Daily Republican., 1878-12-11

tices, and stating his reasons for tn
same. l. ....n
| lam aware, he said, that sbal
have bitter assault and misrepresenta
tion and | know the most bitter will
come from the church.
Subjent to these things.
lst. On the ground that they are
uniting the church of Christ. | am
not opposed to enjoyment, to song or
anything that is legitimate. appre'
ciate the beauties Of Shakespeare and
everything that tends to elevate the
mind; but am opposed to the church
putting its name to those things that
are against its testimony. You see a
Theatre, and you think OF Shyloc and
Macbeth. Things comes to you by as.
sociation. You see market house and
you think of country produce and trade.
You see a church and your thoughts go
out towards purity and holiness. What
is true Of the building is equally true
Of persons. You sse sailor and you at
once think OF the stormy ocean; you
see soldier and you think OF the din
Of battle; you SEE a pastor and you think
of one who preached the word of saliva
tion to the lost.
Some one has spoken of the "etsrnal
fitness" of things. Change these things,
and you utterly destroy the fitness OF
every thing. If you can have feast
and dramatic entertainment in the
house of God, then you may change
words. Black may mean white, and
white, black. A church may mean a
theatre, heaven may mean hell, and
holiness, vice. Iobject to these things,
then, because of their untitness.
End. | object because these things
minister to the flesh and not to the
spirit.
We go to these places, to meet, have
a good time and one of the necessities
is re edom from corstraint.
Now let Christian man go there,
take his Bib y and talk about Christ
and his work and soon laughter will be
hushed, and the man that does it will
be voted bore. Christ is not to be
taken to these places. The Bible is
out of place there.
tell you, these things do more harm
than going to the theatre A christian
man who goes to the theatre is trai-
tor, and everybody knows him to be
au Benedict Arnold against Christ; bat
when they do the things in the church
IS that are done at theatres, and do
them in the name of the Lord Jesus,
the saviour is betrayed in the house Of
his friends.
My third reason is that it is con
fession of weakness on the part Of the
church. 1t is a confession that God $
word will not be received. Pews be-
come empty; fault is found with the
pastor; he cannot draw the people by
preaching, so other means are employ
cd to attract them and sustain the
church. 1t is confession that these
men are afraid to throw themselves
right back upon the word of God.
4th. 1t 10 a hindrance to the church
and Il stumbling block to unbelievers.
How can you expect ministers to per
suade sinners to come out from the
world and to follow Christ when the
ch urch itself is in fellowship with the
world.
A young man goes to one of these en-
tertainments. A brother comes to him
and invites him to partake in the plea
sures of the evening. He remembers
how, last winter, this same brother
staid within the church until nearly
midnight, trying to bring him to Jesus,
and hr comes to the conclusion that
hell is not as hot this winter as it was
last. Unbelievers cannot see why God
should send them to hell for going to
the theatres, when the best actor
in the town is in the Church.
s. 1t bellies the testimony OF God
concerning the work of the Church in
the world. God is now gathering out
a people from the world.
The church is to be as q pilgrim
waiting for her Lord, who may come at
any moment. She has but one mission
to save men. But does she do itY We
know that it is almost impossible to tell
the protesting christian from the worlt-
ly man. There is a certain class of
people who in the winter sing Hall.lu-
jah to the Lord, but in the remainder
of the year, they are following the
world. remember he continued when
| was an unbelisver, some of the best
dancers we're members of the church.
Unbslisvers despise that kind Of chris
tianity and spit upon its professors.
Who are responsible for these thingsi
He held that the ministers OF Christ
were to q greet extent, for failing to
hold up testimony of separation from
the world. But it costs something to do
this. 1t means to be stunned as you
walk up and down the streets, to be
misrspresented and psrsecuted.
A brother said to him, Il preached
upon the separation from the world in
New York and they came to me and
said, IT won't do for you to preach this
here, We do all these things" 'sd
In closing the speaker made An earn
est and eloquent appeal to oil christians
to rise up against this spirit Of worldli-
ness. Who are the people, he asked
that make these fsirsi Il is not the
holy oonsecratsd members Of the differ.
ont churches, who are on their knees
in prayer before God. MOI MOI He said
that hs was no ssctsrian. His heart
went out for all christians Of every Dc.
nomination, and he asked every trus-
hearted disipls Of the Master in viii.
mington TO uphold him in rreaching
against these things.
He appealed to them In the name Of
The coming of the Lord Jesus and for
lhs sake Of tho men and women around
hem, dying without Christ, TO- give
heir testimony against this spirit Of
and when Christ shall bs
rlori6od. whom christians of every