The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-01-28
DR.. EsTEY's SERMON.
breaches for Senior High School Glass
on Sunday.

baccalaureate sermon to the grad
yates of the Topeka high school was de-
livered yesterday morning by Dr..
Stephen S. Estey, pastor of the First
Presbyterian church. ..The Life Victor
ious" was the subject discussed and for
his text DR.. Estey took Romans, 8: Q.
ITO be carnally minded is death, but to
be spiritually minded IS life and peace.
DR.. Esteys effort was a brilliant one
and in conclusion he said:
1T was possible for me today to urge
upon you. many practical virtues-thrift.
industry, temperance, perseverance,
cheerfulness, kindness and a dozen 9TH
er lauda BILE traits, to have given you In
short a kind of Poor Richards Almanac
sermon. But these virtues are flowers
of character and they must grow if
they grow at all from the root. They
cannot be tied on to a life like artificial
flowers. That root from which they
grow naturally is spiritual n1indedness-
1 know no happiness, no splendid life
achievement that can come to any man
OF woman apart from the religious me-
Looking into your IaeeS and wishing
fer you all only happiness and all best
success, yet. can see no certainty OF
success for any one who does not i've
his life in communion with God, and
train his conscience by the commands of
the Bible. Doing this. temperance and
cheerfulness, and beauty and kindness
come naturally. l have studied Ire
deeply and earnestly. 1 know the lives
of many and / know no life that is full,
zestful, strong, victorious that Is not
lived in communion with God and thrill
ed with the power of faith In splrltuaI
things. Do you see where tall trees
deck the hot desert sands? You Will
find always that they are nourished by
q hidden spring of water. Do you see
where great lives tower here and there
in history, and in our midst? You VIII
find always that they are fed by the
spring of faith in God. No greatness
thrives In the cramped world of the carr
only bitterness, discoH-
ct v-faVT
will be power in the world you must
have the power of God in your life. IL
you viii build beautiful life 1t can not
be by any other plan than by the beau
tiful teachings of Christ.
Il have searched my soul to give you
today that which should count in your
future lives and 1 have come at last to
you with the same, old, old message
the pulpit has to give-you must nave
faith in God and abide in the blessed
Christ, If your life is to bear fruit.
There is no other root truth to give
YOU. There is no other recipe for the
life victorious. If any of you go out
this day to face the future without the
to live your life in GOD, |
I have no prophecy of either JOY or sue
cess for you. / would that every one |
here might resolve this day that his |
should be a spiritual life. RuSkin's mot
to which he had engraved on block OF
and kept always on his |
desk was the single word. Today To-
day will you not resolve that you win |
enter life equipped with the power that |
comes to the religious life?
mot failure but low aim is crime,
saws Lowell 1t was the spirituality
minded Browning who wrote: All, but
mans reach should exceed his grasp.
Reach? Oh, reach up to God The !
clasp of His hand. shall empower you |
for all life's duties, joys and disasters.
Be spiritually minded. Then shall yours
be the life victorious and of you shall
men say, he was strong.
One who never turned his back but
marched breast onward,
Never doubted clouds would break,
Never dreamed, though right We're /
worsted, wrong would triumph!
Held we fall to rise. are baf1ed to fight
better, Sleep to wake.