Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-07-07

i'iine. an in .aier Of eorjrga, sufity, despiss,
" of God and traApier OH his laws, and ye,
4 celebrated as the possessor of an erceiient
heart" Such are the opinions OF Lord
kames, (who was sufficiently liberal, Of tie
stage. In the primitive church, both PLAYERS
and those who attended the theatre were Il ebar.
red from the christian sacTaments. All the
Fathers vino speak ON the subject with one
voice, attest that was the case.
! member of The early councils passed for
mai canons condemuing The theatre aud eX-
! Gliding actors, aud those who intermarried
with them. or openly encouraged them, fiom
the privileges of the church.
| BY the council of Collioure, in Spain, in the
year 30j, IL Was declared To he vital for
ANY woman in full communion 10 marry pia,
ON pain OF accommodation"
| The first council ut Aries, i'll 3ii, eX coinmun-
icaied all PLAYERS.
The third council Al Carthage inrbids the
sons of cieIgymen Ia he present ct plays /;
sncl sort OF pagan entertainments, being for
| biGden al Tie tUfy; Il being "lw"ys nu;hv iul
Tor ciTiSttaES Ia come among tie tiaSpiiptners.
! The second council OF ChalCrs oliaius,
:" that all clerg>mcr usn, 10 alb tain from ali
I over ehgagin" entri tainnients ia music or
/ " shew, aud as tor the sirH,tv and hccniious
- nSolencr " Players aud Lt5',ons let them mol
oa'y decline The bediing II thvInsoi,tS hut
ihe"is- r0ncinde lie Giity Obliged 10 the
| '.,..ihe conduct"
Torin.i'am, the iamousapoioEit for christian
| ny, Who hted IN tie second century. wrote
1 boon On purpose TO dssnadu Ihe christians
tom the public diversions ct tic iipaIhVn of
| which 'hc play house WAS one; he reminds
/ il'e.n ;hat the tenor Of then faith tie reason
| oi pflncirie, ami the 0ider 81 discipline. had
| D." barred them from the t,siertairu.s at ~ ihr
town" lieSa.S,' we CHRIST Gasiiav nctitin-.
90 90 With The f,cnzi's OF tie ',ce ground, the
| " iedJncSS Of tx fien;Ie, or the GlIL4,ities or
iae b,dr -roi ceH: will Sot brisi.,s then avoiu
| these seats OF inieC ton,
| The following decorations of lhcupiiIu.
''a>ior OF hutIoch, AN eminent divine, w..o iiv
! Ell Ia the second century. are so appi 0ptiate
! ihsi cannot om.l them. - 1t is act lawful
.ui nS Christians to lie present i; the prizes
al your .Iadiator,, lest ny thus means 49,.
| should he acreSSaty 10 The mGitiers thtre
| commIilcd, neither .i:Ie We take lie liberty
! 81 Attending 0n yonr other shows lest our
senses should be polluted and offended with
| = injeceHcy aud proiane;,o.s we dare not see
| an! representations of lew dne.S. they are nm
! waftdriab!e entertainments. aud l. much The
| worse. because The meiceuary Piagr,s set
! " thcm oil with all the charms and adj Ai,tapcs
= OF sp akug God tOrhd we should = shonnr
our thoughts. mach les our practice with such
| wickedneSs as his.
| Almost all the reformed Churches have at
| d heresi times spoken the same language and
| enacted regulations of a similar Kind The
| Church's of France, Holland aud Scotland
| have declared 81 TO he M, Htui 20 20 TO co.
medie>, tragedies, inirriudeS. fasccs or other
stage plays acted III pnbi'c or IN private he
| eau &c iii all ages these have been forbidden
| among Christians as bringing corruption of
! good manners"
sir John Hawkins (wlo was never consider.
ed as over rigid or iili1eraiD speaks ofthe The.
| atre in The following pointed and nneq nivocal
! language: Although il Is said OF plays that
they teach morality; aud OF the st..se that il
" is the mirror of human life; these assertions
| are mere defamation, aud have no iouuda-
ton IN truth or experience on The contrary
" the play house and the regions about il are
" The veryhot beds OF rice." Archbishop Iiliot-
son was neither Calv,ist nor puritan, YET
he ptoneunces play house 10 be the devils
chapel, nursery of RIGHTEOUSNESS and vice,
recreation which ought not 10 he allowed
among cirftized, much less Christian PEG.
pie. Bishop Collier declares, in his work a
sainst the Theatre, that i:e was persuaded no.
iii'ng had done more 10 debauCh the age in
which lie lived than The stage psets, aud Play
house"
inat great, pious, and learned n an DIR. Wi.
tseisi oon, former president of Princeton Col.
iege, IN his essay OIL the stage, saSs--" IL is a
maztpg t. think that women who preteuu 70
deCeBcy and reputation whose bri sineAt or
n"ment ought TO he modcsiy, should cOntinne
60 abet, by their presence, mach nncIia>ii-
"iy, as 10 be found III Theatres: bow few phase,
:. are acted which modest woman can se,.,
4" consistently with decenCy perPIy ptrt. and
even when the PLAYS are more resrr, ed them
selves, they SURG 10 he seasoned with
| - something of this kind in the prologue or
epi!osne, The music between Tie paris, on ~
8 some scandalous farce with which the diver
g s,on is concluded. The power ofcus;om and
fashion Is very great Ia making ptO ,ir bhnd
. TO lie most manifest qualities AVID ttnlenries
of Things. There are l4dies who frequently
attend the stage. Who, ii tiey were but orce
" cGierianedv ith the sane ina Is in a private
| I" family with which ;!iey are often presented
they wou!d rise with Indignation and rcck on
" their reputation ruined IT they rcinru No
woman OF reputation, ninch less oi ple;y, who
" has been teHliulcS III II play house. dare repeat
:" in company all she has heard there Win
What consistency they retuiu 10 The same
school of lewdness, they themselves best
| know"
! this subject. S1u own tIiAt God has called
yon % great purity of conversation, that you
q" are fof bid aiioOl.h talking aud fHhyj testing,
| " ms expressly as YOU are forbid swearing aud
| :" HAT you are told let no corrupt Commurica.
| 'lt"i - rrr''ed Ont OF your mouth; and yet Won
go TO house OF corrupt Con,nuuIcatiOu-yOu
| " hire persons 10 entertain YOU with ji6aidry,
| "pretG1tnsSs and hnpRrify of discourse, WHO are
| TO present you with poisonous sentiments and
| "Iewd ImaGlnations, dressed up i'll elegant Ian
"guage, and 10 make wick ed vain and impure
| " discourse more lively and deIightfnliha you
| " could possibly have il in any good company.
| " not this SHINING cith bigh huRd, aud gross.
"Iy Offending against the plainest doctrines OF
| ScriptHrep There is no doctrine of our bless
| ed Saviour more concerns all Christians or is
more essential TO their salvation than this
" Blessed are The pure an heart, for they shall see
| C0d.' Now take the stage IN its best state
| are eAtravagant passions OF distracted lovers
the imrutc wings oil inf aimed heroes, the iovi
AND iornenis Of love. and !, fined description,
| Of ustS; are these things consistent with this
| Chrisijan purity of hearth CONSISTENCY.
JohHsVn's Lie.
FOURTH or JULY
OnSainrday, the different military companies
OF thiS CITY lara.eJ on the (apttOl Square