The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-06-11
EARNEST ADDRESS BY DIR. KANE.
BaccaIaureate Sermon of the Pres
ident Of Wabash College.
.ial to the Indianapolis Journal.


CRAWFORDSVILLE. Ind. June TO-
The baccalaureate sermon, for the sixty
eighth commencement season of Wabash
College, was delivered by President w. p.
Kane. d. D., this morning at the new As
sembly Hall. DR.. Kane's text was from
John 1. II: "And when Jesus beheld him he
said. Thou art Simon the son of Jonah;
thou shalt be called Cephas." His remarks
in part were:
What wish to say this morning gathers
about the introductory meeting between
Christ and Simon. You will doubtless re-
call the circumstances. The day previous
the Baptist was standing with two Of his
Disciples on the banks OF the Jordan when
Christ approached him. The Baptist,
recognizing him as the Messiah. pointed
him out to his followers. saying: Behold
the Lamb of God which taketh away the
sin of the world
They were not ready to accept him as
their Messiah, and yet unwilling 10 allow
him to pass out of their sight; and so they
followed as If drawn by irresistible
fascination. Christ being conscious OF this
attraction turned and asked, Whom seek
YEP as If to say, why do you follow me?
What is your purpose, your desire! They
answer cautiously, Master, where dwellest
thou?' implying, We would like to meet
you in your home and know more of YOU
The response of Christ was, Come and
see' And so they followed and abode with
him until the next day The two men thus
introduced TO Christ were the future dis
ciples John and Andrew.
I'VE have only the most meager record or
what passed between them; not single
word of Peter is recorded. although we
may be sure he was not silent The greet
ing which Jesus extended TO him must
have struck Peter and the others as very
strange one. All he had to say to him was,
Your name shall be changed. AS Christ
looked into that open face and back OF II
before
one the humble fisherman-the son or his
father. absorbed in the petty details OF his
traffic; the other the great apostle and
future leader and preacher and martyr OF
the Christian church. Now ii was the
purpose of Jesus TO call Simon and to lead
him from the one into the other-from his
actual being into his possible self-hood.
That, / think, was what he meant, at least
a part of his meaning, when he looked
upon him and said, You are only Simon
now, the son of Jonah; your name shall be
Cephas.' This leads directly to the theme
/ wish to discuss this morning-'The divine
purpose and call of Jesus Christ unto the
higher possibilities of our being.
There is the actual and the possible
self in every human life. The problem OF
destiny is to rise from the one into the
other; from the animal into the spiritual,
from the narrow circle OF mere earthly
kinship and concern into the realm of the
sons of God and the inheritors of eternal
things.
I'm looking abroad upon human life as
we find ii there are two distinct realms in
which men live, or rather in which some
men live, and in which, / believe, 1t is pos
sible for all men to live There Is first the
realm OF the material. And under that I
include all that belongs TO this material
globe-business occupations, social en-
gagements and enjoyments and, to some
extent, intellectual pursuits. Into this
realm the natural order OF life introduces
all of us; the world of industry; the world
of domestic relations and duties; of
scholarly research and attainment. And
this is a realm in which Ii is proper that
men should live; in which they should be
active and earnest. But it is not the final
realm. 1t does not mark the limit or the
proper termination of life. Ii does not en-
brace the real blossoming and fruitage of
our being. Beyond this material realm is
the higher and possible realm of spiritual
consciousness and activity and attainment
i'm which is found the crown of manhood !;
the high and noble fruitage of human life.
To fail of reaching that is to fall short of
real manhood, to fall out by the way and
droop under the blight of an arrested
growth.
A HIGHER SPHERE.
There is another sphere above that in
which you are living, into which you may
enter and into which God meant you should
enter. If you refuse. if you turn away,
then you stop short of your proper unfold
ing. Your being is abortive. 1t has failed
of it's flower and fruitage. You have
grasped the shadow of life, but have lost
its substance.
MY friends, what 1 have been preaching
to you this morning is not a mere specula-
ton, or philosophy, nor yet new gos-
pei. 1t is the same old Gospel that Christ
preached to Nicodemus, 'Ye must be born
again. You must pass out from the domin-
ion of the mere earth life into the vision
and realization of the things that are spir-
itual. The purpose of Christ's coming into
this world was TO call men into this upper
realm of life. Not only to call them, but
10 lead them. To impart unto them the
power TO do this: For to as many as re-
ceived Him to them gave He power TO be-
come the sons of God This is the purpose
and aim of all Christian discipleship. When
Simon accepted Christ as his master and
yielded himself to the power of His teach
ing and &c the inspiration of His presence
he began TO pass from under the dominion
of things earthly into the realm of spiritual
vision and attainment and power. Ii was
the crisis hour of his life-the experience
which we call conversion The turning
away from lower things TO the mastery of
things higher and more real. He did not
become Cephas in a day. He reached the
enlarged vision and the new power step by
step. and by the processes by which men
are still led into that higher kingdom.
Young gentlemen of the class of 1900
the truth i have been urging this morning
applies and should appeal with peculiar
force to you. You have reached the most
interesting and significant stage in your
career. Standing. as you do, upon the
threshold of mature life. you are facing
the opportunities and problems and re-
sponsibilities OF manhood The years that
are behind you have been largely occupied
i'm learning about the world, its resources,
it's achievements, it's problems. its leader
ships. Henceforth you are TO become a
part of that world; your own lives part
of its problems: your own purpose and en-
ergy giving direction to its movement, and
your own character entering into the work.
ing out of its destiny. IL becomes a mat
ter of great concern TO you whether YOU
shall interpret or misinterpret the world;
whether It's affairs shall absorb and limit
your purpose. or whether they shall be a
suggestion and Indictment toward the
real things Of which they are but shadows
and symbols. IL is only as you gain this
higher conception of life here. looking
and leading toward the unseen and the
eternal. that you rise into your possi-
BILE selfhood. I pray that this thought
may cling 10 you with the memory of this
service. and that you 60 forth TO take
your places in the ranks OF life II may be
with open vision and responsive heart
fxy0o x~ogc L. eth