Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1855-07-11

Gus heayenward fight. He that soweth
to the flesh, shall Of the flesh reap corrup-
ton but he that soweth to the spirit, shall
Of the spirit reap life everlasting He
that believeth on me- declares the Son of
God, hath everlasting life. And | will
raise him up at the last day.. Christians
and the children of christians are not their
own; they are bought with the price of
the precious blood of Jesus therefore,
they are bound to glorify God with their
bodies and spirits, which are His. Chris
tians are bound tlRnselyes, and are bound
to teach their aiffs 1ring, wlTptn the d5Eine
precept enjoins upon them to train up IN
the nurture and admonition of the Lord,
to present their bodies a living sacrifice,
holy and acceptable to God, which is their
reasonable service.
But what are the means of this holy,
divine and spiritual education? The whole
tenor of the precepts of Christ and His A
postles, teaches us that the only means of
saving the young from the corruption that
is in the world through lust, of confirming
the advanced disciple, of securing the be-
set christian with the armor of the Lord,
is the withholding of temptation from the
weak, is the dread of temptation even for
those who seem to have derived moral
strength from experience and trial ; is for
christians to work out with fear and trem.
bling the salvation of themselves and their
children, in the midst of world that lieth
in wickedncss. We pray daily to our
Heavenly Father not to be led into temp
tation. HOY can we be consistent in that
prayer, if we hold to the same lips that
have uttered it, the sweetened draught of
intoxication, and extend it to our children,
to youths whose passions and appetites are
all infamed with the ardor Of the spring
time of life, to men who we know have not
gained that control over their lower pro-
pensities which alone can answer them a.
gainst the certain and speedy destruction
of body and soul As Satan is transform
ed into an angel Of light, it is very often
an earthly angel of light and beauty who
holds out to US the circean cup of fatal en-
chantment who beckons US on with win
ming smiles along the road to ruin, until
we at last fall into the embrace of the fou
monster of grovelling drunkenness-in 9th
er words, it isvery generally in fashionable
refined and elegant society. It is almos
always in the pursuit of social pleasure
that the taste for intoxicating drinks is con
tracted, and the habit of frequent stimu
lating formed, an habit which fixes itsel
upon the bodies and souls of men with al
iron grasp, and which they attempt to shak
off often at the risk of their lives.
When we consider that the excitabl
temperament and ardent impulses of thei
national character render Americans pecu
liarly liable to the vice of intoxicatior
when we consider that alcohol, the mos
fiery stimulus of nature, enters very largel
into the composition of all those drink
which pass under the name of wine, cordia
&C., in genteel society, to say nothing {
the more common beverages which are a
most entirely composed of alcohol-whe
we consider that at parties of pleasure th
young are leftalmost entirely to follow the
own inclinations, so infrequent' has th
virtue Of reverence for age and exp
rience become, so little restraint is laid u
on the forward and presumptuous youth
an aspiring and self feomplacent, but
many respects, an nngodly generation
when we consider that thoughtless girls a
allowed to pledge the alcoholic wine CT
with youth unbearded, rash and infatuatt
when we consider that parties of plea
ure into which stimulating alcoholic beve
ages are freely introduced are made up e
tirely of young men and maidens, the
parents and more experienced friends
ing excluded as having no more place
society-when we take these things in
consideration, we cannot wonder that YOU
men fall by scores into the tempters sna
that the hopes of the rising generati
are blasted, parents hearts pierced Wi
agony--the social circle deprived of
chief ornaments, manly and moral yout
fearing God--the Church of Christ d
poiled of her brightest jewels--young m
2 clad in physical, mental and moral streng
7 strong in the Lord-and worse than &
, the precious souls of the young over VIII,
S a pitying Saviour yearns, for whom pie;
s the interceding spirit of grace, consecra
to God by their parents VOWS, and praye
0 and tears, becoming the prey of the spil
: ual enemy of God and man, and ma,
s calling down upon themselves His V
r geance who is able to destroy both soul 6
/ body in hell. The only remedy, my
!; brethren, and point it out for your h
d est and Conscientious consideration, as
} will answer at the day of judgment for
l. talents committed to you-your infue
II in promoting the salvation or ruin of y
II fellow creatures-the only remedy seem
C be, abstinence in general society and in
IL cial intercourse, from the common bev
IT ges of iutoxication which are there us
n whether they be designated by the ns
e, of wine, or any other appellation &C
re ming the use of these beverages to med
ID nal purposes and to the manufacturing a
OF | admit that the moderate use of wine
at been sanctioned in the divine revelation,
at by the example of our Saviour, but wher
~ such wine as He used to be found +? Perl
10 IN France and Italy, and there, we are il
~ med, gross intoxication is comparatively I
W The wine, the use of which the Script
ne sanction, may perhaps be produced by
; !; general and careful cultivation of the
als in our fields and gardens but have we
on in its place decoction of alcohol and I
wv Gus drugs, colored often with poiso
fuid2 Do we not see these decoctions c
We ly advertised for sale IN the papers of
uy great commercial metropolis ? And
ds when the article is pure and may be US
lcc ly applied to medi icinal purposes, does nc
es fiery ingredient of alcohol enter so la
ife into every composition which is sold I
icb the name Of wine, that whatever is th
r \ r.. r.