Morning journal and courier., 1883-03-06

stand r1gnt ln the way or reNlfaIs. 1EO1A ply they do sometimes So do skating rink which draw and interest people So do de batting clubs. noticed in your columns re gently that debating society connected with
 the Second Congregational church of Fall } Haven had resumed it's meetings after omit } ting them for some weeks Ion account of the religious interest,"" Had it's sessions not
 been omitted the society would doubtless
 have interfered somewhat with the revival 'reviVaP' depends largely on getting peo.
 pie together and centering their attention
 day after day on spiritual subjects. Any
 thing therefore which diverts the thoughts
 of the people and keeps them from assem-
 bling frequently is an obstacle to revival |"
 Therefore during sLent" the bishops and
 rectors of the Episc ,pal churches advise | their focks to desist from amusements But
 is it fair to anathematize dancing as wrong
 because being very common amusement it 1 often interferes with getting peo- pie together for religious services :?
 Why not on the same principle denounce l skating rinks also? :? If, other respects, l dancing stands in the way of revivals think l 1t is owing, in great measure, to the fact l have already adverted to, that we have crea- 1 ted a fictitious conscience concerning 1t by
 chasing it with the things which are wrong,
 but have not, at the same time, carried the l convictions of the young with us. They do not see the reasonablsness of our condemna-
 tion and so it is hard to draw them from their parties. If we made no more of danc- IiDg properly conducted than we do of ere- | qHet or the sleigh ride sometimes protracted
 to midnight, would it not materially assist to remove the prejudice which many of the l young now feel against entering upon | Christian life, as they often associate with
 that life the giving up of all the SO called l worldly pleasures. The dancing of young people was natural as their laughing and
 singing, and doubt whether one of them,
 unless so taught, would come to think 1t wrong. It seems to the | Church in it's multiplied discussions
 about amusements has shown the spirit of the Pharisees rather than the broad spirit of
 the Master. The only test he propounded of true diseipleship was obedience in love. ''If ye love me keep my commandments. "This
 IS my commandment that ye love one anoth-
 er." In his view the world was to know they were his disciples-how? By the adoption
 of certain forms of dress or abstinence from
 certain amusements not essentially wrong :?
 No! By this shall all men know that ye are
 my disciples if ye have love one to another"
 It is well known that the religionists of his
 day were not satisfied with this simple test
 they demanded conformity to their rules, just as later they beset Paul, who answered them, ''Love is the fulfilling of the law" This test of the Master comments itself to men of the world as eminently correct and sensible and IS the chief test they apply to protesting Christians. I have mingled much with men and I give it as my firm belief, based upon what I have myself heard and what other ministers have related to me as the result of their observation, that the overwhelming majority of irreligious men do not attribute inconsistency to Christians be- cause they indulge in the amusements we are considering Where you will find one who doubts the piety of individuals because they may dance or play cards you will find ten to phom these things are matters of indiffer- oT,1 1xr,1,o nck ing Christians because of their covetousness and censoriouness and meanness and resent full, unloving spirit This is the ,worldliness the Church must fight against and overcome in order to her highest efficiency. Some of the most thoroughly worldly people, &C., cording to this Christian test, in the l Church and are among those who most bit | terly oppose certain amusements. While | they deem themselves specially spiritual be- | cause they refrain from or have no taste fer | these amusements, they are, at the same time, full of the very essence of worldiness, and are l fearful stumbling blocks in the way of the | impenitent.
 What "One of the Laity'' says about | Christians being responsible for their inf1u- | ence-that while they may find card-playing or dancing an innocent amusement, others may through their example be led to such a use as will iniure them-is truo and should | be duly considered. There are doubtless 1 circumstances in which Christian for the l sake of others-when he sees there is danger 1 fs them in Ais ipdalgenee--HiH eesxs fress ! practice It should be, however, out of def l erence to a real danger and not prejudice | simply. Then 1t is Christian self denial. l But careful discrimination should be extr- | cised here, for there may be involved 8 pro hibition of things most useful. Say I have | fine horse. There is young man living near | me who, seeing me driving by his store day | after day for recreation, is seized with desire IT L -AI~ l. be likely to make bad use of horse, con- l sume too much time in driving and neglect | his business. draw te sketch from life. | Now is 1t demanded of me and of all who | need horse for business or recreation that | we give up our horses? This question of in ! would prevent the possession and use of | some of Gods best gifts | 10 man and preclude about every form of | amusement. We profess to be Christians Let us follow Christ. Make the simple test | of Christian character and conduct what he ments by his great law of love. This un- derstand to be the teaching of Prof Baldwin | on this subject. It is almost incomprehensi- ble to me how his calm statement of the un- deniable fact that ''in our Congregational | churches there are few now who think card | playing and dancing necessarily wrong and his | eminently sensible and Christian exhorta- l tion, ''Let us only be careful if we follow | Christ ill partaking of the innocent enjoy | ments of fife, to follow him also in partaking | only of those which are innocent, in being | temperate in partaking of them and of mak- ing them w3olly subordinate to the main employment of our time, the main aims of | our life,'' should be followed with an open | letter of rebuke and series of opposing 1 sermons from Christian pulpit I submit once more the question with which closed | my former article and which suggests the purpose for which I have written thus fully | on this subject. Is there not urgent need of more discrimination in statements from the pulpit? And let me add, is there not equally | urgent need that those who occupy the pews and indulge in amusements discriminate be- tween their use and their abuse and be care ful lest they become 'tlovers of pleasure ! more than lovers of God P The end of life is not amusement, but the development of Christ-like character which will yield richest service to God and humanity. While Christ ians may conscientiously indulge in amuse
 ments let them consoientiously attend to strictly religious duties, mot forsaking the assembling of themselves together as the. manner of some is.'' Let praise and prayer and meditation and social worship have their proper place and let each day witness some loving deed performed, that so they may grow up unto Christ in all things.
 CoNaREaATIoNAL PASTOR.