The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1877-06-08

hOb 4uit lOu UtCOllt u
christian but say this, within my ex-
perience, that nine out of ten who try
IL fail. There are men who abstained
from drink all their lives who have
been aftcrward drunkards and have
died with no belief in the power of the
grace Of God. ] will give you an Illus
tration of what | mean. A gentleman
that | know, married into an excellent
family (and he says may tell the story
and give his name at any time) and got
so far abased that he could drink a
quart Of brandy day; how he stood il
no one knows; q man of strong consti-
tuition, splendid physique, but he drank
his quart day; good business man,
and his associates were very much dis
tressed about him. lie had a lovely
wife and three boys. One day he said
to his wife, "Comc, my dear, and sit on
my knee" She came and sat, and then
she said, "If my husband didn't drink
] would be the happiest woman in Can
ada "Wcll," be said, "my dear, /
married you to make you happy, and
ought to do everything / can to make
you happy, and if that will make you
happy will never drink another drop
as long rs ! live. That was seven
years ago, and he has never tasted
drop from that day to this. lie cut 1t
oil just as clean as you would cut off o
piece of cheese. That man had mighty
will. But want TO tell you something
else. Walking with him up Young
street one day, last winter, he said,
"1ou see that red saloon; have gone
two blocks out of my way many time
to keep out of the way of that. When |
come in sight of il and begin to feel
queer, turn right down Front street,
but since have got the grace of God in
my heart ! can go right by that place
and if find the slightest inclination to
enter | can calculate the prayer, God
help me, and | 60 right along" The
first was a risk, the second absolute Sc
curity and safety. (Applausc.) twill
drink unless he becomes christian,
but he is running risk every day OF
his life, and nine OUT of ten. if not nine
teen out oftwcnty, fail.
! want TO lead men to this point. If
you will reform, exercise all the power
that YOU have left, all the energy that
you have, and trust in God, and ii is o
S"i'c Ming, sure. In Ohio / went into
a car, and there was only one vacant
seat, and / asked a gentleman if l could
occupy it; he said, eyes, Mr.. Cough,
will be very glad to have YOU" ''Thank
you, sir, for your courtesy" lie said,
Il heard YOU speak last night, and |
went home TO my wife and told her /
would never drink any more liquor. |
never made promise like that before
am man of my word, and she knew
| meant it, and supposed she would
be tickled about it and pleased, but in
stead of that she looked at me in half
wild sort of a way, and burst out cry
ing, and then went down on her knees.
/ am not one of that sort; don't believe
! have been on my knees since was
eight years old: rs for church don't
know what the inside of it looks like
When saw her down on her knees |
didn't like it, and said. What in thun-
der are you on your knees for, cannot
YOU hearT | went TO bed sulky, and
when | got up in the morning wanted
whiskey and nothing else; | tried to cot
some breakfast, the more l chewed II
the bigger it grew. could not swallow
it, nothing could take but whiskey,
must have some whiskey. ] am a man
of some property and am going now
to sec q piece of property which
bought when l was drunk. 1 am going
among friends and among temptation,
and | would rather be carried home
dead tonight than carried home drunk !;
| am man of my word and never
broke my word to man or woman, and
| am proud of the fact" We went on a
little while and his eyes began to eli
with tears. lie said, 'sMr. Cough, you
may think II very strange of me, but |
have been on my knees myself this
morning for over an hour" "Iave
your "Ycs, | have, the first time in
my life that can remember since l was
q little boy" | said, my friend, keep
there and you will go home sober To-
night l tell you they may make as much
sport of prayer as they please, and that
is abominable nonsense TO talk about
prayer-guagcs and such stuff, but do
You believe man ever drank glass of
liquor while he was praying God to
keep him from it! No. Then there is Il
philosophy in prayer, if nothing else.
Let man keep III the attitude ofprnyer
and then he is in the attitude ofresist
ance to drink. (Applause.)
Then there is another point wish to
speak upon, and for my life l would
not conflict in any way with anything
that Mr.. Moody has said: | think he
andI believe the same thing, only there
are two ways Of putting 1t. We have
been told-I don't know that the leaders
Ofthese meetings have said it-that ii q
man gets the grace of God in his heart
it takes away his appetite. l am not
one Of those that would speak slight
ingly of the wonderful, illimitable in
finite power of the grace of God, but
while one man may have that apptite
taken away from him by Gods grace
and Spirit there is another man who
may have that appetite left in him to try
him. When Paul prayed that the thorn
might be removed out of his flesh, his
prayer was only answered by 'My grace
is sufficient for thee" / know there are
men that are good Christian men that
are struggling and fighting to-day
against this appetite. / have known
cases of fearful falling from the first
swallow because drunkenness is dis
ease, and good Christian man said Ia
me only to-day. 'Threc weeks ago
had the most awful struggle against my
appetite;' and a gentlemansaid TO me,
holding me by the hand, the other
night, God bless YOU, Mr.. Cough, |
am fighting an awful hard battle"
said, ''Do You feel secur?" "Secure in
Jesus, Mr.. Cough" Oh, tell you, la
dies and gentlemen, that is the strength
of the movement to-day. From one
end of the land TO the other do we hear
of Christian temperance associations.
Oh, if in the Washingtonian day men
had been as wise rs God has holped ~
TO be now. what a wonderful rcvolu-
ton would have been effected then. 1t
was great tidal wave that rose all
over the land, but there was an ignor-
ing of Christ, there was nothing To d.
with religion, nothing to do with pray
ing. | used to go to places 10 speak
aud they would say, Mr.. Cough, We
have got lot of reformed men here
and must not have any politics or reli-
gion talked" 1t was so all over the
country. And what was the result:
Washingtonianism has utterly failed To