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+Project Gutenberg's A Discourse on the Evils of Dancing, by John F. Mesick
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: A Discourse on the Evils of Dancing
+
+Author: John F. Mesick
+
+Release Date: July 8, 2011 [EBook #36667]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DISCOURSE ON EVILS OF DANCING ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Gerard Arthus, Matthew Wheaton and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                   A DISCOURSE ON THE EVILS OF DANCING
+
+
+                        DELIVERED MARCH 8, 1846,
+
+                        BEFORE THE CONGREGATION
+
+                                   OF
+
+                    THE GERMAN REFORMED SALEM CHURCH
+
+                                   OF
+
+                            HARRISBURG, PA.,
+
+                 By the Pastor, the Rev. John F. Mesick,
+
+                        PUBLISHED BY THE VESTRY.
+
+                              HARRISBURG:
+
+                         THEO: FENN, PRINTER.
+
+                                 1846.
+
+
+                                   HARRISBURG, March 11, A. D. 1846.
+    REV. JOHN F. MESICK--_Dear Sir:_ On last Sabbath evening, 8th
+    inst., you preached a sermon to our congregation on "_The Evils
+    of Dancing_." As this is a custom which is in much practise even
+    by those who consider themselves patterns in society, and, who
+    generally comprise the youth, and say that it is an innocent
+    amusement. We would esteem it as a favor if you would furnish us
+    with a copy thereof for publication that it may be circulated in
+    our Sabbath Schools, among the votaries of dancing, the parents
+    and friends of those who have been assenting to it, in the hope
+    that they may read it and learn its evil consequences, and
+    abstain from its practice hereafter, and be satisfied that its
+    use is not in character with the present age, whatever may have
+    seemingly commended it in former days.
+
+                               JOHN C. BUCHER,
+                               GEO. P. WIESTLING,
+                               GEORGE ZINN,
+                               DANIEL W. GROSS,
+                               ELIAS ZOLLINGER,
+                               JACOB SHELL,
+                               LUTHER REILEY,
+                               GEORGE BEATTY,
+                               RUDOLPH F. KELKER,
+                               SAMUEL B. KEYSER,
+                               VALENTINE EGLE,
+                               GEORGE L. KUNKEL.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+                                         HARRISBURG, March 11, 1846.
+    _To the Vestry of the German Reformed Salem Church:_
+    DEAR BRETHREN: Although the Discourse preached on Sabbath
+    evening last, was prepared during the preceding week as a
+    regular duty, without a thought in reference to a request of
+    this kind; yet as you have been pleased to express a wish to see
+    it in print, in the hope of extending its usefulness, the
+    manuscript is at your service.
+                      With sincere esteem and affection, yours, &c.,
+                                                     JOHN F. MESICK.
+
+
+
+
+THE EVILS OF DANCING.
+
+ROMANS, XII. 3.--"BE NOT CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD."
+
+
+The Bible is the only rule for all who wish to be saved. The professed
+Christian, not only, but every unconverted man, must bow to its
+precepts, if he would gain the favor of God. There is but one way, and
+but one gate of entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven, for saint and for
+sinner. Whatever, therefore, shall be acknowledged to be the duty of the
+covenanted follower of the Lamb, is equally the duty of every individual
+who stands disconnected with the visible Church.
+
+It is a doctrine of revelation that, both classes of persons will be
+judged by the same law, and will be tried with equal impartiality and
+rigor. We are taught that, what Divine justice shall demand from the
+one, it will demand from the other; and that there is no respect of
+persons with God. The human race, as dependent and accountable agents,
+are placed on the same moral level in his sight. Each commandment of his
+word is addressed to every hearer of the Gospel. And all are under
+obligation to obey its injunctions, as they value the eternal welfare of
+their immortal spirits.
+
+It is on this incontrovertible principle that I shall proceed to speak
+from the text: "Be not conformed to this world,"--assuming it as an
+undeniable truth that, what God requires of his children, he also exacts
+from the people of the world; and that whatever is inconsistent with the
+reputation or character of a good church member, is no less inconsistent
+with the eternal salvation of those persons who have not made a public
+profession of religion.
+
+We take our ground boldly on this portion of scripture, and assert that
+the fashionable amusement of Dancing, is contrary to the _spirit_ and
+_aim_ of the Gospel, and, therefore, is opposed to the revealed will of
+God. Your attention is invited to two points:
+
+FIRST--To the necessity of non-conformity to the world; and
+
+SECONDLY--To the facts proving that Dancing is an act of conformity to
+the world.
+
+I. We begin with _the necessity of non-conformity to the world_.
+
+The Scripture sense of the term, _world_, is that collection of
+idolaters, unbelievers, and wicked men who constitute the great bulk of
+the inhabitants of our globe; in short all persons who do not belong to
+the Kingdom of God.
+
+_This definition_ corresponds with the declarations of Christ: "My
+kingdom is not of this world;" "Ye are not of the world, even as I am
+not of the world;" "If ye were of the world, the world would love his
+own, but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of
+the world, therefore the world hateth you."
+
+The sentiment of the text is not the voice of a solitary passage, but is
+amply sustained by other portions of the word of God. There are many
+similar precepts addressed to believers: "Arise ye and depart, for this
+is not your rest; because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even
+with a sore destruction;" "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye
+separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing." "Love not
+the world, neither the things that are in the world; if any man love the
+world, the love of the Father is not in him." "Know ye not that the
+friendship of the world is enmity with God?" "Ye cannot serve God and
+Mammon." "Choose ye this day whom ye will serve." "If the Lord be God,
+follow him; but if Baal, follow him."
+
+These commandments of our Heavenly Father, are not _hard sayings_ to the
+soul that has been delivered from this present evil world through faith
+in Jesus; for it has acquired through the work of the Spirit, a holy
+resignation to every intimation of the Divine will, and supreme delight
+in God as infinitely lovely, which causes every other source of pleasure
+or of happiness to become tasteless and insipid. To carnal minds, we
+admit, that they will sound like tyrannical edicts, because they seem to
+them to take away their natural liberty; shutting them up from the
+pursuit of that kind of enjoyment for which they pant, which they know
+not where to find, and in search of which they wander "through earth,
+its gay pleasures to trace."
+
+But to souls renewed by Divine Grace, the yoke of Christ is easy and his
+burden light. True Christians, the heirs of glory, are separated from
+the world, not only by profession, not only by external badges, but what
+is of higher moment, by their character and spirit. They are essentially
+a peculiar people; singular in their opinions and practices, and created
+unto good works. They are distinguished by a conversation in Heaven.
+They move through society as pilgrims and strangers on the earth. They
+keep themselves unspotted from the world, as temples of the Holy Ghost.
+They seek in Heaven an inheritance which is incorruptible, undefiled,
+and that fadeth not away, as heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus
+Christ. And they reflect the love and holiness of Jesus, as those who
+bear the Saviour's image.
+
+_A wide and unalterable distinction exists, therefore_, between the
+servants of God and the people of the world, a distinction as
+perceptible as that which divides the night from the day, and the
+darkness from the light. "The one are born from above, the other from
+beneath. The one are quickened by Divine grace; the other are dead in
+trespasses and sins. The one are governed by the Spirit of God, and the
+other are under the dominion of Satan. The one consult the glory of God,
+and cheerfully resign all for Christ; the other make self the centre
+around which they move."
+
+Such irreconcilable discordance in the primary elements of their
+character forbids the thought of their amalgamation. We might as
+reasonably expect that oil and water would commingle and become one
+fluid, as that true Christians should blend their hopes and interests
+with those of the world. The natural and ardent opposition, growing out
+of their respective principles and aims, renders a separation between
+them inevitable, absolutely necessary, necessary at least for the
+safety, comfort, consistency, and usefulness of believers.
+
+There is no need of further exposition, to show that the injunction of
+the text is deep-laid in the very constitution of things--and is the
+natural result of the incompatible differences between submission to the
+will of God and rebellion against his moral government. The followers of
+Christ can never consent to a compromise involving these principles,
+unless they are willing to sacrifice his cause. Allegiance to Heaven
+demands that true Christians should never shrink in the hour of trial
+from the ignominy or suffering of the cross. If they would be holy, they
+must possess the courage to dare to be singular, and to meet the world's
+derisive laugh on account of the tenderness of their consciences, or
+their inexperience in the vanities and customs of fashionable life. They
+should receive as an honor its scorn and ridicule, when heaped upon them
+because they continue faithful to Christ; because they implicitly follow
+the directions of his humbling doctrines before men; and because they
+steadily maintain the line of separation between the church and the
+world.
+
+No man deserves the name of Christian, no man can indulge a good hope of
+salvation, unless his faith in Christ is productive of non-conformity to
+the world; a stand which is indispensable to his separation from a
+perishing race and his incorporation into the Kingdom of Heaven.
+
+II. In the second place we proceed _to adduce the facts proving that
+Dancing is an act of conformity to the world_.
+
+1. Even if could be shown that it is a _healthful amusement_, the
+position assumed by the text, would exclude it from the recreations of
+those who love and obey God, imposing on them the obligation to refrain
+from it, and to resort to other means of exercise, to which no valid
+objection could be made.
+
+No apology, we are sure, can be offered for Dancing, as usually
+conducted, _more weak_ than the common one, that it promotes the health
+of the body. Some thing doubtless might be accomplished by it for the
+attainment of this object, if it were practised in the day-time and in
+the open air. But usually, in obedience to the arbitrary decree of
+fashion, _the most unseasonable hour, and the most unfavorable
+circumstances are chosen_.
+
+Many an untimely death has been the dreadful penalty incurred by
+exposure on such occasions; and the fearful blow has generally fallen
+among the ranks of lovely woman. Follow the fragile, venturesome forms
+of our delicate, modernly dressed ladies to the ball room. They pass
+from their habitations, arrayed in a garb whose style and materials
+would render it a fit garment to be worn only at mid-summer; covered
+with a light wrapper, lest the decorations of the toilet should be
+deranged, and protected from the snow or frozen pavement only by thin
+soled shoes. They spend several hours together under the excitement of
+lively strains of music, and of the glittering array of beauty and
+fashion, in a chamber brilliant with a multitude of dazzling lights, and
+crowded with guests to the destruction of the vital properties of the
+atmosphere; and in physical exertions to which they have been
+unaccustomed, and which open all the pores of the skin. The system is
+also deranged by loading the stomach with indigestible food, and by
+encroaching on the ordinary and necessary hours of repose. Then with
+heated and wearied frames, in that state peculiarly exposed to the
+injurious action of the cold, they suddenly exchange the warm
+temperature of the assembly chamber for the chilliness of the damp night
+air--the tropic of the ball room for the Siberia of the street. Alas!
+what a perilous price to pay for the admiration of the fashionable
+throng, or for the fleeting gratification of the hour. In that wintry
+blast consumption smites his smiling victims, and fills up the weekly
+calendar of his fearful ravages. In our large cities, where this insane
+contempt of health and life is sanctioned by the uniform practice of the
+God-forgetting multitude, this fell destroyer snatches his prey from the
+ranks of fashion by scores, and scourges them more fatally than the
+pestilence.
+
+And yet individuals can be found in the midst of our community, so
+devoid of wisdom and foresight as to advocate the introduction of this
+pernicious amusement into our social circles. We trust that if they
+cannot be reached by any higher motives, that a regard for the health
+and lives which will be sacrificed to this modern idol, will induce them
+to pause, and to consider well the way of their steps.
+
+2. The position assumed by the text, would exclude Dancing from the list
+of Christian diversions, even if it could be shown _that it is innocent
+in itself_.
+
+This, however, is a point which the worldling labors in vain to prove by
+the most skilful use of religious sophistry.
+
+Persons on whose judgment we rely with great confidence in matters of
+this sort, have abandoned the idea which they, in common with others,
+once entertained, that Dancing, if properly regulated, might be
+harmless. It is their settled opinion, founded on considerable personal
+experience and on observation, "that the nature of the amusement itself,
+even in its least exceptionable forms and in limited exercise, is
+such--that it has a tendency to inflame passion, to poison virtue, to
+endanger purity, and to lead on to gross and deadly evils."
+
+Modern dancing, as generally practised, is a gay and guilty pleasure. It
+receives no warrant from the Bible. The only kind of Dances recorded in
+the Sacred Scriptures, are religious Dances, forming part of the worship
+of God: "with the exception of that of the vain fellows devoid of shame,
+of the irreligious families described by Job, and of Herodias"--which
+are no more an example for us because they are recorded in the sacred
+narrative, than the treachery of Judas Iscariot, in betraying his master
+with a kiss.
+
+But then we must remember the fact that the Religious Dance was
+practised only on joyful occasions; that it was performed in the day
+time, in the open air, and only by one of the sexes at a time. There is
+not a historical notice in the word of God, of _promiscuous dancing_
+either as an act of worship or amusement.
+
+And those persons were reckoned among the vilest of mankind who
+perverted Dancing from a sacred use to mere purposes of amusement.
+
+At the present time, as we cast our eyes over the map of the world, we
+discover that dancing is still practised as an important part of
+religious worship by the inhabitants of all heathen countries; by the
+Indians of our own Western forests; by the superstitious natives of
+Africa, and by the effeminate and luxurious Asiatics. But as employed
+among the ceremonies of idolatry in Southern Asia, it has been changed
+from the slow measured movements, practised by the ancient Greeks and
+Romans, to a style, which one Missionary remarks, "would not be
+tolerated on the boards of the lowest theatre in Europe, or in America."
+Dancing girls, arrayed in the most costly ornaments of dress, and quite
+equal in skill to some of the modern exhibitors of that art in the
+theatres of civilized lands, are invariably connected with heathen
+temples in the East Indies, as their constant attendants.
+
+Let us turn our attention from these regions of idolatry, and inquire
+among what nations of Christendom this amusement is most popular, that
+we may trace it throughout its various existing associations. At the
+head of what are usually denominated civilized countries, we must place
+France, Italy and Spain, where on the Sabbath it is deemed entirely
+consistent with the claims of Christianity to go to the house of God in
+the morning, and to a bull-fight and a dance in the public gardens in
+the afternoon. And it might be an instructive commentary as to the evil
+effects of this amusement on the morals of those nations, to go more
+into particulars, were it not that the facts concerning the virtue,
+purity and chastity of the fashionable circles of France and Italy,
+disclosed by travellers, are too appalling to be repeated.
+
+In England the chief patrons of the dance are their card-playing,
+theatre-going, and horse-racing aristocracy; who are indebted to their
+purse and to their title for their standing in society; who are too
+indolent generally to cultivate their minds; and who are seldom capable
+of gaining distinction, except by extravagance and debauchery. In these
+_higher_ circles no man is deemed respectable who cannot "trip it on the
+light fantastic toe." And that person is scouted as a mawkish prude or a
+hypocritical fanatic, who scruples to go the whole round of these
+_elegant_ amusements. Says a writer of this class: "He must be a
+desperate gnat-strainer who gives and goes to dances and yet objects to
+cards. The strictest Pharisee in the land, indeed, _could find no
+argument against it_." This is a modest assumption which we have no time
+to notice. In commenting on this quotation, it is sufficient for our
+present purpose to remark that the opinions and practices of the
+fashionable world, compel us to class these recreations in the same
+category.
+
+Let us now look at the _introduction_ of this fashionable amusement into
+the United States. It comes from the gay saloons of Paris and of London,
+and it is an imitation of the corrupt and ruinous fashions of the old
+world. It is the entering wedge of luxury and licentiousness, the fatal
+antagonists to the purity and simplicity of our republican institutions
+and manners.
+
+Look again at the _tutors_ of this art, to whom fond parents entrust
+their beloved children, to enable them to acquire this agreeable
+indulgence, and you will generally find that they are the very refuse of
+foreign cities; men destitute of either stability or principle; who, on
+account of their profession, are not esteemed worthy of an introduction
+into the social circle of the families by whom they are employed. Every
+judicious person must acknowledge that there is great danger that the
+tender and susceptible minds of youth will be contaminated by such
+associates. There is not a family in our land, so high or well governed,
+but that its children are more or less exposed to temptation and
+destruction; and we cannot, therefore, with too great jealousy or care
+guard against the beginnings of evils.
+
+Look, also, at the style and character of those modern dances, which are
+most admired and most fashionable; and you will perceive at a glance
+that their movements, attitudes and evolutions are repugnant to a
+natural sense of propriety, and inconsistent with that unsullied purity
+of mind which we consider inseparable from the individual to whom we
+would yield the homage of our hearts. The soul that commands the love of
+the virtuous, must be spotless as the unfallen snow. Genuine attachment
+can be based only on esteem. In all honesty, therefore, we must strike
+that from the list of innocent amusements, which, from its very nature,
+involves such a perilous trial of moral principles; that contact with it
+almost inevitably inflicts a loss of mental refinement, if not positive
+pollution, by opening the doors to a licentious imagination.
+
+There are other evils of great magnitude, which strip off the mask of
+innocency from this frivolous and sinful amusement. It occasions a loss
+of precious time, which God has given for nobler objects. It produces
+dissipation of mind, disqualifying it for the ordinary and serious
+duties of life. It wastes money, which some cannot well afford to give
+away, or which might be much better employed in furnishing the means of
+intellectual improvement, or in works of benevolence. It encourages
+extravagance in dress; inflating the mind with intolerable vanity and
+pride, and training up our sons and daughters to become reckless
+spendthrifts, despising honest industry and commendable economy. It is
+ordinarily connected with the use of wine and of strong drinks, casting
+down unwary youth from the path of sobriety, into the depth of poverty
+and drunkenness. Finally, it indisposes the soul to _religion_, exciting
+folly, levity, and kindred corruptions of the human heart, and begetting
+disgust for the worship and service of God.
+
+Miss Beecher, who ranks with the most distinguished ladies of our
+country, and who owes her reputation to those circumstances only, which
+should command esteem under our democratic institutions, to her
+intelligence, refinement, and virtue, speaks of this art in the
+strongest terms of disapprobation. "In the fifteen years during which
+she had the care of young ladies, she affirms she has _never known any
+case_ where learning this art, and following the amusement, did not have
+a _bad effect_, either on the habits, the intellect, the feelings or the
+health." A testimony so respectable, ought certainly to satisfy every
+mind, which is governed by truth and reason, as to the evils of Dancing.
+
+3. But a higher consideration, why dancing should be discountenanced,
+and that indeed which decides the course of duty, is, _that it is an
+amusement by which the world is distinguished from the kingdom of Jesus
+Christ_.
+
+It is part and parcel of an _education for the world_. Its object is the
+acquisition of a graceful carriage, an easy movement, and elegant
+manners. Its aim is to prepare an individual for introduction into
+society with advantage. And its design does not extend beyond the
+success of his worldly prospects.
+
+No one has ever had the hardihood to maintain that fashionable dancing
+is a medium of Divine blessings to the soul; that it secures the
+influences of the Holy Spirit; or that it prepares the mind for the
+hallowed exercises of the closet. No one ever yet adopted the absurd
+idea that it was a substitute for Faith and Repentance; that it was a
+means of recommendation to God; or that it was an accomplishment for the
+employments of Heaven. No one ever yet expected that a revival of
+religion would commence in a ball room; or that thoughtless sinners
+would be converted by going to a cotillion. These significant facts
+plainly show on which side of the dividing line, between the church and
+the world it is to be placed. They forbid mistake.
+
+Dancing, so far from being a means of Grace, is a part of a counter
+system of means; devised by the God-forgetting, pleasure-seeking
+multitude, to exclude their Maker from their minds and from his own
+world. Their chief desire is to banish all serious thoughts of their
+sinfulness, guilt and danger; of their obligations and duties to their
+Creator; and of death, judgment and eternity. To escape reflection they
+flee to the excitements of the dance and of the revel; where art
+exhausts its skill and music lavishes its power to divert and engross
+the attention. Amid scenes of delusive splendor, which, to the youthful
+imagination, appear as enchanting as the creations of poetic fancy, they
+contrive for a brief season to lose the pang of remorse, and to snatch a
+draught of feverish and unsatisfactory joy. True happiness and solid
+peace are perpetual strangers in the artificial gayeties, and gaudy
+splendors of fashionable circles; where too often the honied words of
+flattery disguise a hollow heart; and the studied smile, and merry
+laugh, are assumed to conceal the sting of envy, jealousy and chagrin.
+The bright illusions by which the young are spell-bound, gradually fade
+away before the light of experience. And it is no uncommon thing in
+these resorts of worldly pleasure, to find the utmost gayety of manner
+in unnatural union with sadness of soul, produced by the discovery of
+the selfish passions, covertly working beneath the surface in all minds
+present; or by the sudden and irresistible conviction of its folly as an
+occupation for an immortal being. Especially on the return of the
+votaries of pleasure to the solitude of their chamber, have they been
+overwhelmed with remorse and the keen upbraidings of conscience.
+
+But in all this sadness there is no religion; for it is only the sorrow
+of the world. It has no higher claim to approbation than the regrets of
+the wilful and deliberate murderer. It cannot atone for the wrong which
+it has committed; and it does not terminate in the purpose to renounce
+the sin in which it originates. Hence if any spiritual good grows out of
+these melancholy emotions it is by accident.
+
+In vain, therefore, will the advocates of Dancing attempt to escape the
+dilemma in which they are involved. The practice of this amusement is
+altogether a worldly matter. Its obvious tendency is to keep dying
+sinners from thinking of the salvation of their souls; by pre-occupying
+their time and attention with earthly delights, and by tempting them to
+cast off fear and to restrain prayer. Its natural result is to incite
+infatuated youth to ridicule serious Christians and faithful Ministers
+of the Gospel, as fanatical, gloomy and righteous over much. It confirms
+them in a spirit of levity and thoughtlessness, emboldening them to mock
+at sin, to trifle with the most awful truths, and to go down gaily to
+the gates of eternal death.
+
+No other measure is needed on the part of the God of this world, than to
+keep the votaries of pleasure engaged in such vain amusements, to insure
+their destruction in Hell. The more alluring this tempting bait is to
+their carnal taste, the more certainly will they become a prey to the
+great enemy of souls. They are condemned already because they believe
+not; and they need commit no other sin than to neglect the great
+salvation to perish under the withering curse of the Almighty. There is
+but a step between them and death. The next hour spent by them in such
+frivolous enjoyments may be their last. For aught that they know the
+very ground on which they revel, may cleave beneath their feet, and
+entomb their immortal spirits in eternal woe. To run the giddy round of
+the amusements of the fashionable world, under these hazardous
+circumstances, is as great a madness as to sport with arrows,
+fire-brands and death.
+
+To each individual, therefore, I must say by Divine authority, in
+reference to this particular pleasure, see to it, that you "Be not
+conformed to this world." In opposing this message, you do not quarrel
+with the speaker, but with God. Your Sovereign commands; and at the
+judgment seat He will exact obedience at your hands.
+
+To every professing Christian, who has joined in the Dance, I am in duty
+bound to say, without qualification or reserve, that he has broken his
+covenant with God; by which he pledged himself to withdraw his
+affections from the world and to renounce its pomp and vanities forever.
+That act is a violation of the promise, as obligatory as an oath,
+because uttered before high Heaven; to be governed by the example of
+Christ, to live for the salvation of souls, and to labor for the Glory
+of God. It is an infraction of the vow of self-consecration,
+voluntarily, deliberately, and prayerfully assumed; under all the
+circumstances which could impart sacredness to the verbal declarations
+of dying men, to forsake all for Christ, and to be crucified to sin and
+to the world. It would be just, it would be no more than you might
+expect, that God would do unto you as you have done unto Him; that as
+you have broken the contract between yourself and Him by neglecting your
+engagements, that He should decline to perform those stipulations which
+are dependent on its conditions, leaving you to perish in the paths of
+transgression in which you have delighted to wander.
+
+The Dancing professor of religion, not only destroys himself but does
+immense injury to the souls of unconverted men. He encourages all who
+live without hope and without God in the world to persevere in their
+neglect of religion, and to go on securely in the entire round of
+fashionable amusements. They will naturally suppose that if it is
+consistent with preparation for Heaven, for him to venture so far within
+the enchanted circle of worldly gratifications, that there can be no
+harm in their proceeding a few steps further.
+
+It is true, _all_ of the unconverted may not reason in this manner,
+because their own consciences will testify that the misconduct of others
+is not the rule of duty, but there are many who will--the young, the
+ignorant, and the inexperienced, the weak in moral principle, the
+vacillating in purpose, and the strongly tempted; all of whom, will be
+led by the ignis fatuus light of your inconsistent and pernicious
+example, away from the path of piety and peace, into the slippery and
+downward course of sin, remorse, and eternal death. And at the
+judgment-seat of Christ, you will appear with the blood of lost souls
+on the skirts of your garments.
+
+The Dancing professor of religion _gives offence to his brethren in the
+Church_. The fact that among this number, some of the weaker members may
+be found is no excuse for the deed. At the same time we think it a point
+of great moment, that the most eminent and exemplary Christians, and the
+most zealous and intelligent ministers of the Gospel, of all
+denominations, have put on it their seal of condemnation. They maintain
+that they cannot discover any sanction for this art, in the example of
+the blessed Saviour or of his holy Apostles. They contend that it unfits
+them for prayer and for communion with God; and that they cannot pass
+from the dissipating excitement of the crowded and noisy ball-room to
+the throne of grace, and do their duty there with comfort or profit.
+They say that they cannot ask God's blessing on the employments of an
+evening so spent; and that the next time they attempt to warn
+unconverted men of the dangers to which they are exposed in the world,
+that they feel rebuked by the remembrance of their own conduct to that
+degree that they are afraid and ashamed to open their mouths on the
+subject.
+
+For these obvious reasons the Ecclesiastical bodies of several religious
+denominations in our country, have expressed their deliberate opinion of
+its inconsistency; and have recorded their protest against it by a
+formal vote. And for the same reasons, the most active, self-denying and
+benevolent friends of the Redeemer in every community, never give their
+presence to the ball-room, and are deeply grieved with those nominal
+Church-members who do.
+
+Under these circumstances what is duty? What would Paul do? Such was his
+anxiety for the salvation of others, that on this account, things
+lawful, and therefore much more unlawful he would resign. The tenderness
+of his concern for the spiritual welfare of others exceeded so far all
+selfish considerations that he declared--"If meat make my brother to
+offend, I will eat no meat while the world standeth; lest I make my
+brother to offend." "It is good neither to eat flesh nor to drink wine,
+nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made
+weak." This is the Bible rule. And against those who disregard it, a
+fearful malediction has been uttered by the Great Head of the Church.
+"Whoso shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it were
+better for him that a mill-stone were hanged about his neck and that he
+were drowned in the depth of the sea."
+
+The dancing professor of religion, by his inconsistent example,
+paralyzes the energies of the Church. He is a _false_ witness against
+Christ and his cause. He does not recommend but disgraces the Christian
+name.
+
+The people of the world do not esteem him more highly on account of his
+conformity to their peculiar practices; on the contrary they do not
+believe that he is _any better_ than themselves. They have no
+confidence in _such_ members of the Church; they look upon them as
+hypocrites or mere professors of religion; they do not believe that they
+are converted and refer to their example only by way of excuse. They may
+applaud their beauty, they may admire their wit, they may emulate their
+accomplishments, they may envy their wealth, they may copy their
+manners, and they may imitate their style of dress--but they never speak
+respectfully of their religion. Not unfrequently they make their
+inconsistencies a subject of satirical remark. "See, that Church
+member!" say they, "to-day he is the star of fashion, and the leader of
+the midnight dance--to-morrow he occupies the chief seat in the
+sanctuary, and is in appearance a most devout and humble worshipper."
+
+Experience and the word of God, teach but one method by which the gay,
+frivolous, wicked and proud world, can be won over to the service of the
+Redeemer; and that is to hold up to its view the truth, through the
+medium of an irreproachable example; on the one hand rebuking its
+follies and sins, and on the other, showing it a more excellent way.
+
+It cannot be denied, that the people of the world are often strongly
+tempted to skepticism by the conduct of the Dancing professor of
+religion. They are led to inquire--is there any _reality_ in the work of
+the Holy Spirit? Here is a man that asserts that he has been born again,
+but where is the evidence? What does he do more than others? With his
+lips he declares that God is his portion; that religion is his chief
+concern, and that Heaven is his home. But by his actions he says more
+plainly than words can indicate, that his supreme happiness lies in the
+world, that Christ is a hard task-master, and that his anticipations of
+religious comfort have been disappointed.
+
+It is no wonder, that unconverted men with such stumbling-blocks in
+their pathway, turn a deaf ear to the Gospel. Amid the perplexity of
+mind too often produced by the glaring inconsistencies apparent between
+Gods truth, and Gods professed people; nothing short of the Almighty
+power of the Holy Spirit, can persuade unconverted men to believe, "that
+godliness is profitable for all things." On these carnal members of the
+Church, must rest, therefore, the larger portion of the guilt incurred
+in a congregation by grieving the Spirit of God, and by infecting the
+minds of sinners with an uncontrollable degree of levity. To their
+worldliness must be attributed in a great measure, the check which is
+given to the progress of the glorious Gospel in converting perishing
+souls from Satan unto God. And it is a question which they must settle
+with their consciences, "how can they meet these charges at the bar of
+the Final Judge?"
+
+The dancing professor of religion robs the Church of the benefit of his
+services. His moral influence in the community where he resides and is
+known, is destroyed. Like Samson shorn of his locks, he is destitute of
+strength. He has not only lost the spirit of prayer, but he has no power
+at a throne of grace, "The prayer of the wicked is an abomination to
+the Lord." His approaches to the Mercy Seat become lifeless and
+heartless. And it is no marvel, that eventually he deserts the closet,
+the social meeting for Prayer, and the House of God.
+
+Such a professor of religion is a contrast to the prevailing spirit of
+the age, which is characterized by efforts to enlarge the borders of the
+Kingdom of God in the conversion of sinners. He lives devoid of
+spiritual consolation himself, and by exciting prejudices against vital
+piety, keeps others away from the fountain of life. He leads thoughtless
+sinners down to Hell, whilst he tells them that he is conducting them to
+Heaven. With one hand he pulls down the kingdom of Christ, and with the
+other he builds up the kingdom of Satan. He betrays his Master with a
+kiss. He grieves the souls of all the well wishers of Zion. He brings
+down the displeasure of a righteous God on his holy heritage. He is far
+worse than an open enemy, for he strews the path that leads to perdition
+with tempting flowers, and he whispers peace in the ears of sinners who
+are walking in the ways of death. He is a traitor among the soldiers of
+the cross. He is an Achan in the camp of Israel.
+
+And the same inconsistency and guilt which are chargeable on the dancing
+professor of religion, rest in a great measure on those members of the
+Church, who, although they do not indulge in this gay pleasure
+themselves, yet grant permission to their children to attend this kind
+of assemblies. The danger, whatever it is, certainly is as great for the
+members of the household, as for its head. And the word of God lays down
+the principle, that it is the duty of Parents, to use their authority to
+prevent their offspring from following any amusement in which they think
+it would be wrong to engage themselves. Fathers and Mothers, therefore,
+who consent that their children shall learn and practice this art, are
+sadly neglecting their parental duties, and are to no inconsiderable
+extent partakers of this sin of their sons and daughters.
+
+It is an act of cold blooded cruelty to the souls of those whom they
+ought to love most tenderly. And we would ask, how can they approach the
+Mercy Seat for prayer in faith, with the petition on their lips, "lead
+us not into temptation,"--whilst they have thrown the tender lambs of
+their little flock into the very jaws of the lion? They certainly are
+not so destitute of sensibility or understanding, that they would tempt
+their poor confiding little ones to dance, amid the rocking of an
+earthquake, or the roaring of a thunder storm, or whilst standing on the
+edge of a slippery precipice. How then can they with any claim to the
+feelings of common humanity, cast their children into the vortex of
+worldly pleasures, where they are momentarily exposed to the infinitely
+greater evil of having body and soul dashed to pieces on the rocks of
+eternal damnation?
+
+In view of such considerations, every Christian parent ought to come to
+the unalterable determination of bringing up his family with the
+understanding that they are neither to know nor practice this
+fashionable amusement.
+
+The just application of the principles introduced into this discourse,
+destroys this worldly pleasure root and branch. Their true
+interpretation is the language of total abstinence,--"touch not, taste
+not, handle not." They allow no compromise with this social evil. And in
+cases which admit of doubt, and where it is hard to draw the line,
+because the impropriety is not so manifest, they utter their interdict.
+It is wrong, therefore, for Christian families, among themselves or with
+a few friends, to practice dancing as an amusement. It is their duty to
+refrain from it, if for no other reason, because it is one of the
+distinctive badges of the ungodly world; and because they are bound to
+make the line of demarcation between the Church and the world plain and
+visible. In opposition, to this sacred obligation, it is a poor excuse
+to alledge that it is only a family affair. The family circle needs to
+be enlarged, only by the addition of a few guests, to impart to the
+parlor much of the appearance of a ball-room. Safety, consistency and
+usefulness, demand that every follower of Christ should renounce it
+altogether.
+
+To see the true nature and character of this amusement we must view it
+in the light of Eternity. Let us contrast the merriment and folly of one
+of these gay and trifling assemblages, with the pure, earnest and solemn
+worship of the glorious intelligences gathered around the throne of the
+infinite God. How evanescent are their joys in contrast with the eternal
+blessedness of that bright circle of seraphic intelligences! How
+different is their estimate of sin, from that which is formed by the
+Holy Sovereign of the universe! They jest and laugh whilst trampling
+under foot his righteous laws; but He frowns on each transgression with
+a look of awful displeasure, and is "angry with the wicked every day."
+
+Again, what an extreme of condition under God's moral government, does
+the gaiety and levity of that giddy company present to the weeping, and
+wailing, and gnashing of teeth, of the damned in Hell!--many of whom, in
+their life time indulged in the same guilty pleasures; and with whom,
+the principal actors of this scene might in one instant be associated
+forever, by a single word of an offended and neglected God.
+
+Or who would not be shocked in turning from the contemplation of the sad
+spectacle of the crucifixion; the body of Jesus mangled, rent, covered
+with a gore of blood, his dying groans sounding in the ear!--to the
+levity and laughter of the ball-room, crowded by those whose sins have
+nailed him to the accursed tree and opened all his wounds anew.
+
+But look forward a few years, or months only it may be; and how diverse
+will be circumstances of thoughtless trifles! They cannot live forever.
+Together with us, they are treading the path to the tomb, and there is
+one coming to meet them whose presence is a terror to all transgressors.
+Yet into its darkness they must descend, and before that Infinite Being
+they must shortly stand.
+
+From the noise, splendor, and mirth of the ball-room, they must pass to
+the silence, gloom and grief, of the chamber of death. The giddy, vain,
+perhaps, scoffing circle of revellers, must be exchanged for the
+anxious, sorrowful, weeping company of relatives and friends. The showy
+finery of the ball dress, must be replaced by the winding sheet and the
+grave cloths. That form which under the tutoring hand of art, moved with
+such grace, through all the evolutions of the dance, must lie icy cold
+in the embrace of death.
+
+Then they will have done with earthly things. No music with its dulcet
+notes will wake the echoes of the dreary caverns of the dead; no jovial
+companions will relieve the dullness of the grave; no dance will fill
+the void of slow revolving ages. The worm will feed on them sweetly
+there, and their souls will receive according to the deeds done in the
+body.
+
+When this event arrives the votaries of pleasure will turn pale with
+terror. They will beg for life. The absorbing inquiry will be "What must
+I do to be saved?"
+
+But then, oh! how horrible the thought--it may be too late. Unconverted
+sinner flee these scenes of guilty pleasures as the Gates of Perdition.
+Prepare without delay to meet thy God. Let the golden moments of life's
+short day, be consecrated to Prayer, to Repentance, and to Faith in
+Jesus. Then, too, mayest thou ascend at death, to that bright and better
+world, where the Saints forever reign, and where from before the light
+of God's countenance, sin, darkness and sorrow, flee away, and where the
+soul is filled with a joy unspeakable and full of glory.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of A Discourse on the Evils of Dancing, by 
+John F. Mesick
+
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