The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1875-04-17

reference is made to "the views of the
Rector of Queen Anne Parish" on TEN.
perance.
Your correspondent, however, seems to
have been led into a slight error, when he
speaks of having read in your paper an
Address on Temperance supposed to con-
tain my views.
Never having made an Address on that
theme, | presume he alludes to preamble
and resolution drawn up by me some time
ago, and signed by myself and the Vestry-
men of my Parish, which was meant as a
sort of manifesto, calling the most serious
attention of the community, and especially
of my brother clergy and their vestries in
this county, to the huge and crying evil
which on all sides seems to be gaining the
mastery.
The letter which l addressed to you sub
sequently, repudiating the total abstinence
principle, was too short to admit of the
fuller discussion of the subject desirable,
or of more explicit statement of my
views. That l reserved for another occa
sion. The opportunity now presenting
itself, embrace it cheerfully.
First, however, allow me, as a teacher
and guardian of Holy Scripture, to protest
earnestly against the prevalent practice of
wrestling" it for special purposes. use
the very word employed in our translation
of the Bible, to express the violence too
pf hot tn r. Ion q.
meaning.
Passages are taken out of their proper
connection, verses are only quoted in part,
or else misquoted, and general or particu
lar precepts are interpreted and applied
without the slightest regard to the circum-
stances under which they were delivered.
In this way anything may be, and has been,
proved out of that wonderful and many
sided book. Only, let him who thus over
looks its Divine harmony and its unity of
design, bethink him that fallible man, thus
tritling with the Word of COP, is like a
child playing with an edged tool; let him
remember that it describes itself as ''sharp-
er than two edged sword" which cuts
both ways; and let him beware lest it cut
him asunder.
Before proceeding further, let us now
briefly examine in detail the copous quo
tations from Scripture with which your
correspondent has burdened his letter. A
full and critical discussion of them is hardly
needed; for am persuaded that cursory
Of will l,a
show how irrelevant they are to the ques-
ton Of total abstinence.
The first is from Leviticus x:S,9: "The
Lord spake unto Aaron, saying, do not
sons with thee, when ye go into the Taber-
nacle of the Congregation, lest ye die; it
shall be a statute forever throughout your
generation" Now these words were ad-
applicable only to him, his sons, the priests,
and their generations or descendants.
Being thus command to the Jewish
it is not, therefore, of universal
stances of its delivery were these: Two OF
Aaron's sons, the priests Nadab and Abihu,
had kindled their censers with strange
or common fire, instead Of taking, as they
of sacrifice, whose fire had been kindled by
COP Himself, and which was kept con-
stantly burning. For this sacrilegious act
"there went out fire from the Lord and
hop ;aJ hoF tba
Lord" 1t was then that the Divine prohi,
0ition was given to the high priest and his
descendants to drink neither wine nor
strong drink. But it was intended to OPP
crate only whilst they were in the taber-
nacle," ministeriug before COP in their
sacred Office. Outside that sacred place,
among their fellow men, at their homes, or
on occasions of festivity, private or public,
even the priesthood are not hereby forbid
den to take wine, or even the "strong
drink" which was then made from dates
figs or other fruits.x Now, we MAY conf
IDENTITY ask, has this passage Of Scripture
the remotest beal ing on the subject of total
abstinence? If it has not, then how Can
it be quoted in defense of that principle9
The next two passages quoted by your
correspondent, from Proverbs Xxx: 1; XIII:
81, 50, neither condemn wine (of which
alone they speak, nor the use of wine; but
they warn us of the danger and fascination
of it, and the folly of allowing ourselves to
be deluded into an abuse of it. Moreover
had the writer quoted the aohole of this
passage, he would have found that only
" they that tarry long at the wine" and
ego to seek mired wine" ara aondemned;
but not they who drink in moderation
The Goth verse of the last mentioned chap.
ter is only partially quoted, and properly
reads thus: Be not among aeine 6ib6ers,'
Il. e. drunkards, or excessive drinkers of
winc;) among rtotous caters Of .fesh," &c
Thus it not only makes no prohibition of
the moderate use of wine, but forbids us to
associate with gluttons as well as drunkards.
What, then, has it to do with total absti-
hence, or with any abstinence from wine
and strong drink more than from meat and
bread?
Next IN OrQef comes 4 quotation from
the Prophet Habakkuk II; IS: "Woe unto
him that giveth his neighbor drink, that
puttest thy bottle to him. 1t should have
been added, land makest him drunken
Also that thou maycst look on their naked
ness ~ Then it becomes clear that among
the woes pronQunce., upon the Chaldeans
is one upon those who make others drunk
for particular base purpose. What, again,
has this to do with total abstinence
Tho next passage quoted is from the
epistlc to the Romans, XIV: 81; and at first
sight it seems to make an argument for
your correspondent, but, unhappily for
him, it is only partially quoted, again. In
the Bible it stands thus: sit is good neither
to cat flesh nor to drink vine, nor any
thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is
offended or made weak The first clause
was omitted in the quotation. In its in
tegrity this passage means this: that we
have no right to put any offence or stun
bling block in the way of fellow. Chris