Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1904-06-24
COM INFRINGEMENT WEEK
Exercises Of High School Will
Close with Reception Tonight
THE BACCALAUREATE.
Sermon Preached Before the Graduating
Class Sunday Eevening by Rev. {. 7.
Mathison.

The baccalaureate sermon was preach
ed at the Centre Congregational church
Sunday evening by Rev. +. r. Mathison,
rector of ST. Mchaers Episcopal church.
VINO took for his text Acts VII. part Of
verses 5>-59. And the Witnesses laid
down their clothes at young mans feet,
whose name was Saul. And they stoned
stephen.
Rather than discuss any secular sub
ject this evening, | propose to turn your
attention TO certain principles which un-
dorlie success. whether in elgious or
secular affairs. namely the opportunities
aud the responsibilities that belong to
the educated more especially the young.
And / have taken the character of Saul
of TarsUs as best Illustrating in his life
and experiences what | desire to set
| forth. saul, afterwards known as st.
Paul enjoyed all the advantages OF the
highest education Of his age.
His native city of Tarsus was the site
of the most celebrated university of the
age He mast at an early period nave
been influenced by the broad culture of
/ his surroundings and perhaps inspired
| thereby To go up to Jerusalem, and at
| the feet of the greatest of the long line
| of Jewish Rabbis acquire all the learning
! of the temple and his race To these
| studies he brought to bear a mind sin
| gularly acute and at the same time ca
pacious. Even without Christianity Saul
ing time. With Christianity he eXerted
! the profoundest influence probably that
any human life has ever done. We may
take him as the type of the educated
young man and scan his progress with
interest as indicative of the course we
may expect to be obliged to pursue.
And first we note how long success
was delayed. His studies are completed.
He had left the temple school and had
been absent on his labors at least three
years. He only then comes into promi-
nenCe as the sponsor for the judicial
murder of St Stephen. His zeal makes
him persistent prosecutor He seeks
the disciples out even in distant cities
on the road to Damascus God appears
and speaks to him. During three days
of blindness he ponders over the new
revelation of truth. He is restored tC
sight. With zeal, but apparently moi
with tact. he begins to preach. He i:
compelled to flee for safety. At Jerusa
lem the experience is repeated. He goes
apart into the deserts of Arabia to med
itate upon these mighty truths of revela
tion, and their bearings upon human
needs. Doubtless there he co-ordinateC
and subordinated those truths each t
each into that systematic form whicl
was to make the Christian religion pow
erful with the learned class and so giv'
il world wide possibilities. But even ye
he is not prepared for life's success. II
stops at Tarsus during eight years o
probable ministry, yet even there littl
/ seems to have been accomplished. A
last revival takes place at Antioch
Barnabas is sent down by the apostle
to superintend the work. 1t proved to
heavy a task for him, unaided. lie re
members the keen intellect of the youn
man Saul at Jerusalem in his unsuc
cessful preaching of IL years before. II
attaches him to the work and the resul
] of their years of labor was to emphasiz
I and eXemplfy the teachings of Jesu
t Christ that the disciples were there give
I that name which was to distinguish ther
through all time. For the disciples wer
called Christians first at Antioch. Fror
this point on we follow his wonderfI
e progress in the evangelizaton of tn
[ | world.
! but l have traced sufficiently for ou
: present purpose the history of ST. Pau
i Until at least the age of 40 years 1t wa
r a persistent and preparatory course fc
future and usefulness. The new CONVEX