The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-04-24
SINCERITY.
President Hyde of BowdOin
Speaks.
His Able sermon at the High ST. Congre-
gational Church-why Insincerity
Is Fatal to Mans Character.

President Thomas W. Hyde of Bowdoin
college officiated at High Street Congre-
gational church yesterday and in the eve
ming preached n very aole and scholarly
sermon on the subject of Sincerity"
taking his text from Philippians 1910.
He said in part; OF all the noble qualities
one could wish for himself or for his
friends. there is none better than the
words of the text THAT ye may be sim
cere." Give man every thing elsa, il
sincerity is wanting he is poor indeed.
He is not tit to be our friend. We cannot
trust him. He cannot even respect him.
self
Why is it that insincerity is so fatal to
character What makes friendship with.an
insinoere man impossibleg To go at once
TO the root OF the matter, the insincere
person is not whole; he is cut up into
fragments and sections; and what is
worse, these sections OF himself are not
consistent with each other. A friend of
mine, wishing to indicate in very polite
terms tbat a certain man was Il liar, said
to me: Professor A. has the untortu-
=
of IA matter to different persons " The
inst cere man presents different aspects
of himself 10 different persons; and TO the
same person at different times mis- will is
not of one piece. lie says one thing TO
your face; another behind our back He
has one set of opinions in church and
among reli ious Peep e; quite another
IL. ht-n IL tn in his nffipa
He has one SIT of phra-es 70. the people
he meets al part q lite another for ms
cronies a he taISs these pt ople over alter
warus. ne has one set Of sentiments
which be professss j. respectable society;
quite another which he acknow iedges
among few boon COMPANIONS, OF In the
prisaoy o. his own inner consc.o sness.
ais oH Ile is not consist NJ whole,
nut =. ries OF inconsistent fragments.
Tla is the reason why he cannot be a
tr4e frIend 10 any one that is why we
4lstru.t and despise him as we dc.
sincerity on the contrary is simply
Uho.eue : unity, consistency, The rcl
for it is vel ated by Goethe il five
little German words which we may
Sioh0'~NN '''o 'ANst fla A4hkfASA "SA'z
which are 10 g commended as a sure
c re Tor ali the countless subtle forms OF
irsineerity: Whatever thou art, be all
these"
You come to church; don't bring mere
] ,our line sentiments about God and
your nigh hopes of Heaven, but bring al
so that bari disA greeabie duty you Law
been Sinking aud putting off. Put tie
10 Of bld and the hope of Heaven side
by side with the hard task and the neg
lected duty and say to yourself, now both
or neither. GOD and the duty; Heaven
and the task well done; or else the Devil
and my laziness; my Sinking and the
Hell it deserves That is sincerity in
cl urch. On the other hand when you
come to the tasks of daily life, don't leave
eh nd the hign resolves you made at
rch. They are part of yourself and
nest part
With private prayer. Don't show
~ guuu size all ne That is The way of
arisee Ne must be all these
eli ~ in the divine love or olt of it
nce 1T in social intsrt ouise is to be
reachei in the same way. say nothing to
- Ii nu which, SO tar as the tone AMI
tenn Ell and spirit of it is concerned, you