The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-10
THE REV. SAM JONES.
His Contempt for Whisky Drinkers - The
Kind of Religion He Wants.

Report Of Sermon at Loveland.
I've got the profoundest contempt for man
or woman that will drink wine, beer or whisky.
It's these things that are debauchng humanity.
And another thing | want to say. A good
many of YOU drinking beer, or whisky, or
wine for your health. The devil is in it, and he
dom. care whether you drink it for your fool
health. He don't care how or why you do tall
he wants is that you do it. If the church of God
in America would quit drinking whisky and vote
on this Internal whisky question they could
starve out half the lager beer saloons in the
country in six months and vote the balance out
of sight, for half of the saloons i'll Cincinnati are
run by church members don't say Christians.
God bless you; Christian won't drink that
stuff. / got religion twelve years ago. and /
know what a Christian can do.
Religion was intended to make our
pleasures less, and in eternal loyalty to God
l yield the palm to none and no man shall
unchristlaniZe me because ! don't nope about
like some of these fellows. If they want dig
nifty, wait until / die and m be as dignifed
as any of you just wait What's preacher
any more than man? How can religious
| man be any more sacred! Tell me that.
wouldn't Go thing at home | wouldn't do at
church. Want to drag the church down? No.
/ want to drag home up. Some people are
solemn, serious and very pioas at church,
and they'll come to church as pious and slick
and say, II don't like that merrlment'-you
old devil you-yOu ought to have your neck
broke.
The reason why the church makes no prog
ress in this world is because every fellow goes
at it as if the Lord was working him to death
and paying him nothing for it, That's about it.
If this sad. solemn, dropping, dignited piety
is what makes your religion, | want it before
die but don't want it until just about a min.
ute before de-I don't want to be loaded with
| it while live. If religion means shall NOPE
| and cry, and must not laugh, n would be too
| short to stretch myself in and too narrow to cur
| myself up in. Delight myself in the Lord
| Have you ever been to a prayer meeting in GIN
| cinuati or a town prayer meetings
| The preacher walks in soemnly and almost
| noiselessy and the old brethren come in and
| scatter around the church as far apart as posi-
BILE; one brother is called to sing and another te
pray, and then after prayer they'll go home
| sneakingly and call 1t growing in grace" Oh
| Lord what lonesome time they have had The
Lord don't 60 within mile of EN-, aud the
| devil gets in. l would as soon pray to make
| shade tree out of my walking stick as
| try to grow in grace at meeting like that Its
| disgrace to US, and yet the old corpse says: al
| don't like such merriment at church, and so much
| levity at church. l wish you would make us
| cry l don't believe there's bit of pietv ir
| crying. There's no meanness in laughter tel
| you as long the light of my Fathers face
| shines on me am going TO carry smile through
| the world. Whenever man can't laugh he's ir
| need of liver medicine. There's sometime
| wrong with him. Many a fellow in this country
| has mistaken disordered liver for religion
miserable old dose it Is to carry. don't car.
whether man laughs or cries at church.