Brown The Devil's Mission of Amusement 7 page article from 1889. Hollywood in the church and her ministries. Brown was a student of C.H Spurgeon.
Excerpts:
Different days demand their own special testimony. The watchman who would be faithful to his Lord and to the city of his God needs to carefully note the signs of the times and to emphasize his witness accordingly. Concerning the testimony needed now, there can be little if any doubt. An evil is in the professed camp of the Lord, that is so gross, so brazen in its impudence, that the most shortsighted of spiritual men can hardly fail to notice it....  Amusement for the people is the leading article advertised by each... until the hideous fact has been proved up to the hilt, that "amusement" is ousting "the preaching of the Gospel" as the great attraction... The Concert is fast becoming as much a recognized part of church life as the Prayer Meeting; and it is already, in most places, far better attended.

"Providing recreation for the people" will soon be looked upon as a necessary part of Christian work, and as binding upon the Church of God, as though it were a Divine command, unless some strong voices are raised which will make themselves heard.
Read the 7-page article: Brown, The Devil's Mission of Amusement.

Divine use of Sickness CP34 Divine use of Sickness
Read this tract by Pastor Cox about the divine use of sickness explains how God works with sickness to remind man of his limited time on earth, the consequences of sin, etc.
In this tract Pastor Cox explains how God positively uses sickness to help us turn our thoughts and attention to the eternal. We get so involved in our daily lives sometimes that we forget that our life is but a vapor on this earth, soon to no longer be. God uses sickness as a severe warning that our time is running out, and we need to live as though every moment has a forward view towards eternity. How we spend our life is important. Sections:
1. Understanding that God is God
2. Sickness because of Sin
3. Warning about approaching Death
4. Warning about Human weakness
5. The Error of the Sick
6. God listens to those who ask in sincerity

Job 13:15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.

There is an attitude within much of Christianity that sickness in any form is bad, and God does not have anything to do with it. For these Christans, they ask God to take the sickness away, and sometimes (as though it was their right to be health) that they demand God to remove their sickness. The reality of life is that they continue ill, and many have a crisis of faith over this. For them, God is impotent, or God does not love them. In other words, their confidence, faith, and love of God depends on God always sending them good things. But this is not how the Bible indicates life is. God uses calamity and sickness for His own purposes and we have to understand this (and accept it).