The Ohio organ, of the temperance reform. (Cincinnati, [Ohio]) 1853-1854, 1853-08-26


temperance. Again, when we reason with
any of this class Of contributors, they say,
90 to the root of the matter, 90 TO the dis |
tillers. Go to the distlller and endeayor to
reason with him, and he says, these piOus
farmers supply me with grain, and find
my liquor is in demand. So also the re-
taller refers to his customers, each shuffling
the responsibility on the other, and each di,
recting us TO strike for the root Of the mat
ter, somewhere else than themselves. The
fact is, that this mighty tree of sin has its
roots deeply embedded, and draws its nour.
ishment from depraved, unregenerated
hearts, and shoots out its branches in all
these varied formsa and distinctions, yield
ing death and woe as its legitimate fruits.
Our business, as Christians and temperance
men, we believe, is to keep cutting at the
tree, whether at its root, trunk or branches,
until it shall fall and yield its poisonous
fruits no longer. Another very prevalent
inconsistency is that of failing to patronise
temperance groceries. There are groceries,
(and every temperance man can find Them
that are almost invariably kept by men who
are conscientious as to the sin of the liquor
traffic, and abstain from it at the sacrifice of
making money. Shall such men meet with
no more encouragement nor custom than
the man who has neither conscience nor
principle involved in the matter at all ?
If so, what confidence will your conscien-
tious men have in such professed temper
ance friends How long will they remain
thus conscientious If we desire to have
the community in which we live composed
of sober, industrious, truthful, honest men,
how long, think you, will We retain AS
such men, (if we retain them at all, if they
have no greater regard shown to them, than
to the profane, hcentious, bbath-breaking,
dishonest man, each of them pursuing the
same mercantile or mechanical branch of
business in the community It is obvious
to all that we may have either of these
classes of citizens, with but few exceptions,
if we but countenance them, vote for them,
give them our custom, or encourage them
In general. Another very great and general
inconsistency, is that of failing to patronise
Temperance Hotels. But it is said they are
generally 'one horse concerns" If this is
true, why Is it not for the want of the
patronage and encouragement Of temper
ance men and Christians But it is not
half so true that they are zone horse
houses" as that many, very many, temper
ance men are but zone horse temperance
men" There are multitude of temper
ance houses that are far more betting rest
ing places or sbodes for the traveller or the
.boarder, III he be a temperance man or
| Christian,) than any drinking establish
ment on earth, be it decorated never so gor-
| geously. Let US seek for and give them
our encouragement They will be much
more abundant, and nearer what they
should be. In many of the houses the
Christian traveller may enjoy the privilege
and attendant blessings Of family prayer
My brethren, our standard of reform teaches
us that we are to be judged in the great day,
according to our works and our characters,
and not from our professions or reputation.
1t is also true that, in exact proportion as
we contribute in any of these, (or any other
way, to the general evils of intemperance,
we are in that proportion guilty, and will be
SO held in the day of accounts. My breth-
ren, of what avail is all our eloquent and
powerful lecturing, teaching and preaching
on temperance, or any other reform, unless
it is corroborated by the consistent lives Of
its advocates, even though they may speak
as with the tongues of angels, "in words
that turn," and understand all mysteries
and all knowledge, yet without this con-
sistency men will turn away with disgust,
and treat us with our justly merited con-
tempt. Another very egregious inconsis-
tency and error, on the part of many Christ
ians, is that of under estimating the Gospel
and the word of God. Is 1t not the great
and only efficient agency7 Is it not "the
power Of God unto. salvation" from intem-
perance as we'll as from every other sin
''Is there no God in Israel that ye shoul
enquire Of these Z" How common the ex-
preston, "make them temperance men first,
and then Christians" thus making Christ
ianity second step in the moral reform,
instead of "seeking first the kingdom of
God and bis righteousness" )" overlooking the
fact that "out Of the heart''-the unregen-
Grated heart-'proceed evil thoughts" pas
sions, prcpensities and appetites. That
fountain being impure, how can streams of
real substantial purity eminate from it
Rather let us purify the fountain, and the
streams will be pure. But failing to do
this, we fall short of the gospel standard
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