Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1903-05-16
,EASURE And GOD"
! Sermon by the Rev. A. B.
Kins0lying.
That When the Soul Has FoGul Its
Life the Simplest Things Will SIrvc
Thea a Mans Heart Lsuyhs.

sure and God" His text was taken
III Timothy iii: 4: Lovers OF pleasure
than lovers OF God" Mr.. Kinsolv.
aid:
: is one o. those biting sentences Of
! ST. Pauls letters are iull. 1t occurs
hurrying category and arrests our
yhts ut once.
rise two things, religion and pleasure.
always been here on Gods fair earth
are undoubtedly primal constituents
fe. aud yet II has ever been d.hcult
men to harmonic -hem and keep them
friendly terms. Religious people have
i committed the b,under OF looking
nce at amusement. Indeed, some OF
best and most earnest among them
conceived OF piety as scarcely less
killJoy They have represented
as intensely jealous OF life's innocent
wcll - its forbidden pleasures. until
sr systems have gotten To lie so one.
ID. and eNtravagant. and over-wrought
onedeaed aud melancholy as TO cast
awful gloom upon communities for con-
erah.e periods. Such men have missed
ngether the cosmlc note OF Cladncss
ich summers IL the sunlight. dances in
laughing waters. winch ripples and
irnurs IN the bro oss and streams. which
tiles from the blue dome above and
h'Ills us III the spring bird notes and the
INNER flowers. The material for enjoy.
.snt. says some one. rs so inwrought
40 the world : constitution that we can
Il put spade into the ground anywhere
thout turning it up. By travel. by stay.
& at home, 10y working. by resting. hy
cain OF the musce> or strain oi the mind;
speech. by silence; by solitude. by So
ETY.: by helping. hv bsng helped: by re-
Ewing. by givng-hv al these different
Dads do men reach j0v.'
And yet with cur eye upon the history
I mankind is there not abundant reason
Or religions suspicion of the riot of pleas
ra| hot ~ t.n, MT
cen s,ain by its sensual pleasures: Run
trough the list Of thom-Babylon. Me
ca, Persia. the Egyptian monarchy,
Greece. Carthage. Home--did not the mas.
ion for iicentous pleasure and the effcm.
macy which in consequence came every
where in the place whore manly virtue and
stole self-control and splendid discipline OF
body and mind had been; did not these
Undermine the mighty fabric OF Rome it
self:
Look at the world that Christianity en-
tered. What made il hostile to Christ
and His religion: What made il cruelty
Him ont OF its sight and fling His follow
ers to the beasts in the great amphitheatre
lat Rome; Why. more than aught else the
unbrid.ed love of sinful pleasures. With
fierce flashes o. anger these heather liber
ais refused TO have their indulgences inter
fered with. They would not suffer a faith
TO be taught III their midst which they
astute,y saw would have the moral effect
o; stopping their games. and they cried
( with hellish hate: The Christians to the
+ lions and 10 the lions they were thrown.
We know from the pages OF Grote and
. GibhOn something ci the excuses of the
Greek and Roman national games and les
rivals. That which began with some show
of decency degeneratcd often into the ex
IRENE OF licentiousness and minstered 10
the basest passions. Frequently for days
and weeks together they absorbed Tie pub
lie mind. making men Obvious 10 every
moral obligation and deaf to the claims OF
humanity" Ghbon saws that Rome had
at one time 5000 femaie dancers and as
many singers. and that when seasons of
famine came. while all strangers and even
professors OF the liberal arts were ban
lshed from the city. the dancers were al
lowed to remain. Their performances
were characterized by everything that was
morally degrading. and the orgies which
took place around the temples OF the God
dess Flora and Noluptas, the Goddess of
Pleasure. descended into the depths of
nrohlcacy. In the times OF Charles VI. OF
France. in the times Of the Georges. the
Boreias and the later Louis OF France there
was only too much to remind men OF the
h'ackest moral chapters in past history
Men lived in Measure on the earth and
were wanton: they nourished their hearts
in day of slaughter" No wonder. breth-
rem. with such spectacles before them. that
serious Christian pcop.e. realizing the dead
~ peril from this quarter. should in their
moral earnestness often have zone too far
and failed to recognize that the thirst for
pleasure and amusement is n human thirst
and must be provided for and guided and
sympathzed with. or else it win become
religions rival and antagonist.
Again, when men have tried to solve the
mystery of laughter they have advanced
very diverse opinions. Pascal thought that
the passion for amusement was an illus
fraffnp nj tta rpa1 mn ~ his.
man lives. 1t is because they want 10 get
out of themselves that they focll 50 TO
speetac'es Of every kind. or gather in
crowds 10 laugh and talk-it Is diversion
they seek. that is. anything to escape from
the--somber ordeal OF solitary thought
Douht,ess. his explanation fits many cases
hut 1t hardly covC"s all. Play and JOYOUS
ness are amolg the primitive gifts OF hu-
man nature. The beginning OF comrade
ship between the rother and child is the
hour when: as she DANCES some p.ayyth'nns
before it. the little. solemn face hro lks
ont into a dimnled smile" Humor is one
of the closest bonds Of sympathy between
US. The oontacion Of hearty genial inerri
ment is notorious. and the world has gen.
orally rightly loved the people who made
il 'augh.
Mr. James Sally. an Enrlshman Of let.
tiers. has lust published nook which Is a
sort OF pbiio.ophic study OF laughter. in
which ne dcpiorcs any wane of this great
human resource. and say> that Il: look, a
II now only the more sor1id material inter.
ests moved the mind. A. II snort had ~
have it, substantial bait in the shape 81
stakes. while comedy must angie for popu.
larty with scenic sn.endors which are seen
to cost money" However this NAV be- it
Is perfectly certain that the pleasure in.
stinct is trGc note Of our human nature
and TINT no life is whole without it. I; j.
the lighter torch Of this charming gavetv
which gives that large freedom and mobi.-
ity to lie which II needs for Is complete
expression. Amuso ment, relaxation and
happiness are certainly part of the cosmic
scheme. II ~ any period God should lool;
down Gpon His world and 500 oeiv solemn
faces and hcar no notes II r.ppling laugh
ter. | think It would gr.eye Him at His
heart. Bu5 here they are ever side bv
side; lies laughter aud tears. and wher-
ever innocent. we can only imagine the
great and kiGd Father looking down benig-
nantlv upon az. Nothing * more couspic-
nous N tho character OF tho Lord Jesus,
with al His intense mora! ca:ue=tnoss,
than the beautiful simplicity Of His sym.
"@-salts.F vita what We may cal the JOYOUS
background Of life he begins H;s won
der-Wofklng at marriage feaSt at Cana
to which lie had been invited A. a matter
81 course The prodieal in his story comes
home To Music and dancing The Kingdom
OF heaven is itself ikc-nos fnacral-but
! feast lie wa- the enemy Of every bur.
N den which CALLED the nccs Of mon AMI de.
= afrauded ihc'n az thc- richtiul hanpinoss.
t.Doubtsss many an ho1r IN lie interval;
ahf work It's soul MS -cnthel h. he lvric
e,eby OF naivIc--uv The gentle starlight hv
he song 0i iirlS lV these Srrtf-t fe'Is