The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-03-07
SACRED VS.. SECULAR.
Mr.. Seudder Calls Amusement
Sacred and Bicycle Riding
Religious.

The Rev. John L. Scudder preached last
night in the First Congregational Churcn,
Boyd and Berger avenues, on The sacred
versus Secular He said:-"The DIS
| wtinction between the sacred and the secu-
lar is one of the relics of Judaism ana y
has lone incaiculabqe mischief. Ii mas
put religion off into a corner by itself,
| identified it with certain doctrines ana
houses and days and forms of worship.
| The one-sidedness of the church is Illus
trated by it's position with reference 10
| amusements. We have all heard a great
deal about secular amusements ana the
Church has ever looked askance at them
| within the memory of the oldest inhapi-
tant. But who ever heard anti very re-
Gently of religious amusements. The very
| Thought Of even a connection between the
| two realms of amusements and religion
| is ant to make some good souls bristle up
| and declare that in these lays religion IS
| going to the dogs and becoming secularlzeu
beyond all recognition. Herein, however,
they make a fundamental error. Religion
| is not becoming secularized one iota; on
| the contrary. in this age, everything
| secular is being Christianized. Religion
Is creeping out of its snail shell ana Is
| beginning to walk abroad through the
earth. 1t is breaking through its conven-
| tional boundaries and is bent upon per-
meating everything. 1t believes the
| Apostle Paul when he says, Behold, all
things are yours and it has caught new
life in the thought of putting Chrlsls
spirit into everything. And in this 40
main of anusements 1t proposes to be all
things to all men. All so-called secular
! amusements that are not sinful In them
selves are essentially religious. and II
proposes to utilize them to the glory oil
God. All forms of harmless amusements
that nave sometimes become vicious
through their associations and surround
ings it proposes to wrest from the hand
of Satan and thus redeem them from
their ~corrupting influences.
I'VE modernS deny that amusement IS
irreligious and outside the pale of the
Church. God put the play element INTO
| lief from the stains of life, and a person
who cannot play well and take tnorouen
enjoyment in his play Is simply SICK ana
should call in the doctor. The man VINO
can play well can do everything else
| better, religion included. because ne gives
a part of his time to recreation. NOW n
my Judgment, 1t is just as religious 70
| ride a bicycle as sing a Gospel hymn or
deliver an e~xhortation in the prayer meet
ing. / admit that it belongs to a dlfferent
department of religion. but if done IN the
| proper spirit 1t is religious nevertheless,
| and God smiles a~pprovingly upon it even
as a mother smiles upon the joyou capers
Of her child. | claim that whatever is
not wrong in itself and in it's influence;
| whatever contributes to mans wei, being
in body, mind or spirit. is essentially re-
ligious and ought to be co~nscientiousqy
cultivated. Long enough have amuse-.
ments been consigned to the realm of
secularity: long enough have they been
| given over to Satan to use in the de-
struction of man. The devil has had a
| monopoly of good things long enough.
| Now the Church proposes to have its own
bowling alleys and billiard tables. GYM,
nasiums, dramatic entertainments and
| military drills and what not.
.tSentimentalism is good in its place and
it has an important place in the domain
| Of religion. but it should always lead to
ecclesiastical lines. Sentiment. is fire, but
fire was made for something besides the
| importation of warmth. it is convertible
into steam and a thousand beneflcent ac-
tivities. I believe in emotion with adj my
| heart, but let emotion within generate
hell. the brothel. the practical politician
and the despotic monopolist are all
anxious to nave us church people confine
| our thoughts to the simple Gospel and our
| energies to. our own growth IN grace.
| They resent any Interference with their
demoniacal practices which destroy men
| and women faster than we can reclaim
them. They coincide with these narrow
saints within the camp of God, who claim
to be soldiers of Christ. but do not be-
lieve in fighting the battles of righteous
| ness. The Church has no monopoly of
| Christianity and if it fails of embody it.
| it will eventually shrivel up and die while
hearts of men and break out into all
| manner of useful ORGANIZATIONS