Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1850-08-30
CHAPTER II.
VIE FIRsT CoNIMANDMENT


--o Earth, tremble on, with all thy sons,
In presence of thy awful Lord
Whose power invested nature owns,
Her only law his sovereign word:
He shakes the centre with his rod
And heaven bows down to Jacobs God"
We will now proceed to show how the Lii
quor Traffic stands connected with the viola !
tion of the first. and every other item of the
Divine Law.
Respecting this first commandment then, we
honestly consider the traficer in ardent spirits,
and the individual ensnared by his unholy traf- !
ie, as its guilty violators. 1t is certainly ey-
ident to minds at all accustomed to thinking,
that idolatry is prohibited by this command
ment hence the allegation thus brought in
the case, may excite indignation and bate, in
the bosom of the implicated they may feign
to shrink back With horror from the idea of
being viewed in the same scale Of moral being
with the heathen. The traficker and the de-
bauchee may be ready to cry out Are we
heathens Do we bow down to stocks and
stones, and worship them as Gods Thismay
not be said of them literally still they are by
no means relieved thereby, from the fact that
idolatry includes something more than liter
al prostration before stock or a stone, as OBJ
jects of worship. There is more than one spe-
cies of idolatry and when Ne subject is pre-
sented in the light in which it is viewed by
good, distinguished and learned men, who have
devoted the most of their time to the study of
the Holy Scriptures, it will very readily ap-
pear, that those to whom we refer are idolators.
That Justly celebrated divine, DIR. Adam
Clark, says This commandment prohibits ev-
cry species of Slolatry and all inor-
dinate attachment o earthly and sensible
things. As God is the fountain Of happiness,
and no intelligent creature can be happy but
through him, whoever seeks happiness in the
creature is necessarily an idolator; as he puts
the creature in the place of the creator .ex
pecting that from the qualification of his pas
/ sions, in the use or abuse of earthly things
: which is to be found in God alone. Thert
are other eminent divines who agree with thl
: author Just quoted. Now, to take up but ont
feature Of this subject, we think that the evi
: dence establishing the guilt of our iquol
: merchants, cannot be set aside. 1t is state(
8 above, that idolatry includes all inordinat
+ attachment to earthly and sensible things: &
s put it in one word, which all must admit, j
e is covetousness. We find that the Apostle
+ Paul bears direct testimony, as to the truth
f fulness of the above assertion. Hear HIM
s /" Mortify therefore your members, which ar
II upon the earth, fonieation, uncleanness, in
IS ordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and COZ
e etousness, which is idolatry." Now is nc
4 escape by the Trafieker from criminality, rer
r dered impossible? l am aware that som
It will endeavor to escape by ayering, that the
st are not influenced by covetous, or inordinat
Il desires. But would ask, why is it. tn;
they engage in the horrible practice Of iquc
lie dealing? Are they impelled by any consa.
&c erations of Gods character, and the relatio
,e they sustain to him? With reference to the
d fellow men, are they propelled by feelings
d, philanthropy? Can they have the most r
tn mote reference to the honor and glory Of the
le great Creator, or the interest of their fello
to men By no means. Then they are inf
m enced by considerations Of gain. Their ey,
ID are fixed, unwaveringly fixed, upon
= A dust drug from the bowels of the earth,
a. Which, being cast into the FIRE, came out
A shining thing that fools admired, and cali
to A god and in deyout and hnmble plight
= Before it kneeled. the greater to the less.
M And on its altar sacrificed ease, peace,
ho Trulh faith integrity, good conscience, friend
nd Love, charity. benevolenee, and all
no The sweet and tender sympathies of life.
Of Who can doubt, but the liquor dealers excl
Is. siye design is to enhance his own pecunia
he interest. Now our friends of the traffic ma
n with apparently deep concern, even demur
IS, this and would wish to be understood, as 4
IS being attached to the hquor dealing busines
icy and that they would be glad to relinquish
ee- but they are compelled to keep it up by t
force Of circumstances. But s+ilat, allow I
a to ask, are tie circumstances which are SO
ion ercive simply these they have other articl
in of fsllerchandiz6, and unless they keep arde
ose spirits for sale, they cannot sell those 9th
sct-t articles. This, doubt And many, if 1
the all, eanuot say that they know it by expe
md ence. How many have ever tried it su
Jre- GENTLY to test the matter? l know of nc
raf such but l have known to the contrary.
Of But even if we were to admit the existence
81 such compulsory circumstances, by whom W,
DAY such state Of things brought about Su
! Of ly not by the drunkard but by the traficl
pir- himself. His object was gain, when he plac
are the first barrel of liquid fire behind his col
low ter, or in his back room.
ion The guilt Of the dealer in ardent spirits
rev. view of the first commandment, exists in
!. fact, and therefore no circumstance can pa
lich ate that guilt. Can they be held guiltlt
lust when they are induced by paltry considt
e of tions, or even compelled by circumstances
and they please, to provoke and renounce the
lish- ly true God, and ruin their felleuLmen2
dar- not so. They sacrifice to their God their
tilt low men; and the happiness of widows
II