, 1874-04-13

Sermon by tho 1lov. Mr.. 1IcCAcsnoy, rim
tty M. Il, Church.

Methodist Episcopal Church, lcctured hofoi q =
congregation last evening Oh tho subject, u L"
tho Bible Authorize Wino-Drinkng 2" The TO-
WAS tnhon from II. potor, ill.,, 18: "ThngB hart.
to bo understood, which thoy TINT are un1earned
and unstable wrcst as they do tue other Scrip.
turos to their own destruction" He spoke SUBJ
stantially az follows:
Tho work Of tho temperance reform seomcd to
him to DO HcriouHEy complicated. Whether it
was not hindored moro by tho diffor-
cncos botweon it's profcaacd friends
than by tho opposition Of it's avowcd
onomios, waa an open question. Tho larger
ahnro Of rcRl workers had, nfter many export
ments, como to tho platform Of total abstinence,
was extreme. radical, untenable, and impractical.
Tho lattor Batd LINT tho Diblo could hardly DO
made to sanction total abstinence, st. Paul hav-
ing advlBcd Timothy to tako little for Ills
ato1nache Hake. II such assertions woro con-
fined to bar-rooms, they might bo passed unno-
ticed but tho pulpit, to a certain cxtent, was
teaching tho doctrine, and fow ministers who
could boaHt Of au orthoxox creed advocated mod
orate drinking,
Such M Interpretation Of tho Diblo would be
gratifying to all moderate drinkers. Those
Christian grocors who had departments for
wines and braudiea because SO many ladios uRod
tlom In cooking. would onjoy that version Of tho
Scriptures. Those piouB men whose buildings
nau pe1A IeHtcu III hhloou-KeeperB WOMB pfobn-
bly, prefer that Gospel to my other. Tie agroc-
lnont Of such q Gospel witt, lilo views Of tioso
dEamEolors who adorned the walls of thoir CO.
tnblishmontB With Scriptural notices, like Paul's
advice to Timothy, Should not bo overlooked.
In court when witncssos who mover had n
chance to confer together agreed upon a point,
auch agreement was worry forciblo; therefore tho
remarkable agreement botweon certain style
Of preaching and the views advocated by
saloon-koepors should be considered. ;. From
from tho pulpit to tho 1ecanter Was not 80 great
as 1nnny had supposed.
The speaker al this point alluded to tho many
different interpretations which had been given
tho Bible. some personH, he thought, would
sufficiently dotinito on many points, and could
not be clearly understood. His reply to such
was, TINT thoy would do vol to inquire whether
the obscurity was NOT tho fault Of tho medium
through which tho light was rofractod,
tion In tho light itself. Jesus taught
chiefly In parablos, which revealed the truth only
to tho spiritually minded, while thoy concealed
1t from those whoBo luck OF spirituality matlo
parable to the aluggard: 11o could not got
through the outward sholl to tho deep meaning
-the.roward for those who earnestly searched
tho Scriptures as for hidden treasures.
If 1t must bo admitted that tho Diblo SANCTION
I'd tho uBe Of Intoxicating vino aB 4 beverage,
there wers' threo serious ellargos aGainnt tat
book. First. 1t contradictcd Nature, the wisdom of
God having constructed the human body 30 that it
robolled against poisons. Nature could not tol-
crate alcohol in tho system. and therefore it
Christians that the Bible was tho handbook OF
civilization, and it could not we'll be denied TINT
intemporanco wns ono Of the grcatost barriers to
perfect civilization, and one OF tho greatest
mitted That moderate drinking was stop toward
intcmperanco. II 1t were admitted that tho
Diblo authorized The taling Of this first STEP it
WAS admitted that the Bible was hostile to cfvil-
to vino referred to M article which was ferrnent-
cd, waa to charge tho Bible with palpable con-
trndiction. Ono class of passages plainly recon-
monded the nso Of wine another claHs us plain
ly prohibited it.
The spcaker quoted several seemingly contra.
dictory ,aasagcs, aud said that IT tho word wine
Ind the same meaning iu each instance nothing
could sayo tho Bible from the Charge Of direct
solf-contradiction. But thore waB 10 contradc-
ton, for the reason that in ono clnss of passages
the word vino moant now wine, sweet wino, tic
fruit Of tho vino, tho ulformontcd juice Of tito
grnpe. III the other class Of passages it was
called strong drink, and described as having
been formouted and tho people were advised to
it giyeth his color," 'sw]lcn it moyoth ITSELF"
Iifs distinction eavod tho Bible from tho charge
Of contradiction, entl the explanation WAS sua-
timed by all appeal TO classic authors.
Some or tue passages ulQHL commonly quoted
In support of tic assertion that tho Bible sanc-
toned tho moderate ueo of vino were lore TO-
ticed. Tho spoakor suggested that Pau!s advice
to Timothy ,yaH from Il medical standpoint, aud
Tint it WAS not Intoxicating wiuc which lie told
linn to uso. Tie Christian Church had done, and
uas doing every duy, whata Jew, 1000 yoars ago,
would havo regarded aB Gil offenso unto God. It
llal used Intoxicating wine at its sacrament. On
Easter Sunday morning, Tho people were told that
God did not Bufror His Holy Ono to die corrup-
tion, and thon they went to tho altar and drank
that which had seen corruption, as synabolical
Of tho death Of tho incorluptiblo Jesus. Tho
officiating minister laid his hand On cup which
smoed Of tho fumes Of alcohol and tho pcopo
partook Of yiiiainouB compound of alcohol,
1ogwood, and other drugs. It was sacrilegous
to call such d mixture u symbol Of tho blood Of
tho Lord Jesus Christ. Tho wondor wns that
God over favored His people with His presence
at tho sacrament under such circumstances. Tho
ain WAS ono of heedtessness, not Of willful
transgtession. What tho Church owod to her.
self as the guardian Of Hacred things, was to
purify hor services, her membership, and her
ministry, to defend the Dib!e from sacrilegious
Interpretation, and to lolp tho weak, aud not
put temptation III thelr Wny.
do LEWIS IN BOSTON,.
Special Dispatch to 13'c Chicago Tribune.
SCENE IN CHURCH.,
BosroN, Masa., April 12.-Dr. Dio Lewis mado