The record-union., 1898-06-05
TRUE TEST OF CHARACTER
SHOWN BY THE PLANE OF LIFE
ONE FOLLOWS.
Mans Attitude Toward Christ the
Basis on Which to be
Judged.

The following sermon was delivered
last Sunday by Rev. J. B. Silcox OF the
Congregational Church. The subject
was, "A Test of Character" and the
text, Every one that is of the truth
heareth my voice John xviii, 81.
Any single sentence from the sayings
OF Jesus, said the pastor, contains
truth enough to occupy our thought 1or
the time usually allowed a sermon. InlS
utterance of Jesus in His conversation
with PLATE is brimful of important
meaning 1t is desirable that we shall
understand its meaning. Jesus Volceo
a great principle of life when He salo,
Every one that is of the truth near
eth my voice"
am not sure that PLATE understood
at all what Jesus meant by these words.
1t was a terribly condemnatory SEN
tence The prisoner was pronouncing
Judgment upon the Judge and on all
who had joined to reject and cruelty
Him. There is nothing that reveals
a mans character more truly than his
attitude toward Jesus Christ. The re-
fusal to hear and heed the teachings
of Jesus reveals a perversity of heart
and conscience that is truly appalling.
When Jesus said, He that is of the
truth heareth my voice. He implied
that those who did not and would not
hear His voice, We're not truthful or
truth-loving men. He who rejects Jc-
suS rejects truth and goodness. He
rejects all that is highest in thought,
purest in motive and noblest in charac-
ter.
By moral necessity, Jesus is test CT
character. Bring man face to face
with Jesus and His teachings and no
tice how he acts. The mans attitude
toward Jesus will reveal what the man
is Jesus is the personification Of all
that is pure and true and noble in
thought and character, in motive and
conduct If, therefore, when man is
brought face to face with Jesus, lie
turns away, refusing to be taught of
Jesus, refusing to follow Jesus, he de-
clares himself unwilling to follow truth
and purity and goodness. He practi-
cally says that he prefers to live on
lower plane of thought and purpose,
a lower level of character and achieve
ment.
He who turns away from what is
highest in literature betrays his intel
lectual perversity. If l bring a vol
ume of our noblest literature to a young
man or young woman, a volume con-
tanning the golden thoughts Of Homer
and Virgil of Dante and Milton, of
Shakespeare and Tennyson, of Longfel-
low and Lowell and they turn away
from it and choose in its place some
trashy collection, they by SO doing re-
veal their intellectual blindness and
barrenness. Your attitude toward the
master minds of literature is a revela-
ton of your literary tastes and train
ing. Every great writer may say with
truth he who appreciates noble thought
expressed in golden speech will come to
me Every one who appreciates and
enjoys dramatic literature will come to
Shakespeare. Every one who hungers
after what is highest in epic poetry
will read Homer and Virgil and Milton.
There are masters minds in fiction and
those who appreciate and long for what
is highest in fiction will by instinct and
definite choice seek these great writer's
and listen with delight to their charm
ing voice.
1t is the same in music Handel and
Beethoven, Bach and Haydn, Mozart
and Wagner will commend the attention
and capture the affections of all who
admire and long for what is highest in
music. He who turns away from the
highest music and follows after that
which is low reveals the perversity of
his musical powers. There are musical
perverts as we'll as literary perverts.
Handel knew that all lovers of noble
music would listen with rapt delight to
his Messiah" Beethoven could with
truth and modesty say. he that is nobly
musical will listen to my immortal
symphonies.
1t is the same in art The works Of
great artists are sought after because
they are great. Appreciation of them
is appreciation of supreme worth.
Raphael may say, he that is lover Of
beauty will come unto: me and learn Of
me. The man or woman who can look
unmoved upon the "Sistine Madonna"
who sees no beauty in it to desire it,
reveals thereby their dullness or blind
ness to high and noble art.
Imagine an art gallery containing the
masterpieces of the worlds great art
lists There are Corot's landscapes and
Reynolds cherubs. There are Land
seer's dogs and Millet's peasants. There
are RaphaePs Madonnas. and Ioff-
mans Christ" There is Corregio's
Holy Night" and Ruben's Descent
from the Cross" There is the Venus de
Milo" and Michael Angeles Moses"
Think of a man or woman passing
through that magnificent room filed
with all that is rarest and richest in
painting and sculpture and finding no
delight in it all. What artistic blindness,
what perversity of vision his attitude
reveals. Think of him taking a step still
lower and condemning them. Think Of
him with ruthless hand destroying these
creations of genius You say that the
vision of such person is SO distorted
that he must be monster of depravity
in art. You can hardly conceive
man so distorted and depraved in Wis
ion as to take such an attitude of de-
probation and repulsion to works of
such artistic excellence
And yet is it not true that that was