Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1858-10-06

the consideration of being cognizant of and
responsible for this catalogue of misery, vice,
and ruin but alas these things are hid
from their eyes. The notes of woe that
would shake the foundations of earth as
with the heaving of an earthquake, have
no voice that can reach their ears, and the
agonizing wall of poverty, afliction, and
desolation is unheard and unheeded, with
out sympathy and without remedy.
But when we look at the Bible aspects
of this all-devouring enemy, we can be no
longer at a loss as to its moral turpitude.
That holy book pronounces woe upon
him who putteth the bottle to his neigh
bor's mouth and who more certainly falls
under the weight of that all devouring curse
than the vender of the destroying draught.
When we see it written that no drunkard
shall inherit the kingdom of God, can we,
upon any principle of j1stice and righteous
ness. suppose that he who made him sucn
shall be there? When we see that drunk
enness is classed as one of the worst mem
bers in the worst family Of vices, can we
suppose that he who produced it shall be
found in the family Of God? Shall he who,
not unaptly, has been styled the recruiting
sergeant Of the devil, be numbered with the
soldiers of Christ? The drunkards of
| Ephraim, in drunken stupidity, mouthed
the judgements of God when threatened
with death and hell because of their sin of
intemperance, saying, we have made COW
enant with death and with hell, and an
agreement, thereby removing in beastly,
| besotted ignorance those strong motives to
virtue and reformation, and placing them
selves out of the circle Of the operations of
mercy, are but the types of the thousands
who hang about the miserable precincts Of
the rum-selling Christian, whose daily his
tory records the facts of minds obtused,
hearts debascd, families beggared, crimes
multiplied, souls ruined. Shall such fac
tor, whose avocation ostensibly is to fill
earth with devils, and hell with men, shall
he who for money will ruin innocent fami-
lies, bury hopes, darken heaven, defy God,
and ruin man, be any longer permitted to
receive the right hand Of Fellowship in the
Church of Christ, or sit or kneel at the sa-
cramental table and be called by the holy
name of brother?
The action Of our Church in her forbear-
ahce, we fear, will be regarded by many as
retrogade, but that retrogression must be
attributed more to the want of action and
Rdefniteness than the want of rule. But is
there not much in our past history upon
(which, IN our lenity, we rnay look n sad
hess when we remember that all this might
have been avoided had we attended in pu-
rity and fidelity to Mr.. Wesley's rule upon
this subject from which in an evil hour
we unguardedly departed; and, now, as a
consequence, deyolves upon US the herculean
labor of removing evils which had never
existed had we strictly followed his godly
teaching.
After many years experience we are
compelled to the conclusion that we have
found no better temperance pledge than
Mr.. Wesley's rule nor have we heard or
read any better lectures upon that subject
than those found in his writings There
the use of the article as a beverage is strict
ly forbidden, and the venders of it are dealt
with in love, truth and fidelity. An un-
compromising integrity marks his deuun-
citation of this deadly foe. Living much
in advance of his age and ours, his standard
of temperance will be the standard of a
purer age than the past or the present.
Of him it will be said, in ages to come
that his plan and pledge of temperance was
too pure to be faithfully observed by the
generation around him.
Resolued, That no further legislation is
needful on the subject Of the liquor traffic
believing that the trade is demoralizing
and that offenders should be dealt with a:
in other cases of immortality.
ResolUed, That we are as much as eYel
in favor of the temperance reform anc
that we recommend to our people stric
adherence to the total abstinence pledge
found in our General Rules.
I. MADDIN, Chairman.
It is apparent to all, that according t.
the action of the General Conference, The
traffic in ardent spirits is regarded as "de
moralizing," and as an "imnaorality." |
therefore becomes the duty of those having
charge of our pastoral work, when ou
members persist in such a course of sim
morality, ," to arraign, and try them for thei
misconduct.
The views presented in the report har
i monize with those presented by Mr.. Yves
ley, on page 443, 1st vol. of his sermons
} They are as follows:
, "EEeither may we gain by hurting ou
) nsighbor IN has body. Therefore we ma
! nos sell anything which tends to impai
health. Such is, eminently, all that liqui
r fire, commonly called drains, or spirituou
: liquors. 1t is true, these may have plac
/ in medicine; they may be Of use in som
e bodily disorders although there woul
n rarely be occasion for them, were it not fc
4 the unskillfulness of the practitioner
I Therefore, such as prepare and sell onl
{ for this end, may keep their conscenc
: clear. Butwho are they? Who prepare
2 them only for this end? Do you kno
ten such distillers in England? Then e,
| cuse these. But all who sell them in tt
: common way, to any that will buy, Al
n poisoners-general. They murder his NJ
S iesty's subjects by wholesale, neither do
o their eye pity or spare. They drive the
: to hell like sheep: and what is their gail
/ Is it not the blood of these mon! WI
: then would envy their large estates al
Il sumptuous palaces A curse is in Il
r midst of them: the curse of God cleay
e, to the stones, the timber, the furniture
Of them. The curse of God is in their g;