The herald., 1896-06-29
Some of the Sermons That Were
Delivered
A BACCALAUREATE ADDRESS
To the Normal School Graduating Class
at st. Paul's
Central Presbtsrlan, Emmanuel and FIrst
Mcthodlst-TabernacIe and Other Talks

to the graduating class of the state nor
NAL school was preached yesterday
morning by the Rt. Rev. DR.. J. H. John
son, the bishop Of Los Angeles.
The large edifice was filled to the utter
most with an immense concourse of peo-
pie, besides he~pupils Of the normal
school and the faculty. The altar and
chancel Of the church were simply de-
corated with ferns and flowers. and a
very elaborate choral program formed
an exquisite musical service. The selec-
tions were The Heavens are Telling
from the Creation, the Credo from Web
ers mass in e fiat and Mozart's Motet
No. /. During the offertory Mr.. Marion
Wigmore sang magnifcently Why do
the Nations Rage. from the Messiah.
The sermon was taken from part of
the 38th verse Of Matt xii, Jesus said
unto him, thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy mind. The
theme Of the discourse was the respon-
sibility Of the intellect for spiritual
things, and in part was as follows:
Whatever we may be inclined to think
about predestination and free will. we
must admit that God has a great plan
mapped out for the human race and that
each man has his work assigned to him
in this scheme. Few of us make the
most of ourselves, or our physical, In
tellectual or moral powers. There Is
something in the family, the church, or
the state that we ought to be, but are not.
There are two ways in which this fact
may be regarded. We may accept life's
course as inevitable; that do what we
may we cannot change 1t. 1t Is as it was
intended to be. There Is the other policy
by which we may honestly face the Sit
uation and manfully strive to change it's
conditions, with the expectation of ele-
vating ourselves and our fellow men.
This latter policy so far commends IT.
self to me that propose to consider this
morning how far we are responsible for
our failure to attain the end God has
destined for us.
You must pardon me, my young friends
II at the close of a hard and laborious
course of study / speak to you of fall
ure rather than of achievement. l look
upon this work of your lives as literally
q commencement. To be sure, 1t Is the
end of a task, the conclusion of toll Yet,
after all, all you have been doing has
been in preparation Nor something that
Is to commence in the early future; your
active work in which you are destined
by God to play part. Now, my thought
Is that you may succeed or fail, and feel
that you are Intellectually accountable
to God for success of failure. Hoping
cannot but feel that should do some
thing to strengthen the sense of respon-
sibility that alone will securei it.
An opinion very common is that a
mans accountability to God ends with
q quiet conscience; that conscience is
in its way a sixth sense through which
God indicates to man the truths which
could not be disclosed in any other way.
10 those who hold this opinion, con-
science appears to be the infallible
guide. This idea Is a mistaken one. l
would ask, docs mans accountability
case when his conscience in quiet?" Con-
science is the divine witness to our own
own judgment, and we are accountable,
not only for the obedience we render
1t, but for dts character as well. Convic-
tions must be more than real; they must
have the character of intelligence as
well as reality; and this is suggested by
the text or the day, Thou shalt love
the Lord with all thy mind" The in
tellect Is accountable to God. What
may not God expect the conscience to
be, and where is the limit of the intel
lect's accountability or the performance
OF duty? AS look down to you who lis
ten to me today. you who through the
year have been thinking Of the great
problem of education, this is the mes
sage yearn to take to you and help
you make your own truth-You owe
something to God. God has a right to
high state Of culture into which you are
entering.
There are uncomfortable causes at
work which will inevitably influence
the ideal in real life. There is environ
ment, the first circumstance that stands
in the way of mans doing and being
all that he ought Under the head of
environment and necessity can be class
ed all those righteous palliations which
may be urged as the excuses for the
mental failure Of men. But are we not
somewhat responsible for the ignorance
which mars the work of God in our lives !?
Are we not culpable for many of our
Intellectual mistakes and errors? There
Is, as an instance, the ignorance grow
ing out Of apathy and Indifference.
There Is q class which simply slips
through life with rarely a thought for
its duties. 1 should ask, is not such a
class Intellectually responsible to God
for its ignorance?
There Is the ignorance growing out of
inertia. Men again and again through
mere sluggishness fail to fit themselves
for life's duties. Still again we find here
and there ignorance due to prejudice.
Out OF these man may lift himself.
He has not made his environment and
he cannot escape from necessity; facts
to both Of which many Of his false no.
tions are due. but he can extricate him.
self from his apathy, sloth and self-will.
Ignorance is not alone responsible for
mistaken judgment. There is a pride
which Is as fatal to accurate mental
habit; q species of vanity that holds q
man to his opinions formed in the igno-
rance Of early life.
The obligation Of the intellect in mat
ters affecting the body and this life may
be used as illustrating. and so empha-
sizing the obligation that rests upon the
intellect in matters affecting the soul.
II, through the Ignorance Of indiffer-
ence, inertness. prejudice or pride, our
judgment as to the salvation and the de-
velopment Of new life in man is warped.
or we have no cenviction; have we no
responsibility to God for that result !?
Young men and young women, you may
have passed religion by with a smile.
Learn Of 1t, and it will test your man
liness and womanliness to the uttern1ost.
The obligation to examine it, and to live
the life, Is thrown upon you now. I
ask each one who hears me today Are
you using your intellects to enlighten
your consciences? In a word, are you
loving God with your minds?
into all truth"
At Headquarters
j. H. Swerdfiger of Pasadena last
night, at the theosophical headquarters,
800 south Broadway, delivered an ad-
oress Defore the Harmony branch Of the
Tneosophtcal society, his subject being
said: -.-
Theosophy teaches us to regard all
mankind as hrofhers oc5 &lS