ONE dancing-master in a community, with some concessions of a preacher who has an easy conscience on the follies of the age, a little in his favor, with one saw of his bow across the strings of an old fiddle, will inveigle a whole community of wild and thoughtless young people into the dance and hold them there half a night, and not one of them will complain of the long meeting. Restraining these influences is not so easy. It requires a combined effort of all the godly. We have done all we could to restrain those terrible demoralizing influences, and a noble band of as true men and women as live have stood by us and encouraged us by extending their patronage and words of comfort. Truly are we thankful to these and to the Lord who has put it into their hearts to do what they have to aid us. We have this consciousness, that to the best of our ability we have done our part. We have tried all the time to exercise the best wisdom we could, and have continually implored the Lord for wisdom and strength to perform the difficult part of the work, in the providence of God committed to our hand.
A Book of Gems, or, Choice selections from the writings of Benjamin Franklin
Explore more books like this:
About This Book
A curated anthology of sermons, debates, tracts, and miscellaneous religious writings arranged by subject and indexed for quick reference. Selections treat biblical authority, church order and practices (such as baptism and communion), pastoral responsibilities and preaching, moral exhortation, repentance and salvation, missionary effort, and reflections on life’s brevity. Short homiletic pieces blend doctrinal argument with practical counsel and urgent appeals for immediate personal and communal reform, offering guidance for Christian conduct and for those engaged in ministry or church renewal.