The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-05-10

preached in the Brooklyn Tabernacle this
morving on the sub set. Opera houses, the
aters, bowling alleys, skating Kinks, and all
styles Of amusements, good and bad, on trial.
The opening hymn was:
Awake my soul. stretch every nerve,
And press with yiger onl''
The text was from judges xvi, %: "And
it came to pass. when their hearts were
merry, that they said, call for Samson, that
he may make us sport, and they called for
Samson out Of the prison house, and he
made them sport" Following is the SER
mon in full:
There were 8. 600 people assembled in the
Temple of Dsgon. They had come to make
sport Of eyeless Samson. They were all
ready for the entertainment. They began
to clap snd pound, impatient for the snuse-
ment to begin, and they cried: fetch him
out! Fetch him out" Yonder l see the
Hind, old giant coming, led by the hand of
a child, into the very midst of the temple.
At his first appearance there goes up shout
of laughter and derision. The blind old
giant pretends he is tired and wants to rest
himself against the pillars of the house; so
he says to the lad who leads him: Snow
me where the main pillars are" The lad
does go. Then the strong man puts his right
hand on one pillar and with the mightiest
push that mortal ever made, throws himself
forward until the whole house comes down
in thunderous crash, grinding the audience
like grapes in wine press. And so it cpme
TO pass, when their hearts were merry, that
they said: Call for Samson that he may
make as sport" And they called for Sam
son out of the prison-house and he made
them sport. In other words, there are
smusements that are destructive and bring
down disaster aud death upon the heads of
those who practice them. While they laugh
and cheer they die. The three thousand WOO
persisted that dav in GAIA are Sc ne hing
compared with the tens of thousands who
nave been destroy ed-body. mind and soul
by bad smusements and By good amuse.
ments carried to excess.
Ia this course of sermons / am now preach
ing you must have noticed that have
NO SYMPATHY WITH ECCLESIASTICAL STRAIGHT
JACKETS
or with that wholesale denunciation of
amusements TO which many are pledged. [
believe the Church of God had made tire
mtndous mistake in trying TO suppress the
sportiulness OF youth and drive out from
men their love OF amusement. IL God ever
implanted anything in us He implanted tbs
desire. Bot instead of providing for this de.
nand of our nature The Church of God hss
for the main part, ignored it. As in riot
the Mayor planted battery at the end OF
the street and has it fred of, so that every
thing is cut down that happens to stand in
the range, the good as well as the bad, 50
that verything is cut down that happens 10
stand Ia the range, the good as well as the
bad, so there are men in the church who
plant their batteries Of condemnation and
fire indisclimiDately. Everything is con-
demned. There are q great mauy whe de-
Dounce ball paying. They hate pozzles.
They despise charades. They abhor taleaux.
They say: Away with all parlor gamesl"
They talk as if they would like to have our
youth dressed in blue uniform, like the chill
dIen of an orphan asylum, aud marched
down the path of life 10 the tune of the Dead
March in Saul. They hate a blue cash or
rosebud in the hair, tasseled gaiter, and
think man almost ready for Sing Sing who
utters conundrum. Young Mems Chris
liam Associations of the country are doing q
glorious work. They have fine reading
rooms, and all influences are of the best
kind, and are now adding gymnasi-
omns and bowling alleys, where with
out any evil surroundings, our
= y
ltual improvement We are dwlndling away
10 narrow chested, weak-armed feeble
voiced race, when God calls us TO work in
which he wants physical as well Is spiritual
athletes. would to God that the time might
soon come when in sill our colleges and tneo
logical seminaries, as at Princeton. gymna
SUM shall be established. We spend seven
ears of hard study In penetration for the
ministry, and come out with bronchitis and
dyspepsia and liver complaint and then
crawl up into the p1lpit, and The people say:
Doesn't be look heavenly because be LOOKS
sickly. Let the church OF God direst rather
than tsy to suppress, ths desire for amuge.
ment. The best men that the world ever
knew have had their sports. William Will
berfoTce trundled hoop with his children.
Martin Luther helped dress the Christmas
tree. Ministers have pitched quoits. Poll
sntnropists have gone a skating. Prime min
listers have played ball.
This church is filled with men and women
who have In their souls
UNMEAsURED RESOURCES or sPoRTLEssSEss AND
FRoLIC.
Show me 8 man who never lights up with
sportfulnets and mas no sympathy with the
rscreations OF others. and will show you
man who is stumbling block to the king
dom OF God. Such men are csricatures of
reiision. They lead young people TO think
that man is good in proportion as be groans
and frowns and looks saliow, and that the
height CT a mans Christian stature is in pro.
portion 10 the length of his face. / would
trade off five hundred such men for one bright
faced, radiant Christian on whose face are
the WORDS rejoice, evermore" Between
here and Fulton ferry every morning by his
cheerful face be breaches fifty sermons |
will go farther and say tia. l have no con6-
dence in q man who makes q religion of his
gloomy looks. That kind OF n man always
tulEs.out badly. / would not want him for
tie FfAsurer of an orphan asylum. The or
phA5s would suffer. Among forty people
whom received into the church at one cum-
munlon there was only one applicant OF
vhose piety ! was suspicious. He had TIE
longest story TO tell had seen the mos. Wis
ions, ard gave An experience so rIpturous
srC yprOfOund that all tho ofher aonlinant,