Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-05-04
"Awake, my soul, stretch every nerve,
And pTesS with yigor on :"

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"Awake, my soul, stretch every nerve,
And press with yigor on"
The text was from Judges xvi, 26: "And
it came to pass that 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 sermon
in full:
There were three thousand people assem-
bled
In the Temple of DagoR.
They had come to make sport of eyeless
Samson. They were all ready for the enter
tainment. They began to clap and pound
impatient for the amusement to begin, and
they cried Fetch him out! Fetch him out!'
Yonder see the blind old giant coming,
led by the hand Of child into the midst OF
the temple. At his first appearance there
gees up q shout Of laughter and derision. The
blind old giant pretends he is tired and wants
forest himselfagainst the pillars ofthe house;
so he says to the lad who leads him, SHOW
me where the main pillars are. The lad
does so. Then fhe strong man puts his
right hand on one pillar and with the
mightiest push that mortal ever made
lhrows himself forward until the whole
house comes down in thunderous crash,
grinding the audience like grapes in a
gine-press And so it came to pass when
their hear were merry that they said,
Call for Samson tnat he may make US
srort,' and they called for Samson out OF
tie prison house and he made them sport.
In other words, there are amusements that
are destructive emu bring down disaster and
death upon the heaths Of those who prac-
tice them. While they laugh and cheer
they die. The three thousand who persisted
that day in GAIA are as nothing compared
with the tens of thousands who have been
destroyed body, mind and soul by bad
amusements, and by good amusementS
carried to excess.
In this course Of sermons and am now
preaching you must have noticed that |
have no sympathy with
EcCEesiastical Straitjackets,
or with that wholesale denunciation
of smusemsnts to which many
are pledged ! believe the church OF
God has made tremendous mistake in try
ing to suppress the sportfulness OF youth and
drive out from men their love Of amuse-
ment. If God ever implanted anything in
US. He implanted this desire. Bat instead
OF providing for this demand Of our nature,
the church OF God has for the main part,
ignored it. AS in @ riot the mayor plants a
battery at the end Of the street and has it
fired Of, so that everything is cut down that
happens to stand in the range, the good as
well as the bad, so there are men in the
church who plant their batteries Of con.
demnat.on and fire away indiscriminately.
Everything is condemned. There are a
great many who denource ball playing.
They hate puzzles. They despise charades.
They abhor tableaux. They say: Away
with all pa-Ior games" They talk as if
they would Ike - have our youth dressed
in blue uniform, like the children Of an or
pban asylum, and march down the path Of
life to the time of the dead march in Saul
They hate blue sash or a rosebud in the
hair or tasseied gaiter and think man al
most ready tos Sing Sing; who utters
conundrum. Young Mems Christian AS
sociations of the country are do
ing glorious work. They have
fine reading rooms and all the influences
are Of the best kind and are now aiding
gymaasiums and bowling, where, without
any evil surroundings our young men may
get physical as we'll as spiritual improve
ment. Weare dwindling away to o narrow
chestei, weak armed, feeble-voiced race,
when God calls us to a work in which he
wants
Physical as Well as Spiritual Asnletes.
would to God that the time might soon
come when in all our colleges and theologic-
shall be established. We spend seven years
Of hard study in preparation for the minis
try and come out with bronchitis and dys-
pepsia ard liver complaint and then crawl
up into the pulpit and the people say; Don't
he look heavenlyw because he locks sickly.
Let the church of God direct rather than at.
tempt to suppress the desire for amusement.
The best men that the world ever knew
Rave had sheir sports. William Wilberforce
trurdled hoop vita his childreR. Martin
Luther helped dress the Christmas tree.
Ministers have pitched qnOits. Pahnthrop
ISIS have gone a-sBating Prime ninist ers
have played ball.
This cl9rch to-day is tIled with meu aud
women Who have in their souls unmesS
ured resources of spor.fulness and troie
Show me man who never fghss up wiIA
sportfulnsss and has no sympathy with the
Yeerearions of Others and | viii show yoE d
man who S . stumbling block - the ki4g-
dom OF God Such men are
CarieNtureS Sf Religion.
They lead youug people to thiak that nan
is good in proportion IS he groauS> and
frowns and looks sallow, and hat the hesght
of q man christian stature Is in proportion
to the length Of his face l would t-ade of
FIVE hundred such men for one bright
faced, radiant christian On whose face are
the words Rejoice evermore!" Between
here and Fulton Ferry every norning by
his cheerful face he breaches ftty sermons.
| will 20 further and say that / nave no
confidence in q man who makes a religion
of his gloomy looks. That kind of a man
always turns cat badly. wsGh not want
him for the treasurer Of an orphan asylum
The orphans would suffer. Among forty
people whom I received into the church 81
one communion there was only one ap
phcsnt Of whose piety l was sus
picious. He had the longest story tc
tell; had seen ths, most visions aud gave au
experisace 30 rapturous ana profound that
all the other applicants were discouraged
Was not surprised in year aiter to learn
that he bad run off with ths funds Of the
bank With which he was connected. VIII
Is this hlAck angel that you call religion
wings black, feet black. feathers black
Our religion is a bright angel-feet bright
syes bright wings bright Taking hsl
place In the soul She pulls q rope thA
reaches to the skies and sets all the bells o
heaven q chiAing. There are some per
sons when talking TO minister always fee
it polite to look lugubrious. Go forth, ol
people 10 your lawful amusement Go'
mesns you to be happy. But when Their