he had large
| plans His growth was not arrested by
| age. Like Gladstone, his last days
were filled with fresh strong thoughts
| for the welfare of his people. lie was
| anxious for the character of the young
| King. This indicated David'S highest
| craftsmanship. There was nothing
| here about material interests, the NOV
| ing of armies, international relations,
| and ideas of government. There was
no scheming or political narrowness,
| or political methods, or self interest IN
| his advice. He counseled, rather, high
and courageous conviction, In this, he
! was wise He knew that the former
| things had no value themselves, but
| only in what is behind them. | COM
mend this view to you, young men,
| There is no party or platform or or
| ganization that can supplant them or
| that rules them. The man means more
than the platform. Let the desire for
national wealth sink before the de-
mand for strong man. | have been
| credited, falsely, l must say, with
preaching political sermons. This
| will say: Let the college men be strong
| err than politics. Let them rise above
political organizat ion in the supreme
| devotion to public good. Let them
| be men of strong conviction and manly
| principles, whatever be their parties.
strength of manhood is a deter
| mining factor in history. Many people
| think that religion is weakening. That
| sentiment has obtained too much
| among the young men, They have
had the idea that religion is fit for no
| one but old women and weaklings.
| They have accordingly gone the ways
/ of error till at last when they have
| come to God, they have brought only
| the fragments of character. They have
| an idea that a man is bound 10y his
| piety to a state of passiveness which
takes the life out of action and the
| force out of life. Church members
| sometimes act so that there is reason
| for the young to think this. / have
been astonished to see the readiness of
men to resent wrong to their business,
while they submit to any outrage upon
their religion. We have taken the
strength out of Christian life. This
is seen in the monastic rules and the
mild expressions of old Christian paint
ings. Compare that idea with Elijah
on Carmel, Moses in Sinai, Paul in
Athens or in Rome, or, indeed, with
the great spirit of strength in the Mas
ter himself. 1t takes manhood to be a
Christian. 1T demands manhood. You
may undertake to follow great gener
al or a political leader, but it takes
great courage to try to answer the SUI
preme command, Follow me-
Young men have you ever thought
where this gospel puts you?s Science
locates the flowers, the rocks, and the
insects; but where has God located
YOU? Oh, he has put you at the head
of all creatures. He has made you like
him. In Gods universe the human soul
is Gods prison. 1T gathers into itself
all that God has created and interprets
them 1t speaks for God to the uni
verse. Then tell me it does not require
manhood? Salvation is the making of
the largest man and the bringing out
of the greatest that is in him, If /
could make you hear clearly Gods
call to be a man, / would be willing
to stop here. let me say that God
calls his preacher to be a man before
he calls him to be preacher. Let me
GO on to some of the elements of man.
hood.
cat the basis of all great character
there is a demand for great mind.
/ know that this is not popular idea.
I fear it may be as blight to the hopes
of many, yet it is simply the truth.
IT does not comport with a popular
kind of theology that denounees intel
ligence which, it is said, is unneces-
sary. This, it is asserted, is establish
ed by God to magnify his own grace.
God never meant to magnify himself
by denouncing intelligence. / do not
mean that man of ordinary intelli-
gence cannot be good. Goodness is not
enough 1t is the mere negative side
of character. Great manhood comes
from action, and mind must be behind
that action. You may never look for
a great type of Christianity where there
is great iliteracy Take any great
question. How much of God is there
in the world? You say he is infinite.
There is no more of God in the world
for you and me than you and | can
comprehend, and if our minds be small
our God will be small. The God of the
Old Testament was different from the
God of the New. God gets greater as
we can see him more. The Bible was
800 years in the writing. You say,
why Dickens wrote more than that in
fifty years God was hemmed in by
mans stupidity HE had to write
slowly. Christ said in wonder and sor-
row: 'Ye have eyes to see and yesee not.
There is no truth or God for a man