Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1856-08-07

or well-informed temperance man believes
that our State is where she ought to be on
the License system, and the Temperance
cause. If the use f alcoholic drink be an
evil in the State, can the State be justified
in its connexion and participation with the
evil ? 1t is its duty to cast down the pollut
ing thirty pieces of silver. 1t should touch
not-taste not-handle not the unclean
thing. Political agitation is necessary to eff.
feet remedy. Must the church and pul.
pit alone come down from their great work,
and meet sin the plain of Ono to do battle
with the political demagogues and bacchan
ais of the land? The Church should do its
duty in the premises; but let her do it from
the sanctuary, and the other high positions
with which she is favored. There is need
therefore for another and distinct organi,
zation to operate in the capacity of citizens,
and fight the political battle. Church men,
bers have both rights and duties as citizens.
Will you, reader, enlist with US for the wal
Or will you rather, when the Sons, like
Gideon, say: "Give, I pray you, loaves OF
bread unto the people that follow me; for
they be faint" reply, like the princes Of
Succoth: care the hands of Zebah and
Zalmunna now in thy hands, that we should
give bread unto thine army ?" Remember
the sequel: "And Gideon took the elders
of the city, and thorns of the wilderness, and
briars, and with them he taught the men Of
Succoth, and slew the men of the city"
a consideration of duty, having reference
to visible connexion with temperance or
ganization, which appeals strongly to the
christian especially, is that you perhaps are
made-it is certainly true of some of you
a stumbling g-block to those whose temporal
and eternal welfare is, to human view, in
greater jeopardy than your own. TO the
question addressed to many: "Will you
join the Sons ?"-the reply is often heard :
''Mr. A., or B., or G. has not joined you
he belongs to the Church-gct hint is
more his duty than ours" Can any man
deny the truth of the answer, as far as it
goes? The truth however is, that the chris
tian's neglect of duty will not justify neg.
lect in any other individual Each will have
to answer for his own neglect. y failure
to obtain a recruit is the consequence. The
responsibility does not attach to the Sons
'tDeliver me from outlines, 0 God,
thou God of my salvation" "
With great similarity to the case last al,
luded to, and differirs only in degree, the
use-no matter how prudent-of intoxca.
ting drink by the christian is found to fur,
nish another stumbling block in the effort
of the Sons to mitigate the sin of drunken
ness, and advance temperance. "Mortify
the flesh, with its affections and luGts," is
the Christian preccpt, says Wilbertorce, but a
soft luxurious course of habitual indulgence
is the practice of the bulk of modern Chris
tians-* * < and it may at least be urged
against them, that they discourage the laws
of temperance, and fatally betray others into
the breach of them, by affordng an instance
of their being transgressed with impunity."
Is Paul's language forgotten ?-"Where-
fore, if meat make my brother to offend, |
will eat no flesh while the world standeth,
lest make my brother to Offend" The
princi pie here is clear "!Abstain from all
appearance of evil' is positive Injunction
".And he (ChrisD said to them all, If any
man will come after me, let him deny him
self, and take up his cross daily, and follow
mc'-dcny himself that dram, and take up
that cross or modification of appetite in alb.
staining from that DRAM GLOW readcst
thou ?"
Believing that the use of intoxicating
drink is an appalling evil in our country
that it should be suppressed-that it is the
duty of every man to aid in its suppression
by every means in his powcr-that organiza-
ton is more efficient than individual and des.
ultory enorts--that the Sons of Temperance
are now the head and front of opposition to
the demon of 1ntemperance--that the So.
ciety Is worthy of the cooperation of the sim
ccre christian, the moral man, the good cit
i2cn, and every wcll-wisher of his country
that every citizen, who claims the title of
Friend of Temperance should identify HIM
self with the organization-that candid in
Quiry in the proper direction would dispcl
the mists of error, which now becloud a
portion of the public mind in reference to
the Society-that no man is justified in re-
tusing to discharge his lawful duty as citi-
zen, because he has membership with Christ's s
visible Church-that the time is at hand,
even now, when every friend of temperance
should stand girt with his harness to do bat
tie against the destroyer for his God, his
country and his fellow-that there is no
need nor permission granted to any effective
and hale soldier to "tarry by thestuh'-
impressed with the truth of these several
propositions, and "exercising ourselves to
have a conscience void of offence toward
God and toward men," we have addressed
you freely, frankly, and, we hope, respect
fully; and in conclusion, by authority of the
Division we represent, we repeat to you the
invitation: "Come thou with us, and we
will do thee good"
W. C. BEATTY, !
JAMES JEFFERYS, 9
ELI MEEK, :
j. H. ADAMS, :.
W. w. CAROTHERS, 5