The State guard., 1848-05-30
the case, her rebuke would have been

hASAtNNs
 l Sam., xviii. 0. On account of the victory of Saul and David over the Philis- tines, ''the women came out of all the cities of Isreal singing and dancing"
 Psal. cxlix. 3. " Let them praise his name in the dance."
 Psal. xxx. 10. "Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing." The deliverance here spoken of was re- covery from sickness, and the dancing an expression of religious gratitude and joy.
 Exod. xxxii, 19. "As soon as he came nigh unto the camp, he saw the calf and the dancing was also part of idol wor- ship.
 ter. xxi. 4. A Virgin of Isreal, thou shalt be adorned with thy tabrets and go forth in the dances of them that make merry" This passage predicts the return from captivity, and restoration of the Divine favor, with the consequent ex- pression of religious joy.
 Mat. vi. IT. I've have piped unto you. and ye have not danced we have mourn ed unto you, and ye have not lamented." That is, neither the judgments nor the mercies of sGod produce any effect up- on incorrigible generation. They neither mourn when called to mourn by his Providence nor rejoice with the usual tokens of religious joy, when his mercies demand their attention.
 Luke xv. 25. "Now, his elder son was G.l1 onl l. ..1 nigh unto the house, he heard music and dancing." The return of the prodigal was joyful event, for which the grateful father, according to the usage of the Jew sh church, and the exhortaton of the Psalmist, praised the Lord in the dance.
 Eccles. iii. 4. "A time to mourn, and time to dance." Since the Jewish church knew nothing of dancing, except as a religious ceremony, or as an express sion of gratitude and praise, the text is a declaration, that the providence of God sometimes demands mourning, and some- times demands gladness and gratitude.
 Mat. xiv. 6. "But, when Herod's birth day was kept, the daughter of Herodas danced before them, and pleased Herod. :" In this case, dancing, was perverted from its original object to purposes Of vanity and ostentation.
 Job. xxi. I. "Wherefore do the wick ed live, become, old, yea, are mighty in power l',-verse II, "Fhey send forth their little one like flock, and their chil- dren dance. They spend their days in wealth, and in moment go down to the grave. Therefore, they say unto God, de- part from us, for we desire not the knowl- edge of thy ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve him ?-and what profit shall we have, five pray unto him p Their wealth and dancing are assigned as the reason of their saying unto God. "de- part from us;' and of their not desiring the knowledge of his ways, or of serving him, or praying to him.
 From the preceding quotations, it will sufficiently appear;
 l. That dancingwas religious act, both of the true, and also. of the idol worship.
 ?. That it was practiced exclusively on l joyful occasions, such as national festivals or great victories.
 3. That it Was performed by maidens only.
 4 That it was performed usually in the day time, in the open air, in highways, fields. or groves.
 5. That men who perverted dancing from sacred use to purposes of amuse- ment, were deemed infamous.
 6. That no instances of dancing are found upon record in the Bible, in which the tuo* Seres united in the exercise ei. ther as an act of worship or amusement. T, That there is no instance upon re- cord, off social dancing for amusement, except of the twain fellows" devoid of shame of the irreligious families describ- ed by Job, which produced increased i'm pety, and ended in destruction and of Herodias. which terminated in the rash VOW of Herod, and the murder of John the Babtist.
 congratulate You, sir, on the assumed hope which you seem to have attained, that you are "True Christian,' and on the meekness and modesty with which you have been able to express it: and most sincerely do join with you in the con- demnation of all "hypocrites."
 am affectionately, &c. A. PASTOR.
 *Let Christians mark this fact. | tLet Christians especially note this par