The Spiritual Barometer

The Evangelical Movement in England in the late eighteenth and early
nineteenth century placed great importance on the renunciation of the
pleasures of worldly recreation, such as the reading of novels and the
enjoymernt of plays, concerts and dancing. 'A sermon is the essence of
dullness after a play,' said the Reverend Josiah Pratt, 'this shows the evil
of the playhouse.'

A 'Spiritual Barometer', as published in the Evangelical Magazine for
December 1800 ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SPIRITUAL BAROMETER


70 - Glory, dismission from the body.

60 - Desiring to depart to be with Christ; patience in tribulations;
glorying in the cross

....

20 - Love of God's house and word; daily perusal of the Bible with prayer;
vain company wholly dropped.

.....

0 - Indifference ...

-10 - Levity in conversations; fashion, however expensive or indecent,
adopted.

-20 - Luxurious entertainments; free association with carnal company.

-30 - The theatre ... ; frequent parties of pleasure; ...much wine,
spiriots, etc.

-40 - Love of novels, etc; scepticism; ... deistical company prized.

-50 - Parties of pleasure on the Lord's day; masquerades; ... lewd songs.

-60 - ...jesting at religion; sitting down in the seat of the scoffer.

-70 - Death; perdition.


from Peter Bowler "The True Believers: Oddities and curiosities of religious
faith" (Methuen; Sydney:1986) pp.143-144