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 THE GRADUATING CLASS 
 
 
 PENNSYLVANIA COLLEGE. 
 
 GETTYSBURG, SEPTEMBER 16TH, 1855, 
 
 BY H. L. BAUUHER. 
 
 rublislied by the Class. 
 
 <f,AP^©-@-®.^^w^/\'<^ 
 
 ^ GETTYSBURG: 
 
 PRINTED BY II. C. NEINSTEDT. 
 
 18-55. 
 

GRADUATES FOR 1855. 
 
 John Ilgen Burrell, 
 Luther H. Croll, . 
 Jeremiah Frazier, . 
 Samuel A. Holman, . 
 Eli Huber, , . . , 
 John A. Kunkleman, 
 William F. Paxton, 
 Jacob Rinehart, . 
 James W. Shuey, 
 
 JOSIAH R. TiTZEL, 
 
 Salojia, Pa. 
 Middletoion, Pa- 
 Frederick, Md. 
 Harrisburg, Pa. 
 Pinegrove, Pa. 
 Loudon, Pa. 
 Gettysburg, Pa. 
 Uniontoion, Md. 
 Staunton, Va. 
 Vienna, Pa. 
 
Titus 2: 15 (last clause). — "Let no man despise thee." 
 
 The feeling of contempt, in whatever degree it may be 
 cherished, is never the result of misfortune or affliction, but of 
 conduct. It is not the poor man who is despised, or the de- 
 formed, or the bereaved, whether of friends, or possessions, or 
 reason, these are pitied and relieved, but it is the mean in 
 character, and the ignoble and the dishonorable in life. ¥/hen 
 therefore the apostle addressed the language of the text to 
 Titus, whom he had left in Crete for the purpose of setting in 
 order the things which were wanting in the church, he referred 
 especially to his conduct. He would say to him, "exhibit 
 such a character, and conduct thyself in such a manner, in 
 all the relations of life, that no one will have reason to despise 
 thee." It is then manifest from this, that a christian young 
 man, educated and introduced into the church by an inspired 
 apostle, may be so far overcome by evil influences, and may 
 so far forget his character and profession, as to do that which 
 deserves to be despised. It will not, therefore, be an expres- 
 sion of a vi'ant of confidence in you, my young friends, if I 
 address to you the language of Paul to Titus, and say, "let no 
 man despise you." You will soon engage in the stirring and 
 active duties of life. Your bark you are about to launch on 
 its troublous ocean, and you may need the counsels of the 
 experienced, at the very beginning of the voyage. 
 
 As the want of respect, or the contempt which we feel for 
 any one, is the result of his character, or of his conduct as an 
 
expression of il, lei me urge you lo act towaids yourselves, 
 your fellow-men, and your God, in such a manner as that no 
 one will have reason to despise you, 
 
 1. In respect to yourselves, there are certain duties, which, 
 if faithfully discharged, no one can despise you. Among 
 these I place studious habits and knowledge. These two are 
 placed together, because they are intimately united in fact. 
 Much knowledge will not be acquired without studious habits 
 and, with them, a large and increasing fund of knowledge, for 
 the daily uses of life, and the consolation of old age and ad- 
 versity, is certain. It is presumed that the routine of a college 
 life, with its regularly returning seasons for study, will have 
 formed both the habit and an aptitude for study. If we have 
 failed in this one important part of college training, much has 
 been lost. But habits of study may be lost, after they have 
 been formed, as well as acquired when they do not exist. 
 They should therefore be kept up by constant exercise. The 
 great advantage which an educated man possesses over him 
 whose mind has not been disciplined, consists mainly in the 
 formation of studious habits, and his knowledge of the use of 
 books. By these he is enabled to accomplish, in a i^v^ weeks, 
 a literary enterprize which (he uneducated could effect only 
 after years of patient and laborious mental discipline. The 
 student, therefore, owes it to himself, to perpetuate and invig- 
 orate these habits, lo give them depth and compass, so that 
 when an emergency occurs, they may be tasked to accomplish 
 much work. This is readily secured by tasking, every day or 
 every week. The mind, prone to indolence like the body, 
 when necessity is not laid upon it, needs for its well-being that 
 an artificial necessity be created, so that it may be developed 
 in its proper proportions. Habits thus formed, in their proper 
 use are constantly gaining sUenglh, so that the student; who 
 
shall have continued his studious habits, will have laid up foi 
 old age, a degree of intellectual power, which will be (o him. 
 a perpetual source of purest enjoyment. Such a man cannot 
 be despised. One who desires to be distinguished above oth- 
 ers, as intelligent, owes it to himself to increase in knowledge. 
 You have learned how to acquire knowledge, and here and 
 there an opening has been made into the vast field of know- 
 ledge which lies before you. These will enable you to see 
 something of the extent of the field, and the quality of the 
 treasure to be seemed. I.t is the duly of educated men to cuL 
 tivate this field. They owe it to themselves and to their coun- 
 try, and to the world and to their God. These treasures were 
 not placed there to be neglected or to be abused. - They con- 
 stitute a part of the exhaustless beneficence of the great God, 
 to be employed for his glory, and for the highest good of mart- 
 kind. He who possesses the ability to draw out these treas-^ 
 ures, and employ them in their legitimate use, and neglects, 
 through indolence, or refuses from a worse motive, deserves to 
 be despised. What ought we think of the physician who pro- 
 fesses to cure diseases, whose attainments are endorsed by a 
 medical faculty, and into whose hands, therefore, we confide 
 our dying bodies to be treated, and yet knows but the first 
 principles of his profession, who wastes his time in lounging 
 about the public places of resort, or in the fashionable amuse- 
 ments of the day ; who casts aside the e.^perience of the an- 
 cients, and the accumulated and recorded wisdom of the mod- 
 erns, and who relies only upon his own inflated ignorance to 
 aid him in his profession ? What estimate are we to form of 
 the counselor who professes to advise the ignorant, as to their 
 rights under the laws of the land, whilst he himself is ignorant 
 of them ; who, instead of promoting the peace of the com- 
 munity, himself destro3's that peace, and stoops to live upon 
 
the contentions of his fellow-men? What shall we say of the 
 preacher, or divine, who professes to teach the way of salva- 
 tion, upon which he himself has never walked, and to ex- 
 pound the word of God which he does not understand, eTnd to 
 solve and relieve cases of conscience, when he is ignorant of 
 his own heart, and of the laws and operations of the mind? 
 What shall we say of him, who is fired by an ardent zeal to 
 do good, who professes that it is above all things the desire of 
 his heart to do good, but refuses to endure the labor and anxi- 
 ety necessary to enable him to gratify his. desire, who takes 
 counsel, not of the experienced and learned, but of his own 
 heart, and, throwing books, and study, and learning aside, 
 stands up before the people to preach? These and various 
 other forms of quackery, in the different professions and avo- 
 cations of life, exemplify the want of knowledge connected 
 with much pretension. Such men we cannot respect. They 
 are much below the honest mechanic, who learns his trade 
 thoroughly, and presents for your necessities or comfort, a per- 
 fect piece of workmanship. 
 
 You owe it then to yourselves, my young friends, to be 
 thorough in the.profession to which you devote yourselves : to 
 bring forth, from day to day, the wisdom of the great men 
 who have passed away; to employ all the knowledge which 
 is now-current among men, touching the sphere in which you 
 move, and to elaborate and bring forth that which is new and 
 instructive, as a contribution to swell the general stock of 
 knowledge in the world. 
 
 2. You owe it to yourselves to cultivate kind feelings and 
 gentlemanly deportment towards all men. The boorish, the 
 rude and harsh in feeling and manner, and not (he kind and 
 gentlemanly, are despised. The cullivalion of kind feelings 
 constitutes one of the richest sources of earthly enjoyment. 
 
Our happiness depends but lillle upon llie exlernal circum- 
 stances which surround us, and almost entirely uponlhe state 
 of the affections. If there be peace in the soul, if there be 
 good will to man, if there be a desire to render others happy, 
 and if^ in addition, there be supreme love to God, that man is 
 as happy as he can be on earth, and no force of external cir- 
 cumstances can have power to reach or to destroy his happi- 
 ness. But kind feelings, like sweet flowers, need cultivation. 
 They do not, in most men, spring up spontaneously, neither 
 are they the growth of an hour. The tempers and disposi- 
 tions of some men seem to be naturally morose, selfish, exclu- 
 sive and severe, whilst there is a perpetual sunshine beaming 
 upon the hearts of others. Besides, the daily occurrences of 
 life furnish the occasion, if not the excuse for harshness. 
 
 Now, every man owes it to himself, as well as to his neigh- 
 bor, to put the best construction upon the words and actions of 
 others. To subdue bitterness of feeling and vindictiveness, so 
 to have intercourse with his fellow-men, and so to regulate his 
 thoughts and desires as that the law of kindness will reign in 
 his heart and rest upon his tongue. The expression of this 
 kindness is gentlemanly deportment. For true gentility, like 
 true Christianity, has its seat in the heart. There is no mis- 
 taking the true gentleman, though his manner be embarrassed 
 and his gestures awkward. The proper expression of kindness 
 should also be carefully studied, for an act of kindness bestow- 
 ed in an ungracious manner, loses half its value. Indeed, 
 kindness of manner in general, is too little studied among us. 
 Its great importance as a sweetener of life's rugged way, is too 
 little considered. How we admire and love a sweet disposi- 
 tion, giving itself expression in words and actions which gush 
 spontaneously from the heart. We exclaim at once, there is 
 
 one of nature's noblemen. It is impossible to despise such a 
 2 
 
10 
 
 man. We could not succeed were we to make the efforts 
 How differently are we affected towards those who exhibit lit- 
 tle or no kindness of heart, or manner, who permit a selfish 
 disposition to run to seed, and (o multiply itself again and 
 again, who feel no interest in their fellow-men, and manifest 
 no concern for their welfare, and who stand in society as the 
 Upas, unapproached and unapproachable. If we do not de- 
 spise, we desire to have no intercourse with them. Let me 
 urge you, my young friends, to cultivate the spirit of kindness 
 and a gracious manifestation of it. This will not only pro- 
 tect you against the hostility of others, it will secure their 
 friendship and affection. "Blessed are the meek, for they shall 
 inherit the earth." 
 
 That we may not dwell too long on this part of the subject, 
 we briefly state that no one despises the young man who is 
 pure in heart and life, who is chaste and temperate in all things, 
 who is governed in his intercourse with men by principle and 
 not interest, who is economical without being mean, and lib- 
 eral without ostentation, who, in one word, is influenced, not 
 by the consideration of how have others acted towards me, or 
 what will the world think of me, but by that other sentiment, 
 more exalted and noble, what is the course of conduct which 
 is due to myself as a rational and immortal being? How shall 
 I best accomplish' the end of life, and crown it with glory and 
 honor? Such sentiments cannot fail to secure for their pos- 
 sessor the blessedness of a good conscience, and the approba- 
 tion of all good men. 
 
 3. Let no one despise you in respect to the duties which you 
 owe to others. These may be summed up under the compre- 
 hensive law of reciprocity, as taught by reason, or the law of 
 love, as taught by revelation. There are men in (he world, 
 who pay no respect to this law, who regard their fellow men, 
 
11 
 
 not as inheritors with them of the coinmon bounties of God's 
 providence, but as proper subjects of gain, who make the end 
 of life their own gratification, and desire every transaction to 
 contribute to their own advantage, and are dissatisfied unless 
 they make, in all things, the best bargain. For such persons 
 we can entertain very little respect. Certainl}^, every hor^^st 
 business transaction must be advantageous to both the parties 
 concerned. Wealth, honestly obtained, is that which has been 
 secured by the bestowment of blessings upon others. The pro- 
 fession, or employment, which is sustained by the unrequited 
 labors, or pains, or resources of others, must be sinful before 
 God, and despicable in the sight of men. See to it then, that 
 both your business and your manner of conducting it, be use- 
 ful to your fellow-men, and that no one can justly charge you 
 with the spirit of selfishness. Our theories of religion and 
 morality are but sealed books, and of no service, except to ad- 
 mire, if we practice not the blessed precepts which they in- 
 culcate. But the relations which we sustain to our fellow-men, 
 are not only those of business; they are multiplied and varied, 
 and embrace all the sympathies and affections of our natures. 
 The majority of young men, in setting out in life, may be re- 
 garded as poor, unknown, and without influence. Anxious to 
 maintain themselves honestly, and to reflect honor upon their 
 parents, and to secure a good name, they are yet ignorant of a 
 situation adapted to their wants. To them an opportunity of 
 acting out the impulses of their nature, would be not only a 
 source of happiness, it would be the greatest earthly blessing 
 which could be conferred upon them. In no way with which 
 I am acquainted, can men of intelligence, wealth and influ- 
 ence, employ their power more advantageously for their fellow- 
 men, than in this. They may be said, in this way, to form 
 virtuous character, to increase honest gains, to multiply the 
 
12 
 
 happiness of mankind. For external circumstances conlribule 
 largely to the formation of character. If the proper life exist 
 in the young man, if he be anxious to do that which is right, 
 and win a good name amongst his fellow-men, such a situation 
 will furnish the circumstances in which this life will be mani- 
 fe4|ed and developed. With what gratitude do the young, 
 thus directed, regard their benefactors in after life? How vast 
 the benefits which one man may thus confer upon his country 
 and the world. How nobly does he sfand before the world as 
 a benefactor of his race. Not obstructing, by such a course, 
 the operations of his own private affairs, but, with them, giv- 
 ing direction to the industry and future capital of hundreds 
 who are needy. If such a course be noble, then stretch out 
 the helping hand to the honest and industrious everywhere, 
 when you have secured influence and power amongst men. 
 Feel that you are interested in everything which belongs to 
 man. Enlarge, in this way, the sphere of your benevolence. 
 As you feel now, when about to enter upon the journey of life, 
 how good it is, oi it would be, for some kind friend to open to 
 you a way of usefulness to yourselves and others, be assured 
 that others will thus feel, when you have extended like be- 
 nevolence to them. Oh! it is the highest form of humanity, 
 thus to enter into the necessities of others, and to direct into 
 the path of honest industry, those who else might have wan- 
 dered from the path of rectitude. Thus have merchants and 
 mechanics, and professional men, an opportunity of becoming 
 largely benefactors to their race, though their deeds be not re- 
 corded by the historian, or sung by the poet. 
 
 Disease, in some form, has always attended the human fam- 
 ily, and may be regarded, not only as a part of our earthly in- 
 heritance, but as ordered by God as a corrective and restraint 
 upon man. In any form, it is painful, and in many exceed- 
 
ingly distressing'. Tliiowu together in society, and dependent 
 upon each other as we are, in ail the relations of life, this de- 
 pendence becomes more striking in sickness. Racked with 
 pain, prostrated in body and mind, oftlimes delirious and com- 
 pletely helpless, no condition in life demands more imperative-^ 
 ly our sympathy and assistance. These become more imper- 
 ative, when the disease is widespread, and has become epidem-^ 
 ic ; when the fear of death haS filled every heart, and the 
 timid, and the selfish, and the wicked flee, regarding, in the 
 common danger, only their own safety. Here duly is plairij 
 but men flee from it. The physician, whose prescriptions and 
 presence then are most needed to cheer and encourage; the 
 divine, whose services are then demanded, as pastor, to com- 
 fort the sufTering and distressed with the consolations of the 
 gospel, to direct the anxious sinner to the lamb of God, to in* 
 struct the ignorant, and to perform the last sad offices to the 
 dead ; the nurse, to watch over the suflTering patient, whose 
 work is often more important than that of the physician him^ 
 self, all have left, and the sick die unattended, and the dead 
 lie unburied. How strong and irresistible is the feeling of 
 condemnation against such inhumanity! Can we suppress 
 the feeling of contempt for such persons? True, it may be 
 said there is danger, and self preservation is the first law of our 
 nature. But danger everywhere besets our path, and that na- 
 ture which teaches such a law, is depraved and fallen, and. 
 must yield to that higher law, "thou shalt love thy neighbor 
 as thyself," "and as ye would that men should do to you, do 
 ye even so to them." Ah, there is a loveliness, a heavenly- 
 mindedness in the self-denial of him who shrinks not from the 
 office of a minister at the bed-side of the suffering, who fore- 
 goes the sweets of repose, and exposes himself to disease and 
 death, that he may press the cooling draught to the fevered 
 
14 
 
 lips, and speak a word of encouragement and comfort to the 
 exhausted sufferer. How is our fallen nature dignified when, 
 under the influence of the spirit of chrislianity, it thus rises 
 and is exalted above itself. We feel that there is a power 
 which can transform the selfish and cowardly into the disinter- 
 ested and brave. How do we honor the name of Howard, 
 and Florence Nightingale, and others, who^have gone out of 
 their appropriate spheres of labor, to minister to the suffering 
 in other countries. And how do we turn away in disgust from 
 those who flee from their own patients and parishioners, and 
 their very relatives, prostrate upon beds of sickness, in the 
 hope of protracting a life which, at longest, must soon end, 
 and which, thus far, may have been unprofitable. My young 
 friends, let no man despise you for want of interest in suffer- 
 ing humanity. Let it not be said that when God's judgments 
 were around you, you fled through fear, and abandoned those 
 whom his providence had committed to your care. A self- 
 denying and self-sacrificing spirit, for the welfare of others and 
 the glory of God, is the highest form of human nature. Thus 
 are we taught by the precepts of him who spake as man never 
 spake, and these precepts are enforced by his own conduct on 
 earth. For he went about doing good, rejecting the luxuries 
 of earth and the praises of men, until the time appointed had 
 arrived, when he offered himself a sacrifice for the sins of the 
 world. 
 
 In this country, which boasts of its freedom, and where 
 every man feels that he is a king, for the people rule, no man 
 ought to be, and few can be, entirely free from the influence of 
 politics. The government of the country, from the nature of 
 the case, interests every one. Not to feel this interest, is to be 
 indifferent to our country. To feel and to act as you ought 
 on this subject, is patriotic. No class of men are more heartily 
 
15 
 
 despised than lime servers, whether in politics or religion, and 
 none more richly deserve it. Professed patriots, and therefore 
 disinterested, they covertly seek their own advantage, at the 
 expense of the whole country. With oily tongues and treach;; 
 erous hearts, they adapt themselves to the company and the 
 occasion, so that they may the more successfully deceive. Os- 
 tensibly disciples of temperance, they hold the bottle to their 
 neighbor's mouth, and they themselves partake. Professing 
 christians, they violate the Lord's day, and are profane, to sub- 
 serve their political ends. With one hand uplifted, they swear 
 to observe the constitution of the United Slates, whilst the 
 other is open to receive bribes. Truth and falsehood are in- 
 struments of equal value, when their own interests can behest 
 subserved by them, and one or the other is employed, as the 
 occasion requires. Let no man despise you in this respect, 
 but discharge with all fidelity, the duty you owe to your 
 country. 
 
 Honesty is a cardinal virtue everywhere, but nowhere is it 
 more needed than in the places of political power. The del- 
 eterious influence of corruption here, as to its extent and pow- 
 er, no one can compute. From the elevation to which men 
 are here exalted, there is a constant pressure upon the masses 
 below, which they do not find power to resist. The whole 
 body politic is endangenid. It is as though the human head 
 were diseased, which gives life and direction to the body. The 
 members may be sound, but they labor under the influence of 
 a diseased head. They may be in a condition to accomplish 
 much, but their ruler and guide, decrepid and disordered, ever 
 leads thetn astray. The evil effects of such a state of things, 
 is not confined to the administration of the affairs of state, 
 which in itself is sufficiently alarming. It affects society in 
 all its forms, because the power of the government, either di- 
 
16 
 
 reclly or indirectly, transfuses itself into every part of the com- 
 munity. If the political press be corrupt, and strive but for 
 party, if the halls of our national and state legislatures be pol- 
 luted with bribes, and the contests of parly be but for power, 
 then is it high time to turn to the educated youth of the land, 
 and lift a warning voice, for to them will this power soon be 
 entrusted. This country, so highly distinguished in climate, 
 soil, variety of productions and e.^tent of territory, governed 
 in the fear of God, and for the good of all the people, cannot 
 fail to become, not only the greatest on earth, but a blessing to 
 all others. Seek then, with whatever influence you may pos- 
 sess, to make it a praise in all the earth. To this end, be not 
 partisans, but patriots, lovers, not of a party, but of the coun- 
 tr}'', and anxious by concession and compromise to unite more 
 closely, and to benefit the whole. To the strivings and con- 
 tests of parly ad4 not fuel, nor fan the flame, but pour upon 
 them the oil of peaceful and wholesome counsels, and as fat- 
 as in you lies, cause brethren of the same national household 
 to dwell together in unity. Act from principle, and let that 
 principle be the highest welfare of the whole country. He 
 only is worthy of the protection of his country, and is an hon- 
 or to it, who labors for her good. DilTuse abroad, as far asyoa 
 can, intelligence and virtue. Let the cause of education be 
 dear to you. Foster schools and colleges, and be willing to 
 exercise self-denial in their behalf, that these fountains of use- 
 fulness may be purified, and the streams which issue from 
 them may be enlarged and multiplied. 
 
 4. Discharge the duties which you owe to God in such a 
 manner that no man can despise you. We are naturally and 
 by education religious beings, though in the proper sense of 
 the term, we may not all be christians. Our relations to God, 
 and the duties which grow out of them, do not depend upon 
 
17 
 
 the profession which we may have made, or ihe obligations 
 which we may have assumed. Nature and reason, as well as 
 revelation, not only teach us the existence and perfections of 
 God, they demand for him the homage of the heart, and the 
 service of the body. These obligations become more tender 
 and, if possible, more imperative, when this great being is re- 
 vealed to us in human form, and, as the son of God, becoming 
 a sacrifice for our sins, and a mediator between God and man. 
 Besides the natural attributes of his character, which fill the 
 contemplative soul with awe and veneration, his moral attri- 
 butes challenge, in the highest degree, the affections of the 
 heart. Love, such as tiie world had never before witnessed, 
 exercised towards enemies, for the purpose of making them 
 friends. Patience and forbearonce towards the wayward and 
 erring. Benevolence in supplying returning wants, and mer- 
 cy exercised, not only in forgiving penitent transgressors, and 
 receiving ihetri into favor, but in continuing and increasing 
 those favors forever. Now, (o admire true greatness in man, 
 however manifested, is noble. So is gratitude to a benefactor, 
 and affection to the affectionate, much mora is all this due to 
 him from whom all excellency flows, and who is tlie exhaust- 
 less fountain of goodness. On the other hand, there is in man 
 an instinctive contempt for the ungrateful, for the child ten- 
 derly reared and fondly cherished, which turns against its pa- 
 rents, and for the citizen who. In the hour of danger, moved 
 by revenge, or filthy lucre, betrays the country which nursed 
 and protected him. F^'rom such men we turn away with loath- 
 ing, and their very names become execrable. What then shall 
 we say of those who dishonor God and reject Christ, who not 
 only resist his will, but ridicule his service and his word. Who, 
 for his mercy, repay hatred, for his benevolence, transgression, 
 for his gracious invitations^ contemptj and for the gift of his 
 
18 
 
 son, as the Jews of old, crucifixion. Here imbecilit}' arrays 
 itself against power, follir against wisdom, ignorance against 
 knowledge, and man, ihle creature, against God, the creator. 
 For such, the time is coming when there will be exercised to- 
 wards them, by all good beings, the contempt which their 
 wickedness deserves, and they themselves, befoie an assem- 
 bled universe, will be filled witli shame and everlasting con- 
 tempt. I trust that not one of you will be amongst this 
 number. 
 
 But you profess to be christians, and to receive the word of 
 God as the infallible oracles of truth. God is your God, Christ 
 16 your Savior, and the Spirit is your comforter and sanctifier. 
 Be careful then to honor this great being, in whatever sphere 
 of action his providence may call you. Acknowledge him in 
 all your ways, and he will direct your steps. There is much 
 comfort in knowing that God is your friend, in living on inti- 
 mate terms with him, or, as it is said, "living near to him," in 
 feeling that he is always with you, that he is cognizant of all 
 your acts, and that you are conscious of an all-pervading de- 
 sire and effort to please him. A profound philosopher and 
 humble christian has recorded, as his conviction, "that, if one 
 (rain of thinking be more desirable than another, it is that 
 which regards the phenomena of nature with a constant refer- 
 ence to a supreme intelligent author. To have made this the 
 ruling, the habitual sentiment of our minds, is to have laid 
 the foundation of everything which is religious. The world 
 thenceforth becomes a temple, and life itself one continued act 
 of devotion." We would have you go one step farther, and 
 regard all that befalls you as directed and controlled by him, 
 so that prosperity and adversity, sickness and health, life and 
 death, are not only at his disposal, but he directs them for his 
 own glory and the good of his friends. Let your Christianity 
 
nppear in your life ; in a contented and cheeiful disposition, 
 and in an ingenuous and guileless character. Be not afraid to 
 avow yourselves as the followers of Christ, on any proper oc- 
 casion, and in any company, however wicked. There is a, 
 fearful penalty denounced against those who deny the Savior 
 before men. How base too, and ignoble is it, to be ashamed 
 to avow that which is our glory, and to acknowledge him who 
 is our only hope. There are those who, like Esau, will sell 
 their birthright for a mess of pottage, and there are others who 
 are afraid of the face of man, and who, under the shadow of 
 some great name, perhaps wickedly great, will imiiale that 
 greatness in cursing God. Walk not in the counsel of such 
 wicked men. Some of you are looking forward to the sci- 
 ence of medicine as a field of investigation and labor. Thea 
 imitate the great physician who, whilst he healed the body, 
 poured instruction and consolation into the soul. Remember 
 whilst the pulsations of life are beating fewer and more feebly, 
 under your inspection, the unutterable value of an immortal 
 soul. Others, in the courts of justice, will seek to expound 
 the law and the principles of equity, in their relation to partic- 
 ular cases. Beware lest, in your efforts to justify your own 
 client, you condemn the innocent, and the pursuit of justice 
 become the greatest injustice. See to it that you exalt not 
 wickedness, and trample virtue underfoot; and, whilst you 
 maintain that the law cannot be broken with impunity, re- 
 member that the lavi? of God is inexorable, and there is a judge 
 who is higher than the highest. Some of you will put forth 
 efforts to educate the youthful mind, to teach it how to origi- 
 nate and arrange ideas, and how to clothe them inappropriate 
 language, and give them intelligible expression in words. Let 
 all their thoughts be directed ultimately to him who is the au- 
 thor of thought, all their minds to the great mind; and whilst 
 
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 they are disciplined in ijlie lessons of eailhly wisdom, lead 
 (hem to sit at (he feet of he great teacher, to learn the lessons 
 of eternal wisdom. Oihers are looking forward to the pulpit 
 as the field of life's laborJthe noblest and the best, because its 
 results are most beneficial, and its labors are least requited. 
 Let not this blessed wort be degraded by ignorance, or indo- 
 lence, or time-serving, oj- hypocrisy. There is in the human 
 mind a natural inclination to transfer the contempt which is 
 felt for a person, to the occupation in which he is engaged and 
 the subject on which h^ is employed. Thus Christ and his 
 gospel have often sufTerell at the hands of his friends. Let no 
 man despise you, and through you, the ministry and the gos- 
 pel, but labor to reflect Honor upon both. Go then, my young 
 friends, into the several walks of life prepared for you. Q,uit 
 you like men. Be upright, courageous, humble and persever- 
 ing, and success must a tend your labors. You are not alone 
 in the world. Oihers rre around you engaged in the same 
 conflict. From them yjou may learn wisdom, and receive en- 
 couragement. God is 'jviih you, and will bless you, his word 
 will direct, his spirit wil comfort, and the Savior will be nigh 
 with sympathising heart, to relieve the necessities of them (hat 
 love him.