Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1865-11-11
- : oon.,ant beyerare. With


Tnanv. and even Christians, total absti-
nence il regarded as among the puri-
tanic follies Of pas age, and to be
die -arded by society in its highest
and best form This state of things
beOan tefore the war, occasioned, /
no doubt, in part, by the relaxed dis
Chime of the churches, and the indis-
tinct teachings of the pu pit on this sao-
iect. but it has been vastly augmented
nv the war We have come to tremble |
when we see men, hitherto temperate,
Enthusiastically within the tolls of this |
monster. When our children begin to |
reel, when protesting Christians not
only drink publicly, bat become DIS
guised by liquor, when the hend IN
trudes upon the holy desk and drags 20
| infamY and destruction the learned, the
ELOQUENT, and the good, it is high time
TO be alarmed. Our own rule OF Churcn
Discipline upon this subject is too PLAIN
10 be misunderstood. It forbids drunk
enness, the buying or selling Of splrltn-
GUS liquors, or drinking them, except IN
cases of extreme necessity; and the
spirit of the rule is to be interpreted oy
the more specific directions to preach
/ ers, in which it is asked, "Do you choose
and use water for your common drink,
and only take wine incidentally or sac,
ramentalIv?" As Methodists, we should
hanish the luinous and uncleau thing
from our houses, and nowhere should
we either touch, taste, or handle it. we
should do this for the safety of the youth
and for the good of society. The inter
ests imperiled are great enough TO oe-
mand the prompt and cheerful sacrince
of all self qualification or pride, aud OF
any abstract reasonings of ours as to
the harmlessness of the practice itself IN
moderation. For Gods sake, for the
nations sake, for the sake of your farni-
lies and friends, for the sake OF the
Church and of souls, and even for your
own sake, we beg you to join US in one
self-sacriGciDg, earnest, untiring effort
r to roll back this tide of death that has
} set in upon US.
We would also most afectionately,
but most earnestly, call your attention
, to growing disregard of our excellent
rule which forbids I" the taking of such
diversions as cannot be used in the
name of the Lord Jesus" Dancing, as
{ a social amusement, has never been
found consistent with humble, earnest
. uiety. 1t is nowhere introduced with a
i saEory influence upon young hearts. II
) was born in an age of excessive lewd
ness, was for subsequent ages regarded
!, as indecent, and although in modern
: times it is stripped of some of its mos
disgusting features, is not found to pro
: mote either the intellectual or religious
& advancement of those who practice 1t
: Indeed, it is destructive of soul prosper
u ity, as is clear from the fact that danceri
u are never the stated attendants at prayer
y or class meetings, nor in amy way zeal
g Gus laborers for the revival of the worE
a ofsGod. These facts, to Christian
g should set aside all distractions on thu
- subject. Dancing never exists in thu
u abstract So also in regard to the drama
y y and the opera. -,
Ie No Church can long glow with tn
u fame of devoute zeal, that will sanction
10 attendance of its members at such th
~ places, and we leave you to determine
- what should be said of training the lli
Oh tie children to vicious taste for thesl
N by sending them by thousands to !
70 children's theaser under the speciou
ne name of /" Matinee3' We can not noI
30 reason the case with those who see n
v harm in such things The vows of
Methodist forbid them till a theater o
AZ an opera can be appropriately opene
sn with PRAYER, or till the Divene benedit
ar ton can be invoked on game of card
III or an evenings dance. Here we leav
u it. knowing that unless our member
re will Join with US to resist these Ell
croachments of the world, the flesh, an
49,
OIL Church will be paralized, and the Gres
= Head OF the Church must devolve th
No work of co operating with him in savin
us the world upon another and holit
10 people. ~
a 1t cannot have escaped your motto
OK that with the advance of these sins
g centiousness has kept even pace. TT
words of Solomon were never MOI
true than now: "She hath cast dow
'rk many wounded, yea many strong me
ate have been slain by her. Her house
AN the way to hell, going down to the chan
=. bers of death" The evils we have ju
SCI named have furnished fuel to this horri
es, flame till the soul shudders at behols
re. ing the possible state Of society at l
distant day.
We believe that no association can
~ a substitute for the Church in the VOL
Ia of human reformation, elevation and r
20 demption. She is, under God, the d
IN signated agent for human salvatio
ais "Ye are the salt of the earth, but if Il
'eu salt hath lost his SAVIOR wherewith shs
q, ne it be salted2 To be recreant to OF
iar high and holy commission will, ther
aS fore, be to forfeit the Divine favor, al
Ny. bring dire ealamities upon our race. Y
sn' will try and lead you by example 81
u.s. precept.
no. Let us awake to duty. Let as retra
I h our steps. Let us plead with the erin
me Let US create higher and purer NOR
om sentiment Let us cry unto God for d
we liverance In a word, 1.-THE God
[u' peace that brought again from the de-
On our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd
IN the sheep, through the blood of the eve
Ias lasting covenant, make you perfect
'ys every good work to do his viii, workil
us, in you that which is well-pIeasing in
tny sight. through Jesus Christ, to whom
MS glory forever and ever" Amenl