Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1854-10-04

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Wrltten 1oT tie Sptrst 81 tie Age
Vindication Of The Sons Of Temperance. /
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OB5EcmoN V-Th Crderis objectedto, be-
cause they have Worthy Patriarch and cth-l
er officers Every soeiRf ri &c nmnnit ". aaF
nation of people IS obliged to have officers for
the administration of government. They have
different names or titles for their officers, and
the Sons call theirs by the name of Worthy
Patriarch, &c. In the beginning of the world,
the governmrnt of it devolved upon the heads
of families. These heads were called Patri-
archs, and hence we have the word Patriarch,
which means the head or governor of a family.
The 5th chapter of Genesis gives us the gen.
ealOgy of the Patriarehs. Adam was the first
Patriarch-for he was the first father Abra-
ham was the great Patriach of the Israetes-
to him pertained all the promises, because he
was the head and father of the children of L.
rael. This is proven by reading the xii and
XIV chapters of Genesis. In these chapters, God
gave his promises to Abraham, wherein he
told him he should be great nation and that
through him all the nations ofthe earth should
be blessed. Now, in what should they be
And this temperance reformation is one of the
great blessings that should follow his coming.
What harm can there be for the Sons to call
their chief ruler in each Division a Worthy
Patriarch What harm can there be in their
having subordinate officers for the better reg
uatiOn and transaction of their business 81
Each government all over the world has sub
ordinate officers The church is obliged to
have officers for the transaction of her business
and why should there be an objection raised
to the Sons for having officers for the betterre-
gulaton of theirb business? There is no reason
OBJ. VI.-Because they take in the good
and evil. Firstly, the good should be united.
Secondly, the bad should not be hindered from
uniting with them, if they desire to do better
The Scriptures no where enjoin it upon US not
to keep company with those who are bad, if
they desire to do better. 1t tells us thatif our
brother trespass against US, we are not only to
forgive him seven times, but seventy times
seven. Now in the name of common sense,
are there not good and evil mixed in the
church! Ever since there have been people
in the world, the good and bad have been
mixed. What did Christ say in the parable of
the wheat and the tares? His servants say
untoshim, Wilt thou that we go and gather
them upP He said, Nay, lest while ye
gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat
with them. Let both grow together until the
harvest: ana In the aimetUf tne harvest l VIII
say to the reaper, gather ye together first the
tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them
but gather thou the wheat into my barn.
This is plain scriptUral proof that Christ in
tends the good and evil to stay together until
the great judgement day. If Christ intends
them to stay together, how can the Church or
the Sons refuse to take them in, if they desire
it? We cannot see into mans heart to tell
what is there. All that we can do, is to take
them, and if they do not act right, turn them
out. As to the Churchill man comes and
tells you that he believes fully in the christian
religion, you take him in on his profession.
may be true or not-we do not know AnC
| the Sons are in the same predicament. AL
mankind have their origin in Adam, and ar,
brethren, and therefore it is no harm for til,
Sons to call each other Brother-for we hav,
| to call all brother in the church, whether the,
are good or not, so long as they remain in tn
church. The Order of Sons do not pretend +
be spiritual society, and therefore it is les
harm to take the evil into their society, than
is to take them into the church and call then
brother.
OBJ. VlI.-The Sons are objected to be
cause they take in the drunkards. The drunk
ards are the proper ones to be admitted, if the
promise to be sober. Christ did not come t
save the righteous, but 10 call sinners to rt
pentance. So it is with the Sons they di
not organize for the purpose Of reformin
; sober men, out drunkards. There is not tt
least promise in the Scripture for the DRUM
= ard, but the greatest denunciations again
a him. There are many portions Of scriptu
, that might be adduced-but few will ansW
e my purpose. 1t is said in the Bible, you a
q not to put the bottle to yo1r neighbor's mout
This may be found in Habakkuk, End ch. Is
v. 1t is wrong for us to tempt each 9th
{ with the vile stuff Ifby taking man in
e the Order he should stay sober three or S
r months, that is undoubtedly some good don
There are many cases known, where the
( would not have been reformation produce
= but through the influence of the Sons Sor
- will say that it may do for drunkards to 10
= but not sober men. Sober men should il
u as examples to drunkards and dram-drinkeI
T. just as you expect those who are convert
~ and have true and vital religion, TO form the
Ie selves into churches as examples to the
ID converted. Therefore as we expect those "
ri profess the christian religion to unite and fo
:. churehes-it is undoubtedly high and respt
=. sib!e duty that rests upon every sober man,
'S0 throw his influence into the cause of temp
3l- ance, and duty that he owes to every n
ne who uses alcohol as a beverage, to society,
VS. his country, and to his God He works
ty means, and this very temperance movemen
ise employed by God to remove the curse of DIR
,,s kenness from the world.
II OBJ. VIll.-The Order is objected to
,,5 cause it is unscriptural We do not find
me name there, but we find their principles 7
'od scriptures are full of their principles, from
nd ginning to end. In Levi, xc., 8, 9 ", i
nd seen that the Priests were not allowed to dl
ar. wine. In the new dispensation all are con
itb cred Priests, who are worthy members of
H. church; and if considered priests, it is
'ne doubtedly wrong for them to use alcoh
drinks as a beverage. But there are no p
ow of scripture that sanction the setting apal
the ourselves from the church to abstain f
un- liquors that will intoxicate? What vii
how done with the vow of the Nazarite? Mum
II v. c., v: He shall separate himself
- wine and strong drink, and shall drink no
oie' egar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink,
en- ther shall he drink any liquor of grapes,
nue eat moist grapes, nor dried The scriE
to- does not say that the Nazarites formed Il
con- selves into society, and had their req
ker meetings; but this is proof enough that
ock- no harm to set ourselves apartfrom the CHI
= = to abstain from liquors that will intox
= (Sampson was Nazarite, and so was Oh
Avs IL the xxxV chapter Of jeremiah, we read