The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1854-10-04

where else bat hlk scared conscience
heitheF hdmittsd nor sought an eEedssi
and after an hO1r o. more q earnest
prayer. With sealed lips. bat s0ul
bowed aoun a. one monent By Coz
tempt for bis inErm;iy VI purpose. aud
al another elevated b. strung resolves
sf great sacrifice. Mathew. carrying
with him the dra0skardss Bible. ssaght
his bed. lie slept the feverish. snrr-
freshing sleep which So frequently sac
ceeds strosz emotion. tie saw troops
1f drunkaras-besr-eyed. trembling.
chastity speetres. pointing at him with
their shaking fingers. while. with pes
tilential breath. they demanded " who
had sold them pois0n." Women. too.
drsnkards. or drankards' wives. in ei>
Their case, starved. wrrtched creatures,
with scores Of CHASTITY children. h..rtrd
him as he passed through cayerns reek-
ing Of gin. and hot with the steam of
all poisonous drinks! lie awokc Just
as the dawn was erosning the hills OF
his childhood with glory. and while lis
munilicent beams were penetrating The
thick atmosphere which hung as veil
before his bed-room window.
To Mathew the sunbeams came like
heavenly messengers. winging their
way through the darkness and ehans of
the world for the worlds light and life.
He had never thought Of that before ;
but he Thought Of and felt il then. and
much good il did him. strengthening
his good intent. A positive fleod Of
light poured ia through pane Of glass
which had been cleaned the previous
morning. and played upon the cover ol
the poor Drunkard's Bible. Mathew
bent his knees to the ground, his heart
full Of em0tions--the emotions OF his
early and better nature-and he bowed
his head upon his hands. and prayed
. in honest resolve and earnest zeal.
The burden of that prayer. which es-
! capped frnm between his lips in muir
mGrs sweet as the murmurs Of living
waters. was--thai God would have mer.
cy upm him and keep him in the right
path, and make him. unworthy az he
} was. the means Of grace TO others--t0
J be Gad's instrument for coed 10 he
fellow creatures minister to the pros
, perity, the regeneration of his ava
. kind. Oh, ii God would but mend the
broken vessel. il he woul, but heal the
bruised reed, if he would but receive
him into his flock. Oh, how often
he repeated: " Gnd give me strength
Lord strengthen me !" And he arose,
as all arise after steadiast prayer
slrengthened-and prepared to set a
bout his work. | now quote his own
account sf what followed;
81 liad," he said, /" fixed in nv mind
the duty ! was called upon to perform
| saw il bright before me. Il twas now
clear to me. whether | turned to the
right or to the left; there it was. writ
. ten in letters OF light. | went down
stairs, unlocked the street dour,
brought ladder from The back of my
house to the front, and with my owu
: hands. in the gray, soft haze Of morn.
, ing, ! tore down the sign of my d:sloy.
atty 10 good cause. The Grape,
lay in the kennel, and my first triumph
. was achieved. | then descended "a
, my cellar, locked myself in, turned all
j the taps, and broke the bvtles into the
, t,rrcnts Of pale ale and brown stout
, which luamel around me. Never once
| did my determination even WAIVER.
: vowed to devote the remainder of m,
i life tu the destruction of alcohol, and
to give my lrnwer and my means to re-
claim and succ0r thusc whU had vast.
: ell their substance and debased then
I characters beneath nv roof. | felt q:
freed man, from whom letters hay,
, been su,tttenIy struck of sense o
manly independence thrilled through
+ my fiame. Through the black avn
reeking arch of the bepr-vault, Hook.
ell up TO heaven. asked tod AGAR
!, and again for the strength o. purpose
t and perse, erancc which had hilbert,
. wanted all my latter life. While call
n ed a respectable man, aud an 'hunesi
e publican knee that was acting ;
falsehood and dealing in the moral
G perhaps the eternal deaths Of man,
OF these careless drinkers who hat
! sorrow, and torment, and quarrels
: and wounds without cause, even Will,
4 l, who sold the incentives to sorrow
and torment, and quarrels, and wounds
I A. AL. Al. A..
! like serpents and stung like ladders.
, What knave | had been, erecting /;
temple to my own responsibility OF
r the ruins Of responsibility in my fell
e lov creatures! talking of honesty whcr
r was inducing sinners to augmen
1 their SIN BY every temptation that the
y fragrant rum, the white faced gin, tn,
! brown bouncing brandy could offer
!. all adulterated, all untrue as myself
: all made even worse than their origi
e nal natures by downright and positiy,