Quotes by Legalists, Aesthetics, Pharisees, etc.,
Surprising historical quotes….
Quotes by Legalists, Aesthetics, Pharisees, etc??? Well… these quotes were actually cited from among the godliest men of Christian history. It’s just that thus will the modern drownee in the swill of modern relativism and decadence deem them, because today’s average church member would almost certainly be excommunicated by any church 100 years ago, or more, having forsaken a host of elements of Christian sanctification formerly deemed essential to a Christian profession. Like… putting your clothes on in public, not giving your children to child molesters and satanists to teach, evicting mothers from the home to go take a job, indulging as a lawful lifestyle grotesque profanity, and daily setting your family before a pulpit of antichrist to feed upon his demonic perversity for hours of TV programming.
The following quotes center more on the latter of these points, because taken from a book I wrote in the 90’s called “The Devil’s Pulpit”, a remonstrance to Christian use of the television, but certainly it would not be overly tedious to provide many other quotes on these other subjects. So, if you think you’re “Reformed” and yet hate those that try to sober you about your peace with wordliness, and are plentifully provisioned with ample supply of denigrating epithet to marginalize and isolate those yet embracing a historical view of the bible, as though they were the exceptional fanatics to the truths and traditions of the church of God, then you might ought to consider that you might feel the way you do, because you have no real enmity to evil, and it’s all a pretense that gives you a religious feeling that you like. Because when you hate godliness and seek to make it look evil, you have a problem that is profound, and fundamentally at odds with the evidences of regeneration.
Comments section below, while “open”, are yet primarily intended for those adding to the witness of the past against worldling religionists with no fear of God. Your excellent quotes will be appreciated! Those foaming at the mouth at the mortification of real believers advocated, now or in history, may feel compelled to here expose their hatred for the faith and practices of God’s historical church, but it is hoped that additional historical quotes which further demonstrate the forsaking of biblical ethics of God’s people can be shared.
Yes, real Christians can become corrupted in their spiritual vitality and faith, and its children’s bread to be comforted in their failures. But rarely are these the one’s to loath mortification, make war against godliness, and try to make the spiritual claims of the bible look as fanatical and evil as possible in a blasphemous bid to render their dead hypocrisy, unregeneracy, and unbelief normative and mainstream. Despite their ready employment of such terms as “Pharisee” for any that think it obligatory to mortify the immoral follies of the hour, (so readily granted indulgences by their flattering clergy), yet such individuals are themselves as the Pharisees who, though they built the sepulchres of the prophets past, yet were the children and proper heirs of those who killed them, holding in common the same ancient animus toward any that lived thus in their own times. Just like our modern Pharisees, pretending to godliness and a love for the historical standards of the church, and yet who loath the restraint imposed by the same godly advocacy and example upheld in their own times by a contemporary.
Thus the vast majority of today’s “Reformed” and Baptists are more like Laud than Owen. They will preach for weeks on the “Spirituality of the Law”, and how it condemns every remotest thought of evil, but then stone you if you tell them that the blasphemy, adultery, fornication, nudity, profanity, and general normalization and promotion of all that is evil and the defamation and ridicule of all that is holy, is a thing not to be tolerated, and are so given over to Satan that the vastly unfathomable contradiction of such sentiments never becomes apparent, no matter how much it’s obviated. Because it’s on a TV and TV is nowhere mentioned in the bible. Or a dozen other similar irrelevant distinctions.
God save us from such blind guides and their deluded following, and bring repentance to those that truly ARE His, and supply a new and true leadership for them, to call them forth of this spiritual brothel of 21st Century Impostors of Christianity, who have left the world without a witness, and the babylonish church of believer and unbeliever they have created fit for nothing but to be trampled under foot, which though they already are thus handled, are like to be much more so in the coming times, except God send us deliverance.
“These infamous Spectacles (theatre) are condemned by all kinde of sound learning, both divine and humane. Distinctions devised for their upholding and defense, may give some shallow and weake contentment to partiall, and sensuall affections, possest with prejudice: but how shall they be able to satisfie a conscience sensible of all appearance of evill? How can they preserve the inclinableness of our corrupt nature from the infection of these SCHOOLES OF LEWDNESSE, AND SICKNESS OF ALL SINNE, as, (to omit Divines, Councels, Fathers, Moralists, because the point is not directly incident) even a Politician calls them? Alas, are not our wretched corruptions raging and fiery enough, being left to themselves dispersed at their naturall liberty; but they must be united at these accursed Theaters, as in a hollow glasse, to set on fire the whole body of our naturall viciousness at once, and to enrage it further with lust, fiercenesse, and effeminatenesse, beyond the compasse of nature? Doth any man thinke it possible that the power of saving Grace, or the pure Spirit of God can reside in his heart, that willingly and with full consent feeds his inward concupiscence, with such variety of sinful vanities, and lewd occasions, which the Lord himselfe hath pronounced to be, an abomination unto him? how can any man, that ever felt in his heart the love or feare of so dreadfull a Majesty, as the Lord of Heaven and Earth, endure to be present, especially with delight and contentment, at Oathes, Blasphemies, Obscenities, and the abusing sometimes of the most precious things in the Book of God, (whereat we should tremble) to most base and scurill jests? Certainely every Child of God, is of a most noble and heroicke spirit, and therefore is most impatient of hearing any wrong, indignity, or dishonor offered to the Word, Name, or Glory of his Almighty Father.” Robert Bolton
“It were easy to show the unlawfulness of stage-playes, by such arguments as would appear conclusive to those who already hate both them and their supporters: but it is not so easy to make it appear to those who chiefly frequent them, because they will both applaud and justify some of the very things that others look upon as the worst effects of the practice, and will deny the very principles on which they are condemned. The truth is, it is our having different views of the nature of religion that causes different opinions upon this subject. For many ages there was no debate upon it at all. There were players, {actors}, but they did not pretend to be Christians themselves, and they had neither countenance nor support from any who did. Whereas now, there are abundance of advocates for the lawfulness, some for the usefulness of plays; not that the stage is become more pure, but that Christians are become less so, and have lowered the standard or measure requisite to attain and preserve that character.” John Witherspoon
“The play houses are they not nurseries of debauchery in the age? And the supporters and patrons of them are encouragers and promoters of all the evil that is done by them; they are the bane of the age, and will be the destruction of those that frequent them. Is it not high time for the true ministers of Jesus Christ who have been partakers of the heavenly gift to lift up their voices as a trumpet and cry aloud against these diversions of the age? Are they not earthly, sensual, devilish? If you have tasted of the love of God and have felt the power of God upon your souls, you would no more go to a play than you would run your head into a furnace.
“And what occasions these plays to be so much frequented, is the clergy making no scruple to be at these polite places. They frequent play houses, they go to horse races, they go to balls and assemblies, they frequent taverns, and follow all the entertainments that the age affords; and yet these are the persons that should advise their hearers to refrain from them, but instead thereof they encourage them by their example. People are more apt to rely upon and believe their pastors rather than the scriptures. They think that there is no crime in going to plays and horse races, to balls and assemblies, for if there were, they think those persons who are their ministers would not frequent them….. Thus they are the means of giving that offense to the people of God which I would not for ten thousand worlds…. Woe unto the world because offenses, but woe unto that man by whom the offense cometh.
“The polite gentlemen of the age spend their time in following these diversions because the love of God is not in their hearts. They are void of Christ, and destitute of the Spirit of God, and not being acquainted with the delight that is in God and His ways, being strangers of these things, they run to the devil for diversions, and are pleased and delighted with the silly ones he shows them. My brethren I speak of these things, these innocent diversions, as the polite part of the world calls them, by experience. Perhaps none for my age have read or seen more plays than I have. I took delight in, and was pleased with them. It is true I went to church frequently, received the sacrament, and was diligent in the use of the forms of religion, but I was all this while ignorant of the power of God on my heart and unacquainted with the work of grace. But when God was pleased to shine with power upon my soul, I could no longer be contented to feed on husks, or what the swine did eat. The Bible then was my food; there, there only I took delight. Until you feel this same power, you will not abstain from the earthly delights of this age. You will take no comfort in God’s ways, nor receive any comfort from Him, for you are void of the love of God, having only the form of godliness while you are denying the power of it; you are nominal Christians when you have not the power of Christianity.
“The polite gentlemen say, ‘are we to be always upon our knees; would you have us to be always at prayer, and reading or hearing the word of God?’ My dear brethren, the fashionable ones who take delight in hunting are not tired of being continually on horse back after their hounds, and when once you are renewed by the Spirit of God it will be a continual pleasure to be walking with and talking with God, and telling what great things Jesus Christ hath done for your souls. Until you can find as much pleasure in conversing with God as these men do of their hounds, you have no share in Him; but when you have tasted how good the Lord is, you will shew forth His praise; out of the abundance of your heart your mouth will speak.”
George Whitefield
“Let the zeal of the house of God ever eat thee. —For example: seest thou a brother running to the theatre? Stop him, warn him, be grieved for him, if the zeal of God’s house hath now eaten thee. Seest thou others running and wanting to drink themselves drunk? Stop whom thou canst, hold whom thou canst, frighten whom thou canst; whom thou canst, win in gentleness; do not in any wise sit still and do nothing.”
Augustine, Bishop of Hippo
“The story has it that the devil once carried off a very hopeful young man, hurrying him on a sudden to hell. A monk of great saintliness called after the devil, “You have taken one of mine; you have no business with him!” “Well”, said Satan, “ I found him in the theatre; he was on my premises and I took him.” I should not wonder if many a professor is carried off in that style. If professors of religion go astray into the forbidden ground of iniquity, no wonder if they are shot at by that old hunter after souls.”
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“The theatre is the very last of all places to which I would allow a child of mine to go. Some men do not see the evil of these places. But let such men ask themselves, Is this doing all to the glory of God? Is it redeeming the time? Tragedies are usually full of blasphemies. Comedies tend to defend and promote what is called gallantry. They not only dissipate, but they tend to impregnate the mind with evil. The matter is so plain to me, that I wonder at Christians questioning it, as much as I should if they questioned the sin of swearing.” John Newton
“I don’t give people credit for either piety or good sense, who pretend to justify the play and yet hold to religion. They have chosen their idols, and after them they will go. As to serious people It is impudent hypocrisy for them to attend plays if they know what we mean by spiritual religion.” Richard Cecil (Colleague of Newton)
“Some say the play is a school. If so, the devil is the head schoolmaster. People talk of reforming the play. These reforms of the play are most injurious to the age. They only teach the rogue how to become more plausible.” Thomas Scott (Likewise an associate of Newton, and whom Newton greatly influenced to embrace the gospel)
“If you be so proud or rash as to reply, Why should I leave my sport for another man’s conceits of judgment? I will tell thee that which shall shame thy reply, and thee, if thou canst blush. 1. It is not some humorous, odd fanatic that I allege against thee, nor a singular divine; but it is the judgment of the ancient church itself. The fathers and councils condemn Christians and ministers especially, that use spectacula, spectacles, or behold state-plays, and dicing. 2. Even the oldest cannons of our own church of England forbid dicing to the clergy, which is because they reputed it evil, or of ill report. 3. Many laws of religious princes do condemn them. 4. Abundance of the most learned, holy divines condemn them. 5. The soberest and learnedst of the papists condemn them. 6. And how great a number of the most religious ministers and people are against them of the age and place in which you live, you are not ignorant. And is the judgment of the ancient church, and of councils, and fathers, and of the most learned protestants and papists, and the most religious people, besides many ancient laws and cannons, of no force with you in such a case as this? Will you hold to a thing confessedly unnecessary, against the judgment of so many that account them sinful? Are you and your play-fellows more wise and learned than all these? Or is it not extremity of pride, for such unstudied, empty men to prefer their sensual conceits, before such a concurrent stream of wise and more ponderous judgments? Read but Dr. J. Reignold’s Treatise against Stage-plays, against Albericus Gentilis, and you will see what a world of witnesses are against you. And if the judgment of Voetinus, Amesius, and other learned men against all lusory lots (dice, ed.) be of no authority, at least it should move you that even Mr. Gataker and others, that write for the lawfulness of them in that respect, (as lusory lots), do yet lay down the rest of the requisites to make them lawful, which utterly condemn our common use of cards and dice, much more of gamesters: so that all the sober divines that ever I read or heard, condemn all these: and are you wiser than all of them?” Richard Baxter
