The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-06-23
WORLDLY PLEASURES.


Jones and hes frequently expressed
its admiration for his evangelical Ia
bora. But like all refoImers he is an
EXTREMIST, believes what is worth do
ing is worthy Of being we'll done, aad
hence he frequently slops over in
criticising worldly pleasures. His de-
nunciation OF round dsnc's, progress
sive euchre and baseball, are nothing
but low, vulgar TRADES, offensive and
insulting. One Of the positive hinder
ances to the spread oithe gospel, is to
be reckoned just such incorporate and
unqualified foundations as Sam
Jones is constantly hurting at
everything in the shape Of
amussments. Instead OF warning
on the abuses Of the social pleasures
and customs Of the present day, an
unrelenting and wholesale condemns
ton is LAUGHED fourth, distssteful to
many an humble believer who thinks
differently, and repels many an
honest man of the world from
Gauss which calls to its
aid such i'll tempersd and insolent sd-
vocatss. No doubt all these worldly
pleasures and ADJUSTMENTS have their
evils which should be avoided; but 30
have revival meetings, camp-meetipg5,
the church sewing societies, picnics,
fairs and festivals, their snarss, their
excessss and their folliss which beguile
many into the commission Of sin.
The highest ideal OF Christian.
ity is not in an enforced
sbJtinencs from what is in
nocent, which may have been abused
and perverted, but self-control in the
use Of it. There is as little judgment
and consistency in denounciug in I'M
measured terms all the pleasures OF
the present day, because, forsooth,
somebody has corrupted them and
others have been injured by them, as
to denounce religion because there are
villains in the church. Mrs. Molloy,
celebrated revivalist in the West for
the past five years, overshsdowed Sam
Jones in abuse Of worldly pleasures.
The idea that progressive Christian
could sit down and play game Of
progressive euchrs filed her with
horror and disgust. And yet she is
now indicted for crimes. com
pared with which the wort
phase OF worldly amussments
are agreeable diversions, and the evil
dence shows that at the very time she
wss abusing her neighbors she wsf
trembling lest the skeleton in her
closet should stalk forth and with its
bony fingers point TO her as the guilty
wretch she was, So II did at last, blow.
ing her sanity reputation to pieces as
II it were the fiimsiest cobweb. There
is no law in the Scriptures prohibiting
even Christians from having pleasures
Indeed, the whole tenor of Bible
teaching is in the opposite direction
The Gospel is the tidings of great Joy
Toe Puitan is no longer the idea
Christian. The world is adapted tc
the epjoymsnt Of pleasure. Alber
Barnes, the eminent preacher and
commentator, at the age o.
seventy yaars, said from his pulpit
This world is very attractive to me;
am sorry shall have to leave it SC
soon" There is far more merit in
such honesty as that than in the cant
which makes young men say in prayer
or song that he wants to leave this
world and longs for heaven. He does
not long for any such thing-and he
lies in saying 80. Assliling worldly
pleasures because there are excessel
ia as silly as a proposition TO abolish
all literature because there are vile
books, aud all art because there are
bad pictures.