Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1850-10-18

tied from using wine and strong drink
Wine, says Solomon, is mocker, strong !
drink is raging, and he is not wise who is !
overcome thereby. They have also erred
through wine. Look not upon the wine
when it is red, when it giveth its color in the
cup, for at last it stingeth like serpent and
biteth like an adder. Be not deceived, says
the Apostle Paul, neither idolaters, nor
drunkards shall inherit the kingdom Of God.
Again, now the works Of the flesh are manifest,
which are murderers, drunkenness, revilings,
and such like, of which | tell you, as have
also told you in time past, they which do
such things Shall not inherit the kingdom of
God.
Drunkards are also to be accommodated
from the society Of christians on earth. Now
l have written unto you not to keep company
with any man that is called a brother, if he
be drunkard with such do not eat. From
these clear and positive declarations of holy
writ it must appear evident to every i'm
partial and unprejudiced mind, that intem-
peranee is crime Of no common magnitude
as it is positively prohibited by the Law of
God under penalty Of eternal death. How
conclusive the evidence that intemperance is
an evil, injurious alike to the physical, intel
lectual, and moral man. 1t destroys the
health Of the body, quenches the fires of the
intellect and defaces the image Of God in the
soul.
Having noticed the evils of intemperance,
we will now proceed in the End place to
point out the Remedy.
Moderate drinking is not the remedy. 1t
is by moderate drinking we form the artif-
cial appetite for alcoholic stimulants, which we
have not by nature. And unlike food or
water, alcohol does not satisfy our appetite
or allay our thirst, but only stimulates the
system to demand more of itself. And the
: appetite thus formed continues to grow with
: their growth, and strengthen with then
| strength, and increase with their years until
5 imperceptibly to themselves they have be
< come drunkards We know it to be true
: that no one has ever become drunkard, yet
but by moderate drinking. The man doe
/, not commence, and the first time he ap
n proaches the intoxicating bowl, drink suf
+ ficient quantity at one dranght to dethron'
n reason, destroy his muscular energy, ant
t PROSTATE him breathing corpse in tn
street. But he commences the use of it mod
e erately, perhaps incidentally, and the longe
/ he uses it the stronger becomes the appetite
e and the greater the quantity necessary +
) produce the desired nervous excitement, un
/ til he becomes an habitual drunkard an
+ lives constantly under the influence of arden
:, spirits.
a All of our drunkards were once moderat
y drinkers, and in the eyes Of the world, stric
e ly temperate men. But they did not cor
l tinue so; from using it moderately they wer
4, led to use it timmoderately, and now they al
G. slaves to habits Of intemperance, and in the
n squandered fortunes, blasted characters an
n beggared families, we read the melanchol
in proofs of the deleterious influences of mo-
$, crate drinking.
'e- There is no individual that ever CONNIE
n, ced drinking with the intention of becomir
ed an habitual drunkard. Men have no SUI
d. intention when they begin to use it; on Il
n- contrary, they continue its use with fx'
nd and steady purpose not to become intempt
In ate But notwithstanding this deternin
ed ton, in millions of instances, moderate dri
tie king has resulted in habitual and confirm
I'm drunkenness, wasted fortune and prematu
ICE death. sis
rs, The moderate drinker exerts worse
'es fuence upon society than even the drunka
we himself. Man after he becomes an habit
iu- drunkard, loses all his influence with the
the spectacle portion of society !; hence but
NIL individuals have ever been led to form b;
Of its Of intemperance either by the example
md influence of the habitually Incorporate
rchl Besides the incorporate man presents to |
VhO mind, occular demonstration of the ruinC
hat consequences and damning effects attends
the upon the use Of alcoholic stimulants, q
- his loathsome condition has tendency
i'm produce in the mind of every man of ref
J IL ment, feelings of loathing and disgust
the all intoxicating liquors. But such is
the the case with the moderate drinker, he I
sesses influence with his fellow men,
i is many are led, by his apparently pure exi
rod. pie, from the paths of sobriety and tenn
lgst Eance, to the haunts of dissipation and V
od And though he may favor the tempera
/, do reform, and advocate temperance prineip
nor his influence cannot be good, so long as
the on this subject his practice is at war with
lie !: teaching, and his example at variance
Tour his precept
snce The church is not He remedy. w
and advocating the cause Of Temperance, we
nof frequently met with this objection.
hath unnecessary, the church and religion co
sage the whole ground" No one thinks n
bid of the church than ourselves, and if the
Ise it jector simply means, that religion when
son, fercd to have its due influence will n
Veen men sober and temperate, we have nc
irtue lection to his views. But if he would
,cep- tbs admonition argue, that there is nc
chill cessity for a distinct organization for ten
Iord. ance purposes, we must beg the libert