The Ripley advertiser. [volume] (Ripley, Miss.) 1843-1897, 1845-08-09

a. mark Of distinction from tho balance Of the
community. 90 that oil might recognise him,
end mono contribute unwittingIy 10 make him
do Whist was unlawful. The fact that he made
burnt dftrIng Of his hair bsfore tho Lord,
when his term OF Nsxar,teship expired, may
likewise have had something 10 do with letting
Il grow unsborn. No similar reasons existed
Tor the exclusion Of wine and strong drink, and
wo are left TO infer that il wss done because
these were Objectionable in themselves, and led
10 things which mar the beauty Of holy char
acter. Samson, az previously foretold by the
angel Of the Lord, Judg. XIII. 8, was Nsza.
rite from his birth until his death. And connec.
ted with that fact, there 10 coincidence which
! think deserves notice. Most persons seem to
be Of opinion that spirituous liquors buoy up
mans physical powers. give vigor to his constl.
tuition, and better enable him TO undergo IA.
tgue and hardship. YET, when the Almighty
was pleased 10 exhibit to the world prodigy
IN point ofphyeca strength, as il he would show
the fallacy OF this very notion, he placed him
under rule that excluded the use of wine and
strong drink. Beautifully does Milton exclaim,
in reference to this fact
"Oh madness! to think use of strongest wines
And strongest drinks our chief support OF he l,h
When God, with these forbidden, made choice
10 rear
His mighty champion, strong above compare.
Whose drink was only from the liquid brock"
And ifa satisfactory reason for directing
those, who would pre- eminenty devote them.
selves to the service of God, to abstain from
these beverages. is wanted, it is furnished in
his Word. In Prov, XXI. 5, after the words
sit is not for kings TO drink wine," nor "fo.
princes strong drink" it is added "Lest they
drink and forget The ldO, and pervert the Judge.
ment of the afflicted" Or his rebelIious PEG.
pie, God himself says, Isaiah XVIII. Z, "But
they also hdve erred through toine. and Though
strong drink are out of the way; the priest and
the prophet have erred through strong drink,
they are swallowed up through wine, they are
out of the way through strong drink; they err
in vision, they stumble in judgment"
The Saviour also tells his disciples, in refer.
ence to the destruction of the Jewish state and
their subiugation to the Roman power, Luke
Xxi. "a, sand take heed TO yourselves, lest at
any time your hearts be overcharged with sur
feiting and drunkenness, and cares of this life
and so that day come upon you unawares."
! Now, if men erred in old times through wine
when its intoxicating quality has been increa
!
were likely 10 forget the law, and the faithful
administration of justice, has not the professed
disciple of Jesus reason to fear that il may make
him forget Gods law-the patriot that il may
cause him TO forget and trample under foot the
laws of his country: And since all who use it
stand equally ia need of the adnnonition of the
Saviour, being so liable to be overcharged with
do we not in effect neglect his
warning voice, unless we abandon IT altogeth.
er!
V. The Bible prohibits drunkenness. We
read in Deuteronomy, XXI. 1921, that the
parents of an Incorporate son were to bring him
before the elders Of the city, saying:
"This our son is stubborn and rebel)ious, he
will not obey our voice; he is q glu,ton and a
lrunkdrd.
Sand all the men of his city shall stone him
With stones, that he die"
Paul says, Galatians v. 81, when enumerating
he works of the flesh:
"Envyings, murders, drunkenness, reveIlngs,
and such like: of the which tell you before, as
have also told you in time past. tina, they
Dhich do such things shall not inherit the king
Tom Of God"
A similar declaration is found in Corinthi.
ms, vi. 10. So, too,in Ephesians V. IL, he tells
Is: /
sand be not drunk ,cith pine, wherein is ex-
less; but be filled with the Spirit"
Other passagesj might be brought toward,
tut these are sufficient for my purpose. And
cannot help thinking that they rebuke the con-
iuct of many church members in our day. TO
,e guilty Of drunkenness, does not require a
nan to become so far besotted as to wallow in
n the mud. He who habitually INDUCES in
prits sufficiently to affect his rational powers,
. already chargeabe with the sin. How many
the religion Of Christ come within
his definition! And since drunkenness is thus
,lainly condemned, the direct and efficient cause
fit must come within the came sentence. 1t
would be folly to censure murder, at the same
ime we bestowed caresses upon the murderer.
Now, as long as the daily use Of inebriating
liquors continues, drunkenness will exist. 1t is
he legitimate and natural consequence. do
lot cav that it will follow in every individual
ase. But do say, and every rejecting man
must admit, that as long as the one lasts, the
and will be cursed with the other. The apoe-
tie for sprits, unlike that for food or water, is
IN artificial one. Its habituaf gratfc ton
it's. and gradually requires an in.
reased quantity Of them to satisfy its demands,
Is well as greater FREQUENTLY ofrescrt to them.
Thus the tendency is directly towards immod.
.ra,ion and excess. How then can the Word
# God sanction the daily use Of intoxicating
thinks, whilst il ,hunders anathemas against
heir inevitable fruits?
vi. The Bible requires Us 20 avoid evil
When the men Of his city are commanded 10 |
,,one the disobedent, intemperate son, Deut.
XXI. n, the impressiye words $50 shalt thou
,ut evil away from among you," are added.
Paul saws, i. Thessalonians v. 20, "Abstain
rom all Appearance Of evil" Again, Hebrews
XII. 1, be lays down the doctrine, 'let US
al nsids eveyv sOe;gh and and tie sim ,ohich doth