Chapter 135—Dancing
The true Christian will not desire to enter any place of amusement
or engage in any diversion upon which he cannot ask the blessing
of God. He will not be found at the theater, the billiard hall, or the
bowling saloon. He will not unite with the gay waltzers, or indulge in
any other bewitching pleasure that will banish Christ from the mind.
To those who plead for these diversions, we answer, We cannot
indulge in them in the name of Jesus of Nazareth. The blessing of
God would not be invoked upon the hour spent at the theater or in the
dance. No Christian would wish to meet death in such a place. No one
would wish to be found there when Christ shall come.
When we come to the final hour, and stand face to face with the
record of our lives, shall we regret that we have attended so few parties
of pleasure? that we have participated in so few scenes of thoughtless
mirth? Shall we not, rather, bitterly regret that so many precious hours
have been wasted in self-gratification,—so many opportunities ne-
glected, which, rightly improved, would have secured for us immortal
treasures?
It has become customary for professors of religion to excuse almost
any pernicious indulgence to which the heart is wedded. By familiarity
with sin, they become blinded to its enormity. Many who claim to
be children of God gloss over sins which His word condemns, by
linking some purpose of church charity with their godless carousals.
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Thus they borrow the livery of heaven to serve the devil in. Souls are
deceived, led astray, and lost to virtue and integrity by these fashionable
dissipations.
In the Path of Dissipation
In many religious families, dancing and card-playing are made
a parlor pastime. It is urged that these are quiet, home amusements,
which may be safely enjoyed under the parental eye. But a love
for these exciting pleasures is thus cultivated, and that which was
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