ecollections, and go
alone with their conscience and their God to altars where no such tests
are imposed. And in these new associations they bear themselves with all
Christian fidelity. They bring forth rich fruits of grace. They walk
humbly and consistently with God. They are exemplary fathers and mothers.
They are liberal in their gifts to the cause of Christ, and active in
promoting schemes to advance it. Our churches have been driving away such
men and women as these who would have been their ornaments and bulwarks,
because they have sought unduly to constrain Christian conscience on these
subjects.

Worse than this. This course is keeping youth away from _all_ church
communions; away from Christ. Few pastors have not received this answer,
when urging young persons to come to the Savior. "If I become a Christian,
I must be very solemn. I must repress my lightness of heart. I must
relinquish all my cherished enjoyments." Admit that these views are
greatly exaggerated, as doubtless they are, the question forces itself
upon us, _why do we meet such views so often_? Why are they so generally
prevalent among our youth? Why does the immense amount of preaching,
forcible, eloquent preaching, on the comforts and joys of a Christian life
produce, seemingly, so little impression upon them? Why is it that they
persist in regarding _Christian_ joy as a sickly, stunted thing, and
religion as the enemy of all light and hilarity and taste and freedom?

Is all this result of native depravity? I cannot believe it. I cannot
dissociate a large measure of this most lamentable result from the old
teaching and practice of the church on the subject of recreation. It is of
no use to preach to ardent, active youth, that Christianity is a religion
of joy, unless they see some joy brought out of it besides mere smiles and
a class of recreations which to them as a class are insipid. To them
_Christian_ cheerfulness appeals as being less cheerful than any other
kind; as a sort of mild, repressed gayety, from which their quick
sensibilities and stirring blood revolts. They feel that in the church
they must be cheerful only in the way the church directs. Those ministers,
they reason, can be very cheerful, and even laugh uproariously over a
discussion on decrees; but what do I care for decrees? Those elderly
Christians can be cheerful in a quiet conversation on politics or on the
church. But if I want to be cheerful in a merry dance in proper soci