The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1916-07-15
Country Life Conference
For Ministers

1t is generally conceded at the pres
ent time that religion has reference TO
ones whole life-every day in the
week and in every thought, aim and
deed-that every day is the Lord s
Day and that everything is Holy II
man will but leave it so. Everything
is sacred but sin.
This is much broader conception
than was formerly held. 10 many
people, religion has been an expert
ence set apart from daily life. Work
and worship have been considered
alien. Few have considered their daily
acts as expressions of religion and
to worship by work" has not been
part of the common philosophy of life.
But in the mind Of the outsider, the
man who with-holds his support from
the church is found deep conviction
that religion ''prefers to have men and
women only in the posture of prayer
This is an arrangement, in his opinion,
for he frankly believes that the work
of the world demands action, and to
him the church has been an organlZa-
ton on the job only two hours week.
That he is allowed to hold this mis-
conception Of the function of the
church has been largely due to the
divided condition Of the church itself,
and its consequent ineffectiveness and
weakness.
"Jesus worshipped in the temple on
the Sabbath and during the week went
about doing good. And if any part If
His work We're more incidental
than the other it was his preaching"
a well known minister has said. eve
are realizing more and more that the
measure of usefulness of any church
today lies not in its building, its music,
its ritual, or even the eloquence or
popularity of its minister, but in its
service to the community. 1t must
work toward the raising of moral
standards. creating a spirit Of friend
illness and neighborliness, eradication
of class lines. and in elevating the
political. educational and social ideals
of the community. None of these can
be done satisfactorily by operating on
the Sabbath only. Manifestly the ru-
raj church is being challenged as never
before to make its organization a
working" organization.
A Caution.
But let it not be thought for mo-
ment that worship" is left out of this
new scheme of things. On the con-
trary, worship" from being hedged
in and prescribed as praying, psalm
singing, etc, in church building, has
come into a larger and fuller import
ance. To work at anything which
will better the human race, with that
thought in view, mind you. is 'wor-
ship" 1t is glowing service" as well
as praise. Gods will for man en-
braces his growth toward perfection in
body, mind and spirit and he who
works for any one of these should do
SO worshipfully, as a co-worker VINO
loves both God and man.
The Danger.
But a danger turks within. Many
people who regularly go to church as
a religious obligation and VINO hold
the church as Holy Place in their
memory and its services as religious
expressions are bewildered by the de-
mand that their homes. their farms,
and their offices be considered as holy
and that every day and hour be one Of
worship thru work" In fact some
have hypnotized themselves ard con-
fused themselves so in dividing things
into sacred and secular that they are
akin to the murderer who postponed
a murder because religious scruples
would not allow it on Good Friday.
The church thru its services is an