Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1896-04-08

he the Pleasures That Bring Oes,r:e-
ton to Us.
Shis World Was Intended to re Enjoyed-
Music. Hooks aud Other Innoceat
Amusement, strongly Rccona-
mcndcd by Dr. rsinsgs In
lls sermon.

A"">-@cnu strongly Rccosn-
mcndcd by Dr. Taimsgs In
his sermon.
DIR. Talmagc took for his SERMON
Sunday, Our Social Recrcations.s l.
Cor, vii. 81: They that use this world
rs not abusing it," Judges xvi. IS:
'and 1t came Ia pass, when their hearts
were merry, that they said. Call Sam
son that he may makes ms sport"
There were 5000 people assembled i'm
the Temple of Dagon. They had come
to make sport of cyelcss Samson. They
were all ready for the entertainment
They began to clap and pound. impa-
tent for the amusement To begin. aud
they cried: Fetch him QUIT Fetch him
outv' Wonder see the blind old giant
coming, led by the hand of child into
the very midst OF the temple. Al his
first appearance there goes up shout
of laughter and derision. The blind
old giant prctends he is tired, and
wants To rest himself against the pill
lars of the house, so he says tn the lad
who leads him: "Show me where the
main pillars are" The lad does so.
Then the strong man pits 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 n
wine press. And so IL 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 amusc-
ments 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 persisted that
day in GAIA are as nothing compared
To the tens Of thousands who have been
destroyed by sinful amuscmcnts.
But my first text implies that there
is lawful use of the world, rs well rs
an unlawful abuse of il, and the differ
ence between the man Christian and
the man un-Christian is, that i'm the
former case the man masters the world,
while in the latter case the world mas
ters him. For whom did God make
this grand and beautiful world? For
whom this wonderful expenditure of
color, this gracefulncss OF line. this
mosaic of the ground, this frcsco of the
sky, this glowing fruitage of orchard
and vineyard, this full orchestra of the
tempest, in which the tree branches
fiutc, and the winds trumpet, and the
thundcrs drum, and all the splcndors
OF earth and sky come clashing their
cymbals? For whom did God spring
the nrched bridge of colors resting upon
buttrcsses of broken storm-cloud? For
whom did he gather the upholstery of
fire around the window of the setting
sun? For all men; but more especially
for his own dear children.
II you build large mansion, and
spread n great feast after il, To- cele-
brate the completion 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 fields? Oh, mol You say:
II am very glad to see strangers i'm my
mansion, but my own sons and daugh-
tiers shall have the first right there"
Now, God has built this grand mansion
of world, and he has spread glori-
GUS feast in IL, and while those who arc
strangers TO His grace may come in, /
think that God especially intends to
give the advantage To his own children
those wE) are the sons and daughters
of the Lord Almighty, those who
through grace can look up and say,
Abba, Father" You can not make
me believe that God gives more advan-
faf 10, ba a..
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 going down into privation and into
hardship Why did they not tarry "a
little longer in the world, and have
some Of its enjoymcnts and amuscments
and recreations?" / 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
self-denials, while those who come in
have the joys and satisfactions, writs
of ejcctment.
In the name of the King of Heaven
and earth, i serve "a writ Of ejectment
upon all the sinful and polluted who
have squatted on the domain OF earthly
pleasure as though IL belonged TO them,
while ] claim, in behalf OF the good and
the pure and the true, the eternal in
heritance which God has given them.
Hitherto. Christian philanthropists.
clerical and lay. havo busted them
selves chiefly in denouncing sinful rec
reations; but feel we have no right To
stand before men and women in whose
hearts there Is a desire for recreation
amounting 20 positive necessity, de-
nouncing this and that and that and
the other thing. when we do not pro-
pose 10 give them something better
God helping me and with reference to
my last account, shall enter upon a
sphere not usual in sermonizing. but a
subject which / think ought 10 be pre-
sented at this time propose now 10
lay before you some Of the recreations
which are not only innocent. but posi-
lively helpful and advantageous.
In the first place, commend, among
indoor recreations. music-vocal and
instrumental Among the first things
created was the bird so that the earth
might have music at the start. This
world, which began with so sweet a
serenade, is finally 20 be demolished
amidst the ringing blast Of the arch
angels trumpet, so that as there was
music az the start there shall be music