The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-01-04
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUM-
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "Recreations. Good and
Bad"

TEXTS They that use thtS tcortd, as no
abusing it-I. Corinthians vii, 8. "And !
that theu said: Call for Samson, that h
may make US sport. And they called to
Samson out of the prison house; and h
wade them sport."-Judges xvi, p.
We are entering the gayest season Of th'
year. The winter opens before US the gate
OF q thousand amusementS, some OF then
good and some bad One OF my texts vii
show you that amusementS may 6e deStruct
i've, my other text will show that amuse
ments may be under the Divine blessing and
direction.
There were three thousand people afsem
,bled in the temple Of Dagon. They had come
to make sport Of eyeless Samson. They Were
all ready for the entertainment. They began
to clap and pound, impatient for the amuse
ment to begin, and they cried: Fetch hin
outi Fetch him out!" Yonder see the blind
giant coming, led by the hand Of child into
the very midst of the temple. At his first ap
pearance there goes up shout OF laughter
and derision. The blind old giant pretend:
he is tired and wants to rest himself against
the pillars Of the house; so he says to the lad
who leads him: "Show me where the main
pillars are" The lad does so. Then the strong
man puts his right hand on one pillar and
his left hand on another 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 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"
In other words, there are amusements that
are destructive, and bring down disaster and
death upon the heads Of those who practice
them. While they laugh and cheer. they die.
The three thousand who perished that day in
GAIA are as nothing compared with the tens
Of thousands who have been destroyed by
sinful amusements.
But the other text have read implies that
there is a lawful use of the world, as we'll as
an unlawful abuse Of it; and the difference
between the man Christian and the man un-
Christian is that in the former case the man
masters the world, while in tie latter case the
world masters him. For whom did God
make this grand and beautiful worlds For
whom this wonderful expenditure Of color.
this gracefulness of line, this mosaic Of the
ground, this fresco of the sky. this glowing
fruitage Of orchard and vineyard, this full
orchestra of the TEMPEST, in which the tree
branches flute and the winds trumpet and the
the thunders drum and oil the sp.endors of
earth and sky come clashing their cymbals!
For whom did God spring the arched bridge
of colors resting upon buttresses of broken
storm cloud? For whom did he gather the
upholstery Of fire around the window of the
setting sun? For allmen, but more especially
for his own dear children.
Hyou build q large mansion and spread
great feast after it to celebrate the compile
tion Of the structure, do you allow strangers
to come in and occupy the place, while you
thrust your own Children in the kitchen or
the barn or the fieldsl- Oh, no. You say: 81
am very glad to see. strangers in my man.
sion, but my own sons and daughters shall
have the first right there" Now, God has
built this grand mansion Of a world, and he
has spread q glorious feast in it; and while
those who are strangers to his grace may
give the advantage to his own children,
those who are the sons and the daughters Of
the Lord Almighty, those who through grace
can look up and say: abba, Father" You
cannot make me believe that God gives
more advantages to the world than he
gives to the church bought by his own
blood II, therefore, people of the
world have looked with dolorous sympathy
upon those who make profession of religion,
and have said: Those new converts are 60
ing down into privation and into hardship.
Why did not they tarTy little longer in
the world, and have some Of its en- 10y
ments and amusements and recreations!n l
say to such men of the world: "You are
greatly mistaken" and before get through
will show that those people who stay out of
the kingdom of God have the hardships and
the joys and the satisfactions.
This morning, in the name Of the King Of
Heaven and earth, serve writ Of eject
ment upon all the sinful and polluted who
have sauatted on the domain of earthly
pleasure as though it belonged to them, while
/ claim, in behalf Of the good and the pure
and the true, the eternal Inheritance which
God has given them
Hitherto, Christian philanthropists, cleri-
cal and lay, have busted themselves chiefly in
denouncing sinful recreations; but feel we
have no right to stand before men and women
in whose hearts there is desire for recrea-
tion amounting to positive necessity, de-
nouncing this and that and the other thing,
when we do not promise to give them some
thing better. God helping Inc this morning,
and with reference to my last account, shall
enter, upon a sphere not usual in sermoniz.
ing, but q subject which think ought to be
presented at this time. propose now to lay
before you some of the recreations which are
not only innocent, but positively helpful and
advantageous.
In the first place, commend, among in
door recreations, music, vocal and instru-
mental. Among the first things created was
the bird. 50 that the earth might have music
at the start. This world, which began with
50 sweet a serenade, is finally to be demol-
ished amidst the ringing blast of the arch
angels trumpet, so that as there was music
at the start, there shall be music at the close.
While this heavenly art has often been
dragged into the uses OF superstition and dis
sipation. we all know it may be the means of
high moral culture. Oh, it is grand t,ing
to have our children brought up amidst the
sound Of cultured voices and amidst the
melody of musical instruments. There is in
this art an indescribab!e fascination for the
household. Let all those families who have
the means to afford it, have flute or harp, or
piano or organ. AS soon as the hand is large
enough to compass the keys, teach it how to
pick out the melody. Let all our young men
try this heavenly art upon their nature.
Those who have gone into it fully have found
in it illimitable recreation and amusement.
Dark days, stormy nights, seasons of sick.
ness, business disasters, will do little toward
depressing the soul which can gal,op off ovel
musical keys or soar in jubilant lay. 1t will
cure pain. 1t will rest fatigue. 1t will quel
passion. It will revive health. 1t will re
claim dissipation 1t will strengthen the i'm
mortal soul. In the battle Of Waterloo, Wei
lington saw that the Highlanders were fall
ing back; he said: "What is the mlttel
there's" He was told that the band of music
had ceased playing, and he called up the
pipers and ordered them to strike up an in
spiriting air; and no sooner did they strik,
the air than the Highlande1s were rallied
and helped to win the day. Oh, we who have
BEEN routed in the conflicts Of life, try by thu
force of music to rally your scattered bat
talions.
lam glad to know that in our great cities
there is hardly night in which there are not
concerts where, with the best musical instru
ments and the sweetest voices, people may
find entertainment. Patronize such enter.
taiments when they are afforded You. Buy
season tickets if you can for the .'Philhar'
monic" and the Handel and Haydn" socie-