Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1878-08-28
Church Gambling.

EpToR AGEi-W While ] read the
many advertisements in the different
papers Tor all sorts Oi church parties,
such as lcyees, tho wheel OF fortune,
ish ponds, the post Office, containing
fictitious, immoral literature, grab
bags, guess aud nug cakes, silver
pitchers, oyster suppers, ice cream
parties. masquerade balls, calico and
necktic parties, and a host Of other
obscene and anti.christian practices
which amount to nothing less than
church gambling, am led to cyclaim
as did the Prophet jeremiah, chapter
s; ;2l-22, "For tho hurt OF the daugh-
ter Of my people am hurt ! am
black astonishmeht hath taken hold
on me. ls there no balm in Gilead?
Is there no physician there why
then is not the health Of the daughter
of my people recovored"
1t is no little wonder that iniidelity
is alarmingly on the increase, while
the church comes down 10 paddle in
the murky waters Of such iilthiness.
Such things are indeed slckening to
every bible christian and he who
looks upon sin as curse, will, it he
understands the true natu:e of these
things, look upon them in the same
hight. Just think of it, people who
are called christians, exchanging wives
and taking to themselves women who
are not wives, to gratifying their fan
ciiul desires during their night revels,
and that too in places dedicated TO
God and his worship. In certain
town in this state church advertised
for party, admission fifteen cents
and a good time. A church fair was
held in the town of Rye, N. H., of
late, and a young man of moral habits
came out from it and remarked TO
some friends that the ball room was
a respectable place to that. Some of
the brightest and most promising
young men ard women Of our times
have been led to follow q life of shame
and contempt by first being led into
these pious gambling saloons. There
are numerous facts OF this kind that
might be produced as proof on this
point, we will give one: : "A man who
was a member of 4 certain church in
- became very much alarmed at
the growing tendency of his son to
evil, especially to gambling; the
minister was called in one day to talk
with that young man and after he had
elaborated on the evils Of such a course
of life to some length, the young man
says, "NIy friend, step into my library
a moment with me. DO you see that
nice library % "Yes, it is very nice
one indeed" "Well," says the young
man, II won that at festival in your
church, where 1 took my first lesson
in gambling" The minister was
dumb with silence and left the house
with shame, we suppose. And do we
wonder that people are coming to be-
lieve that there is no God, heaven nor
hell and do we ask why sinners are
" I converted to Gou now as in for
mer times? The reasons are obvious.
The wheels are clogged, the cable is
severed, the stream is polluted, the
church is infected with disease. No
wonder her children (converts) are
thus feeble and faint and fall in the
way, to perish in the meshes OF car
nality. Society, IN comparative
sense, has become mass Of putrifca-
tion.
How true and how applicable are
the words of the apostle TO these
times. I'd Tim. 3: 1st to Sth verse,
"This know also, that in the last days
perilous times shall come. For men
shall be lovers of their own selves,
covetous, boosters, proud, blasphem-
ers, disobedient to parents, unthank-
ful, unholy. Without natural atfec-
ton, trucebreakers, false accusers, in
continant, fierce, despisers of those
that are good. Traitors, beady, high
minded, lovers of pleasure more than
lovers of God having form of god.
illness, but denying the power thereof:
from such turn away. For of this
sort are they which creep into houses,
and lead captive silly women laden !