SpiritualLifefortheManoftheWorld. 5
life In the world, has been answered in the
negative. In every land, in everyreligion, in
every age of the world's history, when the
question,has been asked,the answerhas been
- No, the man of the world cannot lead a
spiritual life. That answer comes from the
deserts of Egypt, the jungles of India, the
monasteryandthe nunneryinRoman Catholic
countries, ineveryland and place where man
has soughtto find out God byshrinking from
thecompanyofmen; andiffortheknowledge
of God and the leading of the spiritual lifeit
be necessary to fly from the haunts of men,
thenthat lifeforthe mostof usisimpossible,
for we are bound by circumstance that we
cannot breakto live the life of theworld and
to accommodateourselves to itsconditions. I
am going to submit to you that that idea is
based on a fundamental error, but that it is
largelyfosteredinourmodernlife,notsomuch
sointhiscountrybythinkingofsecludedlifein
jungleordesert,incaveormonastery,butrather
by thinking that the religious and the secular
must be kept apart. That isatendencyhere
becauseof the modernwayof separatingwhat
is called the sacred from that which is called
theprofane. Peopleherespeakof Sundayas
theLord's Day,asthough everydaywerenot
