Daily Kennebec journal., 1910-06-20
Ably Defines True and
False Christianity.
Bacca|aureate Before Senior
Glass al BoWdoin.
Suggests Ways in Which Return
To Narrow Gate May Be Made.

Brunswick. Me, June 19-(SpeciaD.-
The Baccalauroate sermon before the
Senior class of Bowdoin College wa.
preached this afternoon by the presi
dent. Rev. William Dewitt Hyde, who
took for his subject "Cbristianity; Its
Opposites and Counterfeits' President
Hyde said in part:
Enter We in by the narrow gate, fol
wide is the gate, and broad is the way
that leadeth TO destruction, and many
be they that enter in thereby. For mar
row is the gate, and straitened the way
that leadeth unto life, and few be they
that find it. Matt. Z. 1914.
Pure Christianity is rare: Tru'
Christians are few. The counterfeit
adherentS many.
First: What is pure Christianity
Who is the Christian man? He is tn
man who ever carries in his mind tn,
heart vision of what the Perfec
Will seeks for himself, for others, ant
for all; and strives to do whatever tha
Perfect Will requires. Such in mnt
and heart and will was Christ and th
degree in which any other man hold
before his eyes this supreme visior
and puts his hand to this supreme task
is the measure of his Christianity.
Simply to state what genuine Chris
tianity is; simply to define the Chris
tian man. is sufficient to show hoy
very rare Christianity is, and how few
they be that find it. The moment W.
ask ourselves whether they be man.
or few who see life in all it's phases a
just chance to carry out the Father:
good will toward every one whom ou
words and deeds, our thoughts an
feelings. in any way affects; we ar
compelled to recognize how very fey
they are who rise to the height of sucl
genuine Christianity; how rarely on
own lives even approximate that spiri
tual level
OF course this vision of the Father
perfect will for ourselves, for Others
and for the world, in actual life break
rn into as many aspects as there ar
sides to this complex life of ours. Ii
work it is thorOughness: in business
is honesty: in society it is courtesy;
speech it is truthfulncss; in sex it
purity; toward the poor it is charity
toward the unfortunate it is sympa
thy; toward the fallen it is forgiveness
toward the evil it is reprocf couple
with helD 20 a better life; in every sill
nation and toward all 1t is the on
good will taking the special form ina
fits the. specific situation. In all II
various forms however. the essence
rb,istiarity. the mark of a Christian
man, is the vision of the perfect goo
will, and the endcavor to express IL
every relationship of life. Any on
who sees Christianity in these II
searching and exacting terms. as noth
inp less than sharing with Christ IN
Fathers good will for the world. IN TN
cnecitic situations and relations II
which we are placed. can at the sam
+ima see as self-evident that the way /
narrow and the gate strait; and tina
they are few that find it,
Having described the narrow gate
and the few that find it, we must o.
equally sxnlicit about the broad way.
and the many who enter in thereby
For convenience the broad way may "
reduced to four main avenues; and tn
many who go in thereby to four types
the secondhand Christian; the un
christian. the antl-CIiIlStidH, anu ]'
Who then is the secondhand Chris
tian? He is the man who was reare'
- , Christian home. educated IN
Christian institutions; and who as the
result OF training and habit does SUP
stantia1,v the same things as the real
christian. is kind in the home. THOR
oueh in work. honest in trade. pure IT
sneecb and act. generous to the poor
merciful to the unfortunate: yet Goes
all these things, not as sharing, ENJOY
ing. serving the one perfect will whicn
seeks the good of all; but merely III
conformity to example. in observance
of convention. in obedience to the eA-
pectations of society; to gam Tue oap ap
nroval or avoid the censure ol c'ii-
science and ones fellowmen.
This second hand Christianity looks
almost as well as real Christianity
49, - doc~ nc. e-n-a tho w""" an" t''r
If life. It's kindness extenos 10 'he