The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-06-19
ANNUAL sermon
BEFORE SCHOOL
GRADUATES
Baccalaureate at Methodist
Church Last Evening
BY THE PASTOR, REV. P.L. DO W
lmpresses Upon Members of Out
Going Class that Life is
Period Of Struggle.

'A&s sIan. ----- -~STg TFrE7Er
The Baccalaureate service of the
graduating class of the High school
at the Methodist church last night
was attended by large congrega-
, tion' The pastor, Rev P. L. Dow.
was assisted in the opening service
by Rev. George s. Mills, pastor of the
Congregational church, who offered
prayer and Rev. Philip Schuyler, rec
tor ct the Episcopal church who read
the scripture lesson. The music con-
sisted of familiar hymns and anthem
by the choir and Mrs. Lena Downs
sang a solo, accompanied by Mrs.
Fred Stickles, organist.
Mr.. Dow took Tor his text Rev. PIT
20 him that overcometh will I
give to eat OF the hidden mama and
will give him a white stone and in
the stone new name written, which
no man knoweth saving he that re-
ceiveth it."
Mr.. Dow said in part, human life
is warfare against the world, the
flesh, and the devil There is no es-
cape from the conflict, the battle is
on and either we will be victorious or
suffer defeat BY the world is meant
the cares OF the world 1t is indi.
spensable to our we'll being that we
have business cares of some kind,
for the law of God is that we earn
our bread in the sweat of our face"
The indolent are already defeated,
but the cares of the world may so abb
sorb and exhaust US as to overcome
us In fact many are suffering de-
feat so far as spiritual life is con-
cerned by the cares of the world
which are in their nature legitimate
but which have been allowed to
choke the life Of God in the soul of
man. There are the trials Of life in
cident to business that are real, fires
and frost, drouth and flood and multi
tudinous pests, financial failures, ad-
versities of various sorts, that are to
be encountered and which will try
mems souls and under which many
have succumbed
There are the Affections of life that
despite our wisest and best effort to
prevent come, affiiction is the heir
loom of the human family and many
have groken down under its power,
lost their faith and charged God with
injustice, but even under lifes sorest
trials, many may be victorious
There are the riches OF the world,
great opportunities favoring
the accumulation of wealth. Wealth
is not bad in itself. but the love of
money is. There have been noble
specimens of men and women, pos
SCISSORS of wealth, who hold their
possessions as the stewards of God,
but the dangers connected with riches
are great and many bright spiritual
life has been choked thereby
There are the honors of the world,
perfectly proper in themselves and it
is very desirable that men shall be
honored by elevation to office for
when the righteous rule the nations
flourish, but the way thereto is fought
with danger and many have been
morally overcome by the methods per
sued to obtain position and the dang
ers of graft and bribery are not few.
Then we have the appetites and
passions, which are God given and
are to be controlled, but if they are
allowed to control, moral wreck is
certain. We ought to be warned by
the SAD illustrations in the lives of
men and women, who have been en-
shaved and wrecked soul and body by
strong drink and the social evil This
is the bloody angle, here the fight is
fierce.
Then besides the world and the
flesh we have the devil to contend
against, an evil spirit who tempts me
to doubt God and discredit his
promises, who tempts men to do
wrong, to cheat and deceive, who
tries to make men think they can not
maintain honest principles
in business, who leads men to be pro-
fame, for there is no accounting for
the astonishing amount of profanity
other than a satanic source, for 1t con-
tributes no value to any statement,
or any person, and is sad and la
mentable habit. These are some
phases of the conflict, they are
surely formidable, but we may be vic
tors in the fight. How? This is the
victory that overcometh the world
even our faith" not mere assent
but a faith that like the trolley arm
takes hold of power, that lifts one
up into communion with God and
gives victory in the name and
strength of Him upon whose thigh
King and Lord of Lords"
King and Lord of Lords.
The members of the graduating
class present were: Gertrude A. Nc
MCGUIRE, Maude A. Edison, Flora C.
Burgess, Irene White, Elizabeth H.
Shea, Mildred L. Peelor, Elizabeth
M. Stewart, Duane r. Bassett, Abe
Noveck, Mary E. Robinson, Gladys
Fauley, Jane Burgess, Polly Harbour,
Ruth Burt, j. Russell Carpenter.