Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-04-07
TEMPERANCE COLUMN.
CONTRIBUTED BY The wO.Es's TExrEHAscru UNION
ADDRESS OF HON. J. II. SEELYE BEFORE THE
CONGRESSIONAL TEMPERANCE SOCIETY.

CONGRESSIONAL TEMPERANCE SOCIETY.
! CContinued)
v Just as | would seek to bear upon tn
V criminal classes of society, or upon thos
. in danger of becoming such, something
0 more than the threatenings and command
I OF statutes, just as every work of moral re
i form, if wisely conceived and efficiently ex
{ ecuted, would begin, continue, and end
with the aim to change the inner moral pur
poses of men. so | would come to intemper.
! ance, with an open eye to its extent. its ma
, ture, its power and its dangers and while
| would use every other appliance within
, my reach to take away temptation. to pre-
, vent the opportunity of evil, yet | should
, despair of complete success, unless could
: enter the will of those endangered by this
vice. and penetrate their inner life with a
controlling principle of virtue.
A true moral reform must spring from
within. The genuine fruit of virtue Is only
, borne by the living soul of virtue The ul-
innate source of vice. whatever may be It's
proximate occasion, the ultimate source of
vice is in a corrupt inclination. in a per-
verted will ; and vice will never cease until
the inner purpose and will. until the heart
itself. the fountain of inclination and de-
sire. .---be changed. If we arc wise. and
really desire not merely to curb and check
but etfeetually to crufh intemperance, we
shall wrestle with it in its very citadel we
shall route it from the heart, whore it has
Its stronghold.
appreciate the difficulties ofsuch an un-
dertaking, but | do not doubt Its possibilI-
". And yet, that such a moral change
can beactually wro .ht. simply by argu-
ments addressed 20 the intellect Of drunk
ard, will not be believed by those Tho know
what drunkenness and human nature are
II you undertake TO make man moral BY
preaching to him the precepts Of morality,
you will not succeed Men do not rise to a
pure and perfect moral life, through infu-
ences addressed to their intellect alone.
Mere intellect, said the lyux-eyed Ari~-
totle. never moves anything" Men are
not governed in anything not in
the comprehensive conduct oftheir life---by
their understanding.
| make no attempt. now. to explain the
fact; | only state it, as within the observa-
ton Of all The controlling motives in hu-
man conduct do not spring from the intel
| lectual side Of human nature. We do not
love a. process of inference, nor hate a a
logical deduction. That law which i all
clear to the intellect may be anything but
cOgent TO the heart and the will Ii NAV be
very sad. but II Is none the less true.---men
are not yirtuous simply from the knowledge
| Of virtue They do not do their duty sim
ply because they know what their duty is
| l Mess they love it, unless they are moved
by an impulse from within. by an inspira-
/ tion Of soul, no clearness of knowledge. no
quick, keen, or strong recognition Of obli-
CATION. will ever secure that the obligation
Is fulfilled.
In one Of Victor IIugo's high-wrought
scenes is a picture Of a man. who. having
escaped the galleys where he had been a
convict. and having attained position IN
/ der another name OF re- pectabilitv and
wealth. at one time finds himself in a court
| r0cm, where another man j. on trial for his
own offence in escaping from the galley>
IL i case Of mistaken identity the eyi-
dence seems clear. and the unfortunate ac-
cu-ad Is likely to be condemned strange
tdnult now surge in the soul Of the real
cuprlt, who alone Of all in the courtroom
has the real truth. and who enters into a
subtle argument with himself 10 determine
whether he shall prlslaim the secret and
receive the condemnation which will fall
| upon the prisoner. The result j.. that he
acknowledges the truth and procaims him
self to the astoniShed judges and assembly
a. the rightfGl victim.
Now this will do for such pen a. Vie
Tor Hugo and for such 4 novel a" " Les
/ NisTab'es." " but It Is not high art, and doe
not portray the actual soul. No such de-
cisiOn could ever be reached in sucha way.
If man begins u debate. with himself or
another, whether he shall do his duty, the
result of the debate i assured at the out
set lie will not DO it. If you undertake
10 teach a man that q certain course l. not
the wisest. and find, in the process Of your
argument that he Is nevertheless bent upon
ba 10 Yfl
You have got 10 change your tactics if you
change him. The only motive which can
move a will. i either Will itself, or some
thing into which Will enters 1t l. not
thought but only a sentiment. deed, or
/ person, by which We become truly inspired
1t j. not the intellect. but the neart and
will. through which and by which We are
controlled. Il l. not the precep:s of life,
but hfe HscT by which alone We are led
and lifted 10 life.
Now there are two ways IN which the a2
plication OF this truth Is seen two ways in
which living power, personal power, the
power Of a will, NAV enter soul and give
1t life. They are. when Gods will works
upon Us. and when our wills work upon one
another
God : will may directly penetrate ours,
enabling Us to will and to Do of His good
pleasure. All impulses upward come first
from above. We approach God because Tie
has first drawn nigh unto Us. NclJyc lin
because He has first loved u. The power OF
the Cros-,-the simple preaching Of Jesus
| Christ and Him crucfed. with its message
l of iorgiving and renewing love. has been
sufficient to conquer vice. to impiant the
the seeds of virtue. and 10 give a living
moral inspiration u unnumbered so1ls. 1t
! i the only power IN history which has
shown itself able TO mould society inter
/ naly and from the centre and it does this
| by leading the individual life away from the
/ works OF the Aesh which are envyings.
murders. drunkenness, revellings, and such
/ like" and unto " the fruit ot the Spirit.
which Is love and Joy and meeknesS ald
| Temperance " They that aye Christ's
have crucifed the flesh, with the affections
and lusts.'
II the history of the world teaches Is
anything. if the philosophy Of human na-
/ ture be no. altogether deceptive. tnsn
moral reform dlssociated IRON the church j.
no more possible, than that tree should
be made to blossom and bear fruit by sey-
ering it from its n0urishing rOOts.-n0 more
! possible, than that diseased limb could he
made sound by cutting it off from the lit,-
giving and Notwithstanding and health
giving currents of the heart.
The gospel of Jesus Christ l. the true
remedy for human Ills. lt can change the
heart, it can renOvate society il can give
health and lite to diseased and dying
world, for it has done it. and Is doing 1t
/ still in IL S.ances unnumbered. | know of
nothing more hostile to the best interests
of the race. nothing better entitled to be
called cruelty 10 man, than Efforts to weak
en- mems faith in the gospel as the power of
God unto salvation and | can hardly
think of anything more superficial than the
attempt to lead men from vice, and make
society pure. and blessed by agenclfs which
ignore what has assure0iy shown itself the
deepest and the strongest motive power Of
which the human soul is capable.
Now intemperance Is a sin. The drunk
ard. however much We may pity him, and
talk of his " in5rmity," is yet guilty, as
adjudged by the Word of God. - Know
We not that the unrighteous shall not in
herit the kingdom OF God2' :" Be not de-
ceived nor thieves nor cUyetous. nor
drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners,
shall inherit the kingdom Of God "
If.therefOre we pity him. and long for his
restoration. we have got to bring Gods
message of forgiveness and renewal home to
him we have got TO surround him with
the influences of the church and sanctuary
we must make the Lords Day sacred day
to him, and Gods Book, holy We must be
gentle with him, and patient, as God is
patient. Apt to teach, in meekness in
struct them that oppose, II God peradven-
ture shall give them repentance to the ac-
knowledging Of the truth.
This is All old story and yet it is always
new for the unbeliet of men continually
forgets it. When we look at the evil alone,
when we see the drunksrd apparently 50
helpless. and society all about him 50 hope
less of his restoration, wta habits so strong
that they seem riveted to him with chains 50
strong that neither he nor we can break
them, it is very easy for US to be despondent,
and to have for him only pity, which
We feel is unavailing. But when we think
of Gods all-suihciency and promise, when
We think of what the gospel has actually
done in human hearts ard is still fitted to