The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-02-16
Real Religion.
\ Haywood (Georgia.)

HI. 4bOn1 1bO119AOAe
Haywood (Georgia.)
What do men mean by talking
out the religious world" and the
ecular world?" Does the religious
torld concern the church only and
~ the market-place also? Does it
%ncern the Sunday only, and not
zFe six days also? Does it mean
hying only. and not all living also?
hthe religious world" a sphere in
Nhich the Christian has rights, and
es secular" world sphere in which
thas none
Missionaries preached to heather
'be, and they desired baptism by
aMersion. When the priest came
Rperform the rite, every warrior
anOng them was at pains to keep
Wright arm out of the water. That
M his sword arm-with that he
q Ne hisa enemies-that arm must
hot cOme under the dominion of
ehristN the King of peace. Christ
forbade revenge-the half.enlighten-
ed warrior thought he might escape
obligaion to Christ as to his treat
ment T his enemies, if he would
keep tn sword.arm unbaptized.
What's there in our life that cor
respondso theunbaptized sword arm
of the hdf.converted heather war;
riors? ! is what the men call the
secular wrld. That very large por-
tion of ou life that we keep apart
from theSbligations and sanctions of
religion.
In no Drd Jesus spoke among men
is one we'd that recognizes a "secu.
lar" as distinguished from a "relig-
ious" wrld except to condemn it..
To Jess all the world was holy
ground He scourged men out of the
temple who traded there, because
they hid perverted it from right use.
and les by their trading in its court
than by their thieving in trade. He
woud have hated thieving just as
mu'h in the market-place. He pray.
ed all night in the wooded hills that
overlooked Galilee's lake; and to
TIN soul of Jesus the forest was, in
its.lf, as sacred as the temple.
IN the teaching and living of Jesus
lalldays were holy days. Not one
wod or deed of his held men bound
to walk in the ways of God on Sun
day. and gives them license to walk
where and as they will the other six
days. In his teaching. religion con-
Ntes to righteousness every day
ah 8every human energy. There
an duties peculiar to the Sabbath
ari to the house of God, but these
dties are not more binding upon
Conscience than are all the duties of
aHthe days and all the places. From
the time Jesus was old enough to
drive a plane till he was 80, he
wrought at the carpenters trade help
ing good Joseph the best he could to
support the humble family in the
little cottage under the hill at Naz-
afeth. That humble work was to
him religious work. 1t is inconceiv-
able that he ever slighted it. He
was as careful to do the right thing
in his carpentering in Nazareth, as to
say the right thing in the Sermon on
the Mount, or to do the right thing
in the court of the temple.
If Jesus had been a merchant, he
could not have deceived or wronged
any customer. A lawyer, he could
never have perverted justice or for
gotten mercy. A legislator. he could
never have given his vote to meas
ure unrighteous in itself. An editor,
he could never have admitted one
line that could sow the seeds of sir
iu any heart. A pastor, he could
never have sweryed one inch from
the line of truth to please any soul of
man, he could never have felt more
respect for the rich and great than for
the poor and lonely. A church off.
Ger, he could never have craved the
pstronage of the rich and great and
fashionable to the exclusion or humil-
lation of the poorest lamb in all his
flock. A taxpayer, he could never
have wronged his neighbor, robbed
his state, or degraded his own soul
by making property returns below
the facts of possession.
The invention of a sphere we call
"''secular' in which we suppose his
claims upon US are somewhat abated,
modified, or altogether suspended, is
the most delusive, dangerous,ru
foe to true religion. 1t does more
harm than all the darts of all the in
fidels from Julian the Apostate to the
latest retailer of vile things against
the truth. It is more harmful than
any one form of vice in the world.