The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-06-15
Listened to BacCalaureate
Yesterday.
Scholarly Discourse by Rev.
George E. Merrill.
Humility In Power Is the Masters
First Lesson.

feh oA@NN "HetNAt~ 6ottttN1 Ah sAN AAsSs
Baptist meeting house TO listen to he
baccalaureate sermon by Rev. George T..
Merrill OF Newton, Mass. Mr.. Merrill
also made the address to the members
OF the senior class on account OF the III
ness OF President Andrews. The latter
is confined TO his bed today, but hopes
to be able to attend to the remaining du-
ties OF the week. j. p. Combs led the
singing at the service. q. L. Parker and
Il. M. Knight sang duet, "In the Cross
OF Christ Glory"
Text, Luke K 20, "In this rejoice not,
that the spirits are subject unto you, but
rejoice that your names are written in
heaven"
We need only word to recall tho cir
cumstance in which Jesus spoke thus.
He had sent oct 20 disciples through the
land as earlier no had sent out the twelve.
They had been remarkably successful.
They had preached the coming OF the Me-
siah and had declared his gospel. In
the demonstration OF power by which
their mission had been attested they had
hsaled sick people. But of all their sue
ceses, that on which they most prided
themselves was the cure OF the mysteri-
ous demoniacal possession. They recog-
nizeo that expelling mischievous spirits
was greater than healing disease. And
so this was their chief boast in returning.
And Jesus gently rebuked them for their
pride In success, but he did not dotract
from their estimate of what they had
done. Rather in the words OF the text
lie approved and heightened that esii-
mate. We recognize ak once the validity
OF their claim. that command over
spiritual forces Is always greater than
the exercise Of mere physical power or
the attainment of success in material
realms. TO command the situation in
spiritual affairs, to sit on thrones in in
tellectual domains, to judge the. world
in morals, 30 To shape OPINIONS that they
shall grow into good laws and customs,
to be factor in the right solution OF re-
ligious and ethical problems, to alter
destiDies by altering character, all these
We recognize as the highest achieve
ments possible TO human beings.
/. Humility in power. is the Masters
first lesson. success brought peril. II
always brings peril, and never more truly
than when the success Is of this sort
The Seventy stood where every man
stands who thrills with the cor sciousness
OF moral power. The excitement OF sue
cess in any great work, especially in any
spiritual or moral enterprise, is delight
full. To have overthrown evil, to havs
cast ont devil, to have done the work of
an apostolate in getting light into places
that were dark, to have banished SINS
misconceptions, prejudices, taints, in
completeness, carries with IL its own Pc
cuiiar peSil. And Jesus seeks to save His
followers from that danger. Ii is not a
time for pride. Ia her it Is the time for
gratitude, for divine fellowshirs, and for
opportunity and ability for sach service.
The text cannot be, as some have suppos-
cd, mere diversion OF thought to their
own personal salvation, though every man
who can cast out devils may well rejoice il
all his own devils are cast out. Rejoice not
for one victory. but be humbly thankful
to be on the side OF sll victory. Boast
not of success in one point; to stand
with him who said "Ali power Is given
unto Me in heaven, and In eartb," Is the
great object CT desire. Not for one devil
cast out, but for all power, for all re-
suits be thankful. 1t is a crisis in life
to make a man trembIe, when, as you
feel today, he becomes conscious hat
God has given him power. lie ought to
look upward.
The worlds greatest men have halted
at such times, and have sent their glad
prayer heavenward. Moses at the bIra-
ing bush would not 60 forth TO his Egypt
until he had prosirated himself In smaz-
ed gratitude that he should have been
chosen to deliver Israel.
III. The source of Power is the second
lesson of the text. Arrayed with God,
registered In heaven, the man of success
is such only as he Is the administrator o
the moral forces of heaven. These men
in the dawn the gospel era were to be
dominant spirits, ruling over mems
destinies, shaping the fate of nations.
They were TO sit on thrones. They
were to be regenerators OF society. They
were TO promulgate truths of God for
which men were hungry. And they
would have been absolutely powerless TO
accomplish their work, If their names
had not been written in heaven, IL their
own lives had not beon upon the high
vantage ground of moral renovation, Of
spiritual insight and outlook.
Hide your life with God, and then your
life has the power ana purity of Gods
high places. III you are buried with
Christ, you are buri q in high place.
your consecrated life will flow
stream OF force 10 regenerGte men, Ii
was the effort OF Jesus not to allow his
followers TO rest for one moment upon
what they had accomplished. AS have
said, the spiritual pride almost surely
incident TO great accomplishments must
not take root IN them. The successful
rsformer Is lks the man who elm bs a
dizzy rreoipice, whose only safety is in
looking upward still.
IL IL, therefore, 'one OF the very first
requisites tnat the heavenly sources OF
being, OF purity, OF moral rightness and
vigor shall never be lost from view. In
spirotion from divine fellowship Is in-
despensible. The first, he last source
OF power Is God; the first and last ideal
is what we mean by heaven. Men all
the time arc reversing the proper order,
snd are trying to reach heaven by tho
little ladders they erect on earth. Babel
towers, goddess endoavors. "God Il on
the side Of the greatest battalions, they
say. That Is not SO. certainly In moral
issuee. God may stand NJ first by the
side OF only one man. There is Moses.
Isaiah, Paul, or the Divine Son himself.
But q ends by the greatest battRlions
being on the side of God.
You see the poet-noyelist does tho right
thing in finding God nj the top. But he
does the wrong thing IN leaving God out
until the top Is reached. Hugo belier,d
better than his deal list spoke and you
discover this Us YOU read on. But tho
failure of the French Revolu-
ion was In eliminating GCd from It's
Evolution was TO reach God.
were To win G0d. Social ma
rhincry was 60 produce God. II Ia almot
exactly the talk that we hear In some
quarters today. But II Is the message OF
ttnt God ~ olso nt the bot
tom, tnat life and motive spring from