Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1869-08-12
I WILL NOT DANCE.

Ger.
TWILL NOT DANCE.
have loved the world but trust have
been renewed in the spirit of my mind, and
have dedicated myself to God. Therefore |
have renounced the word and all its vanities !;
and among them have freely and cheertully
surrendered the pleasure of dancing.
These are some of my reasons tor doing SO:
l. Though the Bible no where expressly
condemns dancing, Ga practice which did not
exist in anything like its present form when
the word of God was written,) yet its whole
tenor and tone and the general drift of its
teaching seem to me to be opposed to it.
2. Every court of our Church, from the
session to the General Assembly, in common
with all other evangelical churches, has, after
mature dcliberation and with dispassionatc
| Judgment, declared against it as inconsistent
with Christian profession and feel that
every Christian is bound to respect the voice
of the Church when pronounced on difficult
or doubtful questions.
3. Those whom Christ has appointed to
wach and to govern in his Church, are men
of piety, wisdom, and prudence; they make
the word of God their study; and though they
are not infallible, they are far more likely to
know what is consistent with the spirit of the
gospel, what is right and what is wrong than
others. On this point their voice being unan-
imous, it is reasonable to suppose it is right.
And it would SAVIOR of presumption in me to
oppose my single judgment to theirs, unless it
should be q matter of conscience, or one that
vitality concerned my Christian liberty.
4. AT my public conservation to God, |
promised subsection in the Lord to those whom
the Head Of the Church had appointed as
rulers in his Church, and to whom he had
committed the keys Of the kingdom of heaven
with power to open and to shut. feel bound,
therefore, cheerfully to render that subsection,
unless, as said before, required to violate my
conscience, or to yield the principles of Chris
tian liberty. In respect to dancing, would
rather be conformed to the Church than to
the world.
5. Beyond all contradiction, dancing is re-
cognized as a worldly amusement. 1t is "the
badge of the world, ""thc sacrament and seal
of the world" 1t is conventionally exempted
from all religious professions. Religious con"
versation, reading the Bible, etc., are regard
ed as wholly out of place in connexion with it,
and are by general consent excluded. | find
that cannot serve both God and the world
The command of Christ is "Come out from
among them, and be ye separate" And |
feel that there must be and ought to be dis
tnction. I have publicly promised to re-
nounce the world and all its pomps and vani-
ties. If this is not included, am at loss to
know what is
6. Whether the practice is wrong or not,
the acorld regards it as inconsistent with
Christian profession. | have observed that
they do not wish to see at the dance Christians
who arc known to be every pious" unless it be
those who regard it as a triumph, who enjoy
the destruction of their Christian influence,
and who laugh at their inconsistency and
weakness in clinging to worldly pleasures af-
ter protesting to forsakc the world. L am
afraid, therefore, if attend the dance, | may
lose my influence for good with the ungodly !;
that their confidence in, and respect for, my
piety may be diminished and that by doing
what the world itself regards as inconsistent
with my profession, may bring reproach both
upon myself and upon the cause of Christ.
I. Dancing IN itself, I have always regarded
matter Of Indifference but its inseparable
attendants and consequences appear to me
undoubtedly evil. 1t is a season of forgetful
mcrriment, in which all enjoyment depends
upon the absence of serious thought; it fills
the heart with worldliness; it leads to exces-
sive fondness for dress, display, and fashion,
to expense and sinful extravaganza, to the
excesses and dissipation of the ballroom it
throws one unavoidably with bad associates !;
it teaches the mind to relish empty pleasures
and to love excitement; it dissipates all relig-
ious thoughts and impressions, and lessons the
chances of salvation. These | know by OBJ
servation and experience to be a few of its in
separable attendants. Though the act itself
be innocent, it becomes an evil if inseparable
from evil see that such are its natural and
| inevitable consequences, and therefore should
indulge in it, would feel myself responsible
for the evil.
8. All experience shows that it is inconsis
tent with an elevated piety. l have never
known one distinguished for holiness, to be
distinguished at the same time for fondness
for this amusement. When my mind has
been in its holicst frames, have been most
averse to this indulgence. If Christian who
possesses a reputation for piety should begin
to dance, it would be taken as an evidence Of
religious declension. Suspicious would be
excited as to his sincerity, certainly as to the
depth, purity, and fervor of his piety. 1fa
minister of the gospel, he would be regarded
as an apostatc have never been able to go
from the dancing saloon to the closet, and en-
| joy near communion with God. I could not
60 directly from the sacramental table into
the dancing circle. 1t is no place for the ex-
ercise of Christian graces, such as meekness,
humility, and heavenly y-mindedness. Christ
shall henceforth be my pattern, and I cannot
follow his example by dancing, nor be con-
formed to his image while / love the vanitics
of the world
8. Though l believed dancing to be inno-
cent, yet as cannot claim for it that it il a
positive duty, Or that to resign it would be to
yield the principles of Christian liberty, |
feel bound in the exercise CT charity to aban-
don it according to the scriptural rule, "lf
meat make my brother to offend, will eat no
flesh while the world standeth lest [ make
my brother to Offend" Because, though |
may not be conscious that it has bad effect
upon my own religious feelings or character,
nor that it lessons my influence for good, yet
there certainly are many upon whom the et-
feet is very bad-those who cannot restrain
themselves from cxccsses and undue indul-
gencc, those who seek thereby to drive away