The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1898-06-30

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when their hearts were merry that they
said. Cali for sampson that he may
make US sport And they called fol-
sampson ou, of the prison house and
he made them sport"
T.ere were 5000 people assembled In
the Temple OF Dagon. They had come
to make sport OF eyeless Sampson. They
were all ready for entertainment They
b., IN to clap and pound. impatient foI
the amusement to begin. and they
cred: Fetch him out! Fetch him
ort." Yonder see the blind old giant
coming. led by the hand Of child into
the very midst of the temple. At his
first appearance there goes up a shout
Of Hat, htcr and derison. The blind old
s!..s.. r.etends he Is tired and wants t.
re-. himself against the pillars Of the
house, 40 he says to the lad who leads
him: Bring me where the main phi
lars are" The lad does so. Then the
suun; man puts i.s HANDS on che "i
the p!lA -, and. with the mightiest
push hat inertia! ever made, throws
hin sell forward un.il the whole house
conc. Gown in thGnderous crash,
si.Hd!ng the audience like grapes in
wine press. And so Il came to pass
wicn their hearts were merry, that
they said Call for Sampson that hs
may make us sport And they called
and he made. them sport" In other
words, there are amusements thas are
destructive and bring down A.saster
and death upon the heads Of those VINO
practice them. While they laugh and
cheer they die The 5000 who perished
that day in GAIA are nothing compared
with the tens Of thousands who have
been destroyed, body, mind and soul,
by bad amusements and by good
anus usclnents carried 20 excess.
In ny sermons you must have no
;iccI that l have no sympathy with
ecclesiastical straitjackets or with
that Wholesale denunciation Of amuse.
ments to which man" are pledged.
believe the church of God has made
a tremendous mistake in trying to sup
press the sportfulness OF youth and
drive out from men their love of nmuse-
ment. II God ever implanted anything
IN US he implanted this desire. But;
instead OF providing for this demand
of our nature, the church OF God has
for the main part ignored It. As In q
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 condemnation and fire away indis-
criminately.
Our communities are filled with
men and women who have in their
souls unmeasured resources for sport
fulness and frolic. Show me man
who never lights up with sportfuiness
and has no sympathy with the recrca-
tions of others, and ! will show you g
man who Is a stumbling block TO the
( kingdom of God. Such men are carlca'
lures Of religion. They lead young
people to think that man is good II
proportion as he Groans and frown:
and looks sallow and that the hesh
of a mans Christian stature is in pro
portion to the length Of his face.
would trade off 500 such men for on,
bright faced, radiant Christian OF
whose face are the words "Rejo.c'
rvermore." Every morning by hi
cheerful face he breaches 80 sermons
| will go further and say that | hav'
no confidence in man who makes
religion of his gloomy looks. That kim
Of "A man always turns out badly
would not want him for the treasure
II an orphan asylum. The orphan
would suffer
Among 40 people whom ! received in
to the church at one communion, ther
was only one applicant OF whose r.et
was suspicious. He had the lonSes
story TO tell, had seen the most vision
and gave an experience so wondcrft
that all the other applicants were DIS
coulaged. was not surprised the yea
after to learn that he had run off Wi.
the funds OF the bank with which II
was connected. Who Is this black ar
gel that you call religion-wings blacl
feet black. feathers black? Our relia
ion Is a bright angel-feet bright. eye
bright, wings bright. taking her plac
in the soul. She pulls rope thf
reaches to the skies and sets all III
bells of heaven a-chim!ng. There al
some persons who. when talking to
minister, always feel 1t polite to loo
lugubrious. Go forth. o people, to yot
J lawful amusement. God means yo
I 20 be happy. But when there are !
: many sources OF innocent pleasure wh
tamper with anything that is daEge
] Gus and polluting? Why stop our ca
IN a heayen full Of sonpsters 20 lIStc