The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1872-09-24
OUR WY md GODS WAY.

Brooklyn lady sends the 1dr0Rce the fol-
lowing pertinent remarks:
1--WE have tried total abstaning long
enough; it will not work. People always
have used intoxicating liquors, and they al
ways will use them, to some extent, to the
end of time. The best we can do is to favor
their using the lighter alcoholic drinks with
out getting drunk on them, and that will do
away with intoxication, and all its attendant
evils"
We hear not little of the above sort of
talk lately; but do we talk in this way about
other sins? Men have been committing theft
and MURDER and adultery three thousand
years, and yet we so ON preaching, and work
ing, and legslating against these sins as
though we expected men to stop them. And
we do not become discouraged because every
body does not stop them all at once; we do
not give it up and say, at is of no use to try
to get men to do any better; we must allow
them to indulge a little in their iavorite sins,
because men always have sinned. and always
will sin to the end of time"
Is that the gospel? Is that the way God
talks to us? Does he not rather set before us
the highest ideal? Repent Cease to
do evil learn to do well 81 will cleanse you
from all your transgressions." And how long
has he talked thus? Fifty years? Five hun
bred years? Nay, ever since sin entered into
the world, he has not ceased thus to teach and
to preach and TO work for mans salvation.
Through all mans blindness, and ignorance,
and darkness, God has worked on with his
infinite patience But now we are going to
-giye vp q 3 .sav pfinoipie because, ffoIsooth,
we have worked fifty years and have not in
duced everybody to receive it.. Why SO? Has
it not worked well? Have not thousands been
saved? Have we not had most glorious ex-
amples of total abstainng, and of its results
to the individual and to the public? And our
heavenly Father has been at work at this
temperance business far longer than we have.
He warned man in the very beginning against
the danger that has come to him through
the indulgence of the appetites. And what
was the law laid down for him? Thou mayest
eat a little? Nay, it was the strictest total
abstaining, "Thou shalt not eat of it, Man
sinned, and his children sinned long and des-
perately, but God did not give them up thus.
'Thou shalt not" came again aud again. 1t
is not Gods way to say Thou mayest indulge
u little, and that will keep you from shining
more and if we are to be "co-workers to-
gether with him" that must be our way All
through the ages God has been working thus
for man, and the race is rising higher and
higher; and now when they are beginning to
get their eyes open to what they suffer
from this long, gross indulgence of the appe-
tites we should not be discouraged because
they do not see it all at once, and throw it up
in fifty years. Christians, at least should
have more consideration. We believe the
time is coming when sin and misery will be
done away with in this world, but we do not
seem to realize that one of the most direct
means for accomplishing this is to work for
total abstaining. We do not need to com
promise the truth. We can afford to be bold,
and firm, and patient for the right.