The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1871-02-11

iihila'ioAS vi SaiiHol, tndC cOuiu thunder
no shot or shell into the enemy's ranks.
Thus, by apathy and indifference, Ministers
of the Gospel have become debauched by
the rum power, and largely share the guilt
of it. Cnresisted, the Demon has made
his sorties into the very precincts of the
temple, and from the altar and communion
table led his willing captives, with the wine
OF the sacrament on their sensual lips.
The pulpit ought to practice and preach
total abstinence from every thing that
intoxicates, this ofcourse includes tobacco),
as vital part of its Gospel message. 1t is
the pastors duty to take the lead in
arranging and conducting temperance
meetings in his neighborhood, and fear
lessly plant himself in opposition to the
popular sin of intemperance.
I'd. The Church mast hare membership
pledged to total-abstinence The Divine
Father says, eff any man will come after
me, let him deny himself The great
Apostle only enforces this commanding
precept, when he declares, alt is good not
to drink wine whereby my brother STUN
bleth, or is offended, or is made weak"
On this immutable principle the Church is
bound to stand, or inevitably fall. The
cry that "the Church will do without
pledge" is proven to be false by the his
tory of the past The Church has tolerated
and retained drinkers and vendors of alco
holic beverages, until the practice is become
living reproach to her. Let the Church
therefore pledge every member before the
altar to totally obstain from the manufac
ture, sale and use of intoxicating liquors.
Sd. Tile Church should exclude fermented
aoine from the communicable. 1t has
been clearly shown, by Thayer and others,
that the wine used and recommended by
Christ for this purpose, was the infer
mented juice of the grape, and not the vile,
poisonous stuff almost universally employed
to celebrate the holy eucharist. Well has
it been said, that ono virtue will rise
higher in the world than it is in the
Church. If there be place of safety on
this subject, let the Church occupy it.
Lead us not into temptation is the
prayer; let Gods people live as they pray.
Let the standard be as high at the Lords
table as it is at mans table, and tempt no
man with the intoxicating cup in this
sacred place. Can dangerous element
become harmless by consecrating it to
sacred purpose? Certainly not-the idea
is in direct conflict with the Scriptural
injunctions which required all sacrifices to
be without "spot or blemish," pure, sound,
good. 1t is an easy matter to procure
this nnfermented wine for sacramento Dur
poses. There are establishments in the
country that exclusively make this pure
article. Beside, any Church can press the
grapes, and put the wine in alright vessels.
and thus preserve it for their own use.
4th. The Church mast teach and train her
'hitdren IN tie principles Of temperance.
Here is where an ounce of prevention is
better than pound of cure. Not more
than one out fifty drunkards ever reforms.
Children, are beginning life, and just here
we ought to deal with the beginnings of
sin. Pledge them! Before they are tempted
and tainted by the wreathed wine cup, and
tossed on the unchecked waves of habit,
pledge them to shun the aoay of evil doors!
If the Church can thus forefend the first
glass, intemperance would in the next gen.
Grafton entirely disappear. Our trees, and
flowers, and horses, are all trained to shape
and service in their infancy, and shall the
Church overlook the possibilities of the
ductile plants of her vineyard till they have
grown beyond her influence for virtue and
love?
9Th. Tile Church must cast Ter rotes in the
interest Of temperance. This she fails to do
at present. The Church has in this country,
one million of votes, when the 18th Amend
ment is adopted the number will be vastly
increased which she annually deposits to
perpetuate the tyranny of rum. The whole
politacal machinery is propelled and
manipulated by this vulgar Tyrant, and
the Church, by the enemy's cry of "pol-
itics," is frightened into tact submission
to his unrighteous power. The Church,
in exercising the elective franchise, has
had no union, no consistency. The men,
bers thereof vote their party ticket alike,
whether the candidate comes from the
communion table, or the bar-room. The
Church must learn not to cast vote for
trader in, or an habitual drinker of ardent
spirits. Until this stand is taken by the
Church, our politics will remain corrupt
as now. Counting on the Church as their
unreasoning dupes, the wire-pullers will
call Oh her to vote for men to make our
laws, and control our revenues, and decide
the grave moral questions of the day,
whom we would not trust with dollar of
our money, nor tolerate in our social circles.
The sin of the traffic is the sin Of the
authority that legalizes it. The seller is
merely the agent-the aw-maker is the
principal, who is only an instrument in the
hands of the voter. All the streams that
irrigate the meadows derive their source
and force from the spring whence they rise.
SO all the damaging and corrupting influ-
ences Of enebriety that flood the homes and
hopes of men, have their origin at the
ballad-box, which is the reservoir of all law
in a Republican Government Much as
she may dislike to mingle in the strife of
politics, can the Church righteously dele
gate her high prerogatives in this regard to
the mammon of unrighteousness? There
cannot be-there shall not be truce to the
Churches fight against the wicked business
of drunkard- making.
God help us to know our duty, and then
in His fear to perform it. Let us not forget
the Church is the responsible Conservator
of human salvation. In this age men are
apt to rely on instrumentalities not identi-
fed with the Church, either in letter or
spirit.
"This is the age when dead machinery
Is made to do the work of living men,
And rich societies suppose that they
Can by sum of money save the world,
And buy fictitious zeal to carry on
The missionary works in human souls;
When Apostolic poverty is thought
A splendid subject for the painters art,
And crucifixions are on canvass placed
For dilettanti devotces on down
To critically gaze upon"
But the stern, rugged, real Church of