The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-06-05

Church Last EveninE--The Cross of
 Christ the Opening Key to the Sealed
 Book of tue spIrit-AbiIity cues
 tion of Worthiness. <s ts ...
 The baccalaureate sermon to the graduating class of the Yale Divinity school was preached last evening by Rev. William Rogers Richards, D. D., of New York city, at Center church. The seniors of the school, in cap and gown, marched from East Divinity hall to the church and occupied seats in the forward part of the church. A large congregation was present at the ser- vice. Assembled on the platform werr President Hadley and Dean Sanders, Professor Bacon, Professor Curtlss, Professor Porter and Professor Walker, of the Divinity school. The graduating class this year numbers twenty-eight men.
 Dr. Richards preached from Rev. 5, 4, And l wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book nor to look thereon"
 Dr. Richards spoke of the touching picture presented by John in this pass age. It is said to-day, he said, when we see some one standing before a. sealed book. We feel that we must help him to the reading of it. The Christian religion has taught us a most strong and painful sympathy with the man who wants to read book. We have no better proof that America, with all it's faults, may be entitled to be called a Christian land than in the means that it has taken to teach all it's people to read. This had been the first thought of many peoples; for instance, the Dutch, after the siege of Leyden, founding their university as a, fitting representation of their thanks for their delivery. So the pioneers of New Eng land, almost before they had built their log cabins over their headts, founded their university. Every one always strives to give all who will the chance to read.
 Always there is some one somewhere tortured with the desire to unlock one more seal of the great book of nature and of science. Always some one is seeking to reach the North Pole or to discover some hidden scientific fact.
 Back of the book of nature there is one book more alluring, more inaeces- sible still. If you could read this it would tell you of the things of the spirit. If you could read it through it would tell you what your soul is, what God is. This is deeper mystery than any in physical science. It is in the region of metaphysics, of philosophy.
 Many men have sought to read this book. Whenever We may place in the list of these men we must certainly place John among them. He wept be- cause no man had been found worthy to open it.
 This is the one book in regard to (which the idea of worthiness is used. In regard to other books only the abil- |ity to read enters in. Worthiness does not count. There may be large com pany of men, there might be univer- sity of men-it is conceivable that there might be theological seminary full of men of great learning and reading who yet would not be able to read at all in
 
 this book.
 But One was found worthy to read in it, even the Lamb of Judah. And Johns sorrow was turned to joy be- cause One was found among men wor- thy to take the book and open the seals thereof. The cross of Christ is the key with which to open the the book. It has been of much comfort to thousands of people in this world that it is He who has been found worthy.
 The book of ones self is as deeply mysterious and as full of questioning as the book of the world. Who am I? Whither am l going? What is 1t all for? are the questions John asked. But at last some one came into his life John called him Christ. He alone could tell him the secret of his soul. And I