Year: 1876

BACCALAUREATE.


The exercises Of the annual commence
ment OF Middlebury college for the Cen
tennial year opened on Sunday Afternoon
with the baccalaureate discourse, by Rev
q. b. Hubert, d. D., president. There
was large audience, including alumni
and other friends Of the college and Wis
itors in town, with many from tho sur.
rounding towns.


The exercises were opened with au or.
gan voluntary and an anthem by the choir
reading OF scripture by the pastor, and
prayer by Rev. s. W. Magill. d D, OIL
Cornwall.


The president selected Tor his text
Psalm 90 II and 22, and his subject was
the practical lessons of the passage warn.
ing OF the danger Of catastrophe as the
final Issue Of our being from misappra.
hending points Of resemblance and differ.
ences between God and ourselves. We
can give only al abstract. After ex.
planning the human tendency and the
tendency OF sin to prevent and degrade
God to the level of flesh and blood and to
misinterpret the methods of his govern.
ment, especially his delay to punish, and
referring to the unfortunate effects Of
false views Of God and his governm ent,
he proceeded to discuss some of the ways
in which we are exposed to err perilonsly
in tracing points of resemblance between
God and ourselves.


First, We incur this peril when we
suppose that God resembles us in not
carefully inspecting our characters and
conduct and in not keeping in his mem.
ory what he has seen in us. We are
careful not to know much of ourseI yes,
We find solace for wrong doing in the
hope it may not be known. In the same
way we find relief in our power to fo get.
AS our misdeeds and sinful acts rccede in
the past they fade from the memory and
are buried in sweet oblivion. This fail.
ure to note what is going on and the for.
getting of what We have observed becomes
habit with us and it is easy to indulge
the hallucination that God is like our
selves, taking no particular interest in
what we are and are doing. But God is
altogether unlike us in these respect


But there is another and second orm
10 which We are wont to often liken God
to ourselves and which possibly is more
hurttul than the first mentioned the
perilous error we commit when we up
pose that God resembles us in his lala
tons. 1t is common for undiscriminaiing
minds to reason that it would not be lust
In God to exercise his retribulion scnti.
ment 10 Furnishing ono of his creatures
forever because it would not be Just ia US
to intict punishment upon one of oul fel-
low beings. They say, "who does not
regard 1t more noble to forgive an ofltnse
than to avenge it ?" This reasoning as.
anmes that God stands in the same Iala
tion to his creatures that one man sta nds
to another. Man may, in a representa-
tive character as a magistrate, stand q
somewhat similar relation. Then he. 100,
must vindicate the law. But God n, yer
holds toward his creatures the relation of
a private individual, He is the supreme
magistrate of the universe by the very
nature of things.


But there is another and third instan nee
where we are wont to trace false re.
semblance which is equally and possibly
more fatal in its effects than the previous.
ly considered. On account of the incom.
petencss OF our own natures we often
conceive Of God as existing entire in
some department Of his nature and as
being under the control of that depart.
ment. AS for instance. We accord do.
minion to mere sympathy 10 the divine
nature. But this is because we commit
the error Of supposing God to be like us
in being under tho control of single
emotion. God can never act fractionally
A mistake or an inadyertance is precu I'D
ed by the infniteness aud plentitude Of
his being Man may be swayed by an
emotion. as sympathy, but God cannot
Right here God is not altogether such an
one as his sinful creatures. "God is love"
but this is the SUN and sum total. When
used as q synonym of Deity love is not
used in the narrow sense of an affec ion,
but as an all.comprehending principle
that embraces the periectiors of the di.
vine nature. Benevolence in the human
soul is all the graces combined holding in
solution the whole character. God's be.
negolence is allcompreheusive and seeks
the largest good possible, and may iudict
suffering and even resign sinners, when
the probationary season is past into the
hands of ministry Of vengeance The
divine benevoIence enlo,as all human in.
teresis and seeks to secure the greatest
good oI mankind, by whatever disci iiue
and suffering may be necessary. Ii ia
not itself the ransom, though il prov des
the ransom aud opens The way To eternal
bliss.


After 5riei application of these tinihs
by calling attention to the destiny of
those who mutilate and pervert and de.
grade God, the speaker proceeded as
follows, to address the


GRADUATING CLASS.


And in harmony with the subject
which has now engaged us my first word
of counsel is "Let the word IF God dwell
in you richly in all wisdom Thus shall
you make an acquaintance with God as
be is and his peace shall rule in your
hearts. Rooted and built up in him, es.
tablishe in the faith, as ye have been
taught, no man shall spoil you through
philosophy aud vain deceit after the ira.
dition Of men, aite- the rudiments OF the
world, and not after Christ. in whom
iwelleth all the fulness Of the Godhead
bodily and in whom ye are complete
Thus shall no man beguie you of your
reward. intrndinq into those things " hich