Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1855-10-24
For the Spirit of the Age.

For the Spirit of the Age
' No man can serve two masters. Matt. vi "a.
| If this be true, and who will doubt its
truth /? what will be the condition of him
who in this world pretends to serve God
with one hand, while, with the other heis
poisoning his fellow man, and thus serv-
ing the devil? who will give the subject
an impartial examination, with the light
now before him, can fail to come to the
conclusion, that he who uses himself, or
sells to his neighbor that which is running
his own soul and the souls of those to
whom he sells ardent spirits, and yet pro
fess to be a servant of the Most High, is
serving the devil in two-fold sense, by
! his practice and by his hypocrisy. To all
such would call their attention to the
: following position taken by gentleman
Of high intellectual and moral character,
in the year 1923, and if the position ta-
ken at that day, with the dim light pos
sessed then on the subject, Oh ! what
must be its force at the present day with
!, the noon day light, we have shining upon
US? And to the minister of the gospel,
would ask, if they were unfit in 1923 for
members of the church of God, can you
in the present day consent for them to re-
main as COMMITMENTS Ia the church over
which you are placed, " as one watching
| for SOULS and yet remain guiltless p
e But " says the writer, " there is class
e. of men whose baneful influence and vile
attacks upon society are more to be dread
$ ed than those of the highway robber-
h They strip their fellow citizens of their
c property they destroy industry and NOR
ality, and every christian virtue and pro
mote idleness, poverty and disease. They
d are the root, the chief source of more
e than half the crimes committed in the
y land. They destroy the comforts anc
: hopes of their victims, and send them tc
an untimely grave. They promote tn,
n commission of every kind of crime, rob
n berry and murder not excepted. The sepa
e, rators ofhusbands and wives, the abandon
ing of parents and children, and thei
Ic mutual hatred and discord, can general,
+, be traced to the same origin"
n But how can that man who connive
le at this bancful manufacture and traffic
K pretend to call himself minister of tha
u gospel which teaches love and good will t
men; or how can he, who vends poiso
and liquid fire, say that he believes in
future retribution, or that he has faith i
him who said, All things which ye woul
~ that men should do to you, do ye the sam
ne to them Could any one in his rigI
rs mind wish his neighbor to give or sell hil
OF poisonous draught which would depriv
- - him of his reason, and cause him to con
r. nit crimes that would subject him to IL
W. loss of life or liberty, and entail everlastin
be disgrace upon himself and his posterity
ad No person who has for any length of tin
'st manufactured or vended ardent spirits, ca
ng speak the truth and say that his occup
~ ~ tion has not been attended with pernicio1
IS consequences to his fellow-creatures Al
ed no doubt many one is now living, WI
'es recollects with horror the vending of tn
de draught which caused either the prem
an ture death or murder Of one or more of b
oe' fellow-creatures.
20 Manufacturers and venders of arde
,ut spirits are almost the only accessories
ED crime that the ingenuity of man has n
he invented laws to punish. He who on
me advises or assists in the destruction of b
om 9I neighbor's property, or in the elopeme
r.s r OF his child or ward, subjects himself
to the penalties of the law; and he is a
eat judged murderer, who only advises
an assists in the destruction of human bein
the And yet he whose daily employment
W. dealing out poisonous draughts to the
- struction of mankind, and the promote
.or ~ of every kind of vice, is called christie
far and often hailed as one of the pillars
the church. But the members of tt
an church, who boast of such pillars for
ON support, may blush to think of the pr
,eat of blood, that could not gain admlssl
ie" into the Jewish treasury.
- cit is vain that manufacturers and W
Use ders of ardent spirits deny the charge
l. IL - Il ]