While visiting the other day in a little town where the Spirit of God had been working, I was much interested and not a little edified by the conversation of a bright young Christian.
She had told us that she had been early converted, and it was easy to be seen that she had made a whole-hearted choice of Christ for her life on earth, as well as for heaven hereafter. As she simply and naturally spoke of her Saviour, it seemed clear to me that she had chosen Him instead of the world, for it is impossible to walk in company with both.
Consequently, I was not a little surprised when she told us that she had gone to the theater a few nights before.
“I had never been to the theater in my life before, but a few nights ago I went to the Hippodrome, and O! I never felt so wretched, so miserable in all my life. I never want to be in such a place again. I felt as if I were in hell; and then to see those poor girls, little children, dancing on the stage before that crowd of godless men and women, I felt how awful to begin their young lives in such a hell. O! it was dreadful, I felt so ill, and wanted to get out. I was away in the back part of the stage. Somebody asked me if I was ill. I said, ‘Yes, I never felt so ill before.’”
Somewhat taken aback by this unexpected outpour, I said,
“Well, I am thankful that one dose has cured you, for I met a Christian only this very day who spoke approvingly of Christians attending the theater. But how came you to be there?”
“I am engaged to a young man who is an electrician” she explained, “and he had to do some work for his firm in connection with the lights. His aunt asked me if I would take him his supper. I said I did not want to go into a theater. She said he was working somewhere in the back part of the building; so I went, and not knowing where I was, I found myself in the back of the stage. O! it was terrible. I felt like being in hell.”
Here, my reader, was the effect upon a young Christian, who loved her Saviour, of a glance at the world’s efforts at pleasure apart from Christ. And I think we may fairly say that no Christian who loves Christ is likely to find much pleasure in such a scene.
She went on to describe the disastrous effect of association with the world, upon the spirituality of the young man.
“He’s not what he was,” she said with sorrow; “I said to him the other day, ‘O, A—, how can I think well of you when you turn your back upon my best Friend.’”
From the theater she hurried away to the little prayer meeting.
“And O! when I compared that little handful at the prayer meeting with that great crowd at the Hippodrome, I felt jealous for the kingdom of God.”
It did my heart good to listen to her simple testimony. Theater-going Christians will rarely, if ever, be seen at prayer meetings, and praying Christians will never be seen at theaters.
Fellow believer, “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. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.” (1 John 2:15-1715Love 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. 16For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. (1 John 2:15‑17)).