Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1906-11-02
SACRED AMI SECULAR.

sOtASGNCD IN oCSoA1AAS
BY Rev. DR.. William c.. Stinson.
Whatsoever We do in word or deed,
do all in the name of the Lord Jesus
Col. 3:17.
The apostle is seeking to teach the
Colossian Christians that all the rela-
tions and affairs of life should be per
meated by the Christian spirit. The
theme suggests some thoughts upon the
gospel Of the sacred and the secular.
The distinction made nowadays be-
tween sacred and secular is a false,
michievous distinction. 1t is working
i%ncalculable harm. We have the pa
thetic, harmful spectacle of men stand
ing high in church circles and yet who
on the street or in the market do not
hesitate to employ questionable bust
ness methods. Their practices and per-
formances in public life are quite at
variance with their piety in private
life. They act on the principle "busi-
ness is business, politics is politics, re-
ligion is religion"
When they 80 to church on Sunday
they say, "let us have no secular things
in the pulpit; we have enough OF these
things down town. There all is strin-
gent, and biting selfishness, and knives.
and probes and lancets. Here In church
we want repose, sedatives and healing
balm all is prose down the street; let
us have poetry here. We went to sing
hymns-hear about heaven. In short,
we want the pure gospel without any
worldly admixture.'
Now the religious man who talks that
way has no religion. Religion is to
him mere sentiment. II it is Of no use
to him in the store. in b office, in pol
| itics, it is of no use to him IN the
house of God.
The lamented DR.. Babcock of the
Brick Church once said: The man
who has a business into which he has
not carried his religion has a business
of no character, and the man who has
a religion from whicn he has elm
mated business has a religion Of no
value"
What do we mean by the sacred and
the secular? BY the sacred we mean
usually all that which is associated
| with worship and the exercise OF the
religion feelings, while the secular Is
supposed to include all that falls out
side of this category.
Granting the distinction for a mo-
ment, we note that in the history of
| civilization it is invariably the sacred
that comes first. The secular is always
a later evolution. All legislation orig
inally had a divine origin. SO OF the
drama. The Greek drama was orig
inaIy a religious function. Its arts
Of painting and sculpture were imme-
diately associated with worship. The
modern drama has it's roots In the
mystery plays.
The Christian religion must resume
the original relation which it had with
science. art, commerce.. the drama and
amusements. No religion is complete
without a return to every department
| of life. No department of life Is COM
plete without a relation to religion.
There is no science. no amusement of
n legitimate kind, no true pleasure. no
honorable vocation, IN which n prop
erly adjusted nature nay not imme-
diately find and enjoy God. There are
other ministries than the ministry.
The hour has arrived for each man
in his place to regard himself as a her.
aid Of the gospel of Righteousness and
his work in life as affording opportuni-
ty for the more complete establishment
of the kingdom of God Upon the earth.
Short Meter Sermons.