Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1833-08-09


wish to show that you fairly mounted your hobby
that you have bid adeu fair discretion In your haste
you are hurried to conclusions, without examining pre-
nses and Your zeal beirsys you into rash assertions,
winch know your cooler moments would recanf. For,
most casual reader OF your piece would excupae you
from the design Of wilul IL is the Ian
gusge OF the heart dictated by enthusiasm.
But indeed be your design investigate this sub
Jee' cooy ana eanddiy am willing to suer personali
ues 10 pass unnoieed You affirm, that il is moral wrong
TO drink ardent spirits ANY qnanty or i'm other words
that II IL sirfu Stu ~ of the law of God
DO you believe that is Snsgresson OF the law of Cod
10 use ardent spirits IN moderation! Let suppose that
one uses small quanuy Of ardent spirits two or three
times in the year, that does not alice, in he least iuinr
Gus degree his health mental faculties that he uses
sinply beverage Can YOU point to the written i.
vine law that he violates /, there passage in the Bible
mat iorbids such use On the contrary, allow
eu every thing, II he il moderately and properly =.
intoxicating liquors allowed both in the Old and New
ies'anents Oar Saviour himself recog nized the lawful
ness oil me use OF wine, when he converted
wine d, 'he marriage feast in Cana Of Gsllee. Aud is
mere an argument prescribing sinful the use of ardent
spirits that Is not equally applicable The use of mine?
Ana say oil the patrons OF the Temperance Society have
carried their zeal So FAR nt-rdic the use oil
many societies are now organized the principle en-
tire absnence; aud are told that the uoler,. use of
wine is setting bad example.
on call upon me for facts; and from the mschie that
10 society from the use OF ardent spirits inter that
their moderate use is sinful, most Willingly coucede
'ha DRUNKENNESS is the crying sin Of land; that the
rituous oil creed and the liberal parties should
DC uncea,ing in their efforts TO Danish il from the earth
but wiz you do evil that good may from i! VIII
you holdy, on your own responsibility when you mark
the desodiug track of Intoxicating liquors. declare that
those who them moderaeiv WILTON, injury IN boJv
OF NINA, commit sin? Why should IL be morally wrong
I" d'mk ardcnt spirits, and venio drink iernent-
ed liquors! There yearly thousands 'rccrui,in the
dying anks oil the Incorporate from tho
'ermtnen liquors. as much intoxicaton perhaps IL pro-
duced in some of the Northern States from the use OF
WINE and cider as from arden, spirits. Let suppose
me very Improbable Case that the Uopau scheme OF aho
lishng ardent spirit. from the land cceds by declaring
Their use sinful will the only drunkenness be
closed! similar experiment has been rie, by the
n A i'm te <bpre
perhaps 10 other intoxicating liquor but wine he
determined 10 aueupt tho cxipaon OF drunkenness by
iorbidding The use OF wine under gious sanctions This
pfoibilion, which is now part OF the Mahometdu creed
IN all probability led the discovery o, The lup
9.ai'y Of the Juice OF the poppy: and the followers of
9hoo'e, Tie turks, &c 10 great national extent, in
duigo Ia inebraiion iroin OPIUM the grading and
hoNous spices OF intempe'ance that rational creature
ever was addicted 10. II the OF the use of an
intoxicating liquor in any country makes its use sinful
ten different religious creed sou be prepared to s
diversity in climate. pursuits Sc II should he mad, Sin
iu 10 drink wine in France gin in Holland, wine in parts
oil Germany, cider in some OF the Northern States rum i'm
the West lnjes wh-key in grain-growns districts and
thus make the cheapness o. lie article the criterion OF the
moral tnrpitude in using it,
But permit me 10 call your attention view of this
SUBJECT that you have not perhaps sufficiently examined
may be, tha no very great evils immediately
from The propagation OF the doctrine that it 'naiun in
Sc 10 drink ardent spirits But he who has observed the
progress Of public opinion is always alarmed al the propa
cation oil error however specous and osensiby
ne most tremendous revolutions in the moral aspect OF
socey nave oeen traced to causes apparently trivial and
Is sinful to dr"k or trade in ardent spirits il traced its
legitimate consequences and made more general appli-
cauon would mako supersitious and degraded people
ana suovert every thing that vriuous orderly in the
organization OF society Disguise your reasoning as YOU
may The nischefs OF inemperance, joined with the lac
that they not necessary support lite is the only pa
soie argument that Is advanced 10 Justify the Philadel
Pima call upon facts. Facts YOU
adult have led you 10 form the opinions you entertain
on nave surveyed the misery aud that have accom-
panied the ercessiUe of ardent spirits and have arv
ed at the conclusion, that The moderate use of them is sin
M twas inns mode OF reasoning that the nlidel Boiling
broke applied to religion, when he charged with the
crimes OF ianatcism, and the msees which
and misguided zeal have brought on society. When YOU
contemplate the evils that have grown out sciey the
hnemen in vice and cruelty that have kept pace with s
progress the that have desolated the earth since s
institution, you should draw the conclusion, that nan is
loser oy cVd associations aud send him back the TO-
rest. Ii abuse OF thing Argument az anst the use
the unreasonable consultations OF religion the meal
culaOle good Ii has bequeahed mankind lis sublime
Pecepts, and humanzing.moray, be rejected; be.
cause OF the religious the depraved passions OF men
have the venality OF priests, and the cruelty oil
prosecuting bigots
10 such absnrdes your doctrines lead, if eeimoteIv
followed out Ii should therefore be cautiously
before it be made precedent for further innovaton
on should never" 90 the language of The pho,o
Phc Buike Judge OF i'll principle only by an ect,,s
grievance You should anticipate the evil and Judge of
cipe." y VIC P''"
You assert that your consciences (allding to the mem
bers oil The Philadelphia ConvenonD would have beer
et;eed aii IanmeiIed, you had expressed tho opi
mon, that is moral wrong traffic ardent spirits
should not have complained, il under such belief "a
belief oil lis siniuness,) you had merely nbsianed from
the use yourselves; but do COMP in that YOU have
lett ,c rest oil the community discretion this subject
aud declare, that II is sinful for any Individual TO drink
spirtuous liquors. Ii their is not nterdcted bv the
bi1ls' and not condemned by my own conscience, an
blindly TO adopt the opinions OF others violation of INV
ewn reason? II there be another criterion of sin bes
the Bbie where does II eXiswith privileged order or
men! Was the Philadelphia Convention authorized bv
amy Divine commission, declare the will OF Heaven not
before revealed 1t may be, that the Philadelphia Con-
vention was not only making encroachenIs the rig hts
oil private Judgment but, perhaps, the divine perOga
tive.
A few words TO " Hilary" It is very far from, my In
tenon to engage 10 pathological discussion with critic
who calls upon nc 10 pdrGcze" the for eign aud once
Institutions with the home and nOjU institutions: and
who so laslidous 10 to the the word "pro
scfptIve, 10 Its common Import As no critic NV
self will not at "HIary" suggestion refer him TO Rcts
Philosophical Brownees last letter, &C., for The mean
ing of the word en;busastcaI will simply refer him
TO his family dictionary With regard the other matter
in his piece 1t deserves grave consideration pass over
however, the attempt to identify the author Of ''Modera.
ton, with gamblers horse racers opposers of religious
rucons 10 children, and Bible societies &c He as
serts Isl" hat no man prove from the Bible or from
any other source that God authorizes him 10 use
spirit beverage" 2dy''Tha strong drink is actual
ly forbidden by the Bible" 3dy-" That there is little
doubt that the smallest quantity Of spirit ever drank az
beverage, exerts some bad Influence the BRAIN aud in
toxcatss in degree" With regard TO the first of
these assertions The Bible unquailiedly asserts that
"overy of God is good" The Apostle Paul in
his Epstlc TO Timothy says, that in the latter lses some
would depart from the aiti"FOTbddDe TO martyo and
commanding to abstain from which God created 10
be received with thanks giving Sc tor epcru crenfc
Q God is good, and nothing is 10 be rfused iii be re-