Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1856-10-16

these spiritual gifts, any more than he does for
the temporal blessings layishcd upon him every
moment Of his life: yet the christian Son, like
from God-that every vrtuous motive and every
good cometh down from the Father of lights, and
that although it may be ened, they religious
principles still. \ Son of Temperance may act
from regard to his health-from sense Of obli-
cation to his family in its various relatious-and
from respect to his reputation among his fellow
meu-this he may call his morality; yet the chris
tian, like Citizen" knows that these principles
are found in his Bible, and that they are to him
religious principles.
We're "Citizen,' from sense Of religious duty,
to attempt the moral reform of n neighbor addict
ed to the vice Of drunkenness and let "Citzen"
be aware, that this drunkard is an atheist, deist
or opponent of the christian religion, what would
be the course pursued by "Citizen'' in such case!
Would he consider the case hopeless, and make no
excrtion Not at all. Would he arowedly and
openly bring the principles of the christian reli-
gon to bear upon and to influence the individual? !?
We think not; for such procedure would scarcely
debate, and failure would generally be the result
To ensure success, the Individual must be at
tackled on his own ground-;n his own citadel
His views being confined and centred exclusively
to earth, he could more commonly be reclaimed
only through his moral nature, his conscience, his
sense of right and wrong, his reason, his worldly
have been the course Of Paul; and We arc Of
opinion that the action Of Citizen" would CORES
pond with our notion Of the conduct Of Paul. Cor
nclius, although no christian when he sent for
Peter, was better man in perhaps every relation
of life, than if lie were drunkard We go for
rcclaiming drunkards N all possible motircs, and,
to use Paufs language, ''dy al .me"ns."2
AS to the belief, that ''thc Power Of Religions
necessary to success, to wit: the suppression Of
lrunkcnncss-or in other words, that to abstain
from Intoxicating drink is identical with the cx-
stence Of saving grace in the soul, VIC totally re-
iect such absurdity, and here enter our solemn
protest against all such charges opinions and pre-
tensions.
Onthc matter of the belief alluded to, wc beg
to add one other remark. The mind of man can
readily conceive the possibility, no matter how
improbable liberalization, that the Legislature Of
our State could enact law cifcctually prohibiting
the manufacture, importation, an1 sale of intoxi-
eating drink. Were this done, and the present
supply consumed, it would seem that total abst-
nence and absolute sobriety would reign supreme
Men, we suppose, could not become intoxicated
by the mere power Of Imagination, or desire to be
drunk. Here then is success" and the "great
end is attained" Does it necessarily follow, that
every man, woman, and child i'll the State have
experienced regeneration, faith, repentance and
conversion ARE, by the act of the Legislature,
cffectualy called, justified adopted ard sanct6ed?
We oDinc, not We are under the impression,
that Congress passed a law prohibiting the intro
duction of alcoholic liquors among some of the
Indian tribes, west of the Mississippi: and we
imagine the Indians knew not the mode Of distil-
laton. Supposing the law to befaithfully eSecu-.
ted. would '.the Power of Religion" be establish
cd and realized ipso fctO, in the hearts Of every
member of such Indian tribes? The idea is sim
ply absurd Our answer then to this branch of
the inquiry of "Citzen" is decided Nay.
THE COMMITTEE.