The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-06-19
THE HIGHER SELF.
Worcester Academy Boys Listen to Good
Advice BY Rev. Woodman Bradbury.

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Rev. Woodman Bradbury, pastor of
the Pleasant street Baptist church,
preached a forceful and instructive
baccalaureate sermon to members of
the graduating class of Worcester
Academy, in the First Baptist church
last night.
In addition to the seniors and under
class men of the academy, the congre-
cation was made up of representatives
from all the other Baptist churches of
the city who united with the First
church in the service.
Rev. Mr.. Bradbury took for his sub
ject Self realization" and for his text
Matthew, v:4S-"Be We perfect, even as
your Father in heaven is perfect" Say
ing In part:
These are astonishing words. Our
familiarity with the1z may dull their
force. BE We perfect as God is perfect"
What do they mean? Are they the
words of one who uses language reck-
lessly? No Are they addressed to a few
only, the choice souls of a generation?
No; Jesus spoke to all people, moral and
immoral alike. 1t is the language of one
who has knowledge of the guilt, the
failures the woes of struggling human
ity.
Jesus gave the command BE We per-
feet, as your Father in heaven is per-
feet" Am I wrong in calling it one of
the most significant utterances Of our
Lord? To get its meaning Is a primary
duty, to obey it is supreme obligation.
These stellar suns and their planetary
systems and this ,1i 1o t,l 7
network of inorganic material and veg
etable and animal life on the earth do
not exist for themselves. They are not
the end that God had in view from the
foundation of the world. The perfect
man is His object For man the dis
cipline of life, its struggles and disap-
pointments and failures, as well as its
partial successes and achievements are
made to work together for good. TIE
forces of evil exist for man that he may
get strength and prOWess in battling
with them. The forces of good We're
made for man to be his friends.
We are only midway in the process.
Not yet has the tree of nature bios
somed. Buds are forming, rudimentary
manhood is all around us. Now and
then rare soul shows something of
the beauty and fragrance of the open
ing flower, and is the karbinger of the
glorious summer which is still so dis
tant, More has been accomplished in the
last 1900 years than in the 1900 ages pre-
ceding. The son of God is now our alIv
and it Is he who points upward.
Ignorance is the parent of supereti-
ton, of jealousy, of narroWness, IN
many ways. To be acquainted with
literature, the best that has been said
and done in the world, to have A
knowledge, however fragmentaly. Of
the trend of human history and to be
able to place the great events of the
world in their proper historic setting
to know something of Gods laws rs
expressed in crystals in flowers, in
the birds, in the stars,-these things
are worth while for themselves. vet
have their greatest Importance in re-
lation to the soul.
The end, however, is moral. Health
and cultivation of mind and heart are
the means to the end which is likeness
to God in mercy, justice, holiness ard
love. While we can best describe ideal
characters under the aspect of intellect
sensibility and will, it is the solemn
dedication of these faculties to the SER
vice of God and humanity that makes
for the ideal character
Character is the highest thing. if 9an
never be sacrificed. Anything else NAV
go, but never that. If duty calls him
to the care of helpless parents, let the
boy give up his dream of college edu-
cation; for he can live without Crock.
but he cannot live if he has the con-
seriousness of being false to honor.
false to himself. On the other hand #
he is tempted to remain idly at home
because he has not the wealth TO 70
to college in the style he would ike.
let him beware lest he sacrifice his
future for the Incidence of the present
The question is, Is it ever right to Go
evil that good may Gomez" has often
been debated. 1t admits of no debate
1t is rotten to the core. Never is il
rightto make the least sacrifice Of prin-
ciples to secure the greatest amount of
apparent good.
GENERALIZATION is not selfshnass.
realization is the child or cousin to
shall 1 attain my highest2 you ask. I
answer, by living for others by fitting
yourself TO be Of greatest service to
the community and the world. That is
the principle of Jesus; so that he who
gave US the common self-realization IN
the text, has shown the way to il in
these other words, Go on to the com
pleteness," he says, and go on IN the
path of selfdenial, of social service.
the path marked by my own bloody
foot steps, the path trodden by every
true man who ever has lived, Ire
for many of your brethren and as 1t
did for me, your Master, in the cross.
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