Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-12-12
Temperance Sermons.

At BETHANY CHURCH
Rev. Mr.. IIincks began by remarlxing that he
dispensed with text, since no single passage Of
Scripture covered the different aspects Of the
question which he wished to present. Neverthe-
less II was his purpose to be guided by the true
spirit Of Biblical teaching in the positions which
he might lay down His individual opinions had
especial claims to consideration, and, indeed, II
they were at variance with Scripture he should
pect himself of lacking AZ well wisdom as humility
in attempting to improve upon the teachings Of
inspiration. The Bible, however, was to be inter
preted by Its spirit, and not by its letter The
gospel morality was the morality Of an inner con-
trolling principle, and not OF outward form. The
principle which underlay it, was that Of supreme
love to God, and love Of ones neighbor as ones
self This principle must assert itself consist
emily, with such modification of the outward
form of its assertion as circumstances might de-
mand. It would always require adherence to the
most fundamental rules Of morality, since in
most essential particulars the conditions Of human
life were the same in all ages It would not,
however require uniformity in habits Of eating,
drinking, dress, amusement and the like, since
the welfare Of ones feow-men might be differ
emily affected by ones habits in these respects at
different times. The example Of Christ for in
stance, in the matter of drinking wine could not
be quoted as n justification Of the use of alcoholic
beverages Mt the present time. The discovery Of
the process Of distillation by which liquors are
prepared containing upwards OF fifty per cent.
Of alcohol, and the tendency in our society to
recklessly abuse this secret from the laboratory
Of Nature rendered the question Of temperance
different in its outward form from what IL WAS
when the only danger OF excess was in the gross
use Of pure wine containing perhaps ten per
cent. Of alcohol. dislike, therefore, extremely
to hear II celebrated worker in the cause Of tenn
perance declare that he will never believe that the
Lord Jesus drank an intoxicating liquor at Cana
till he tells him so face to face in heaven I dis
like equally to hear any one who uses intoxicat-
ing liquors Mt the present time quote the example
of Jesus as a sufficient reason for doing so. |
charge both of them with handling the Word of
God deceitfully. charge both Of them with ad-
herring to the letter that keth, instead Of to the
spirit which gveth life venture to predict that
il the first one gets to heaven he will never have
the hardihood to ask any such question | ven
ture to predict that at the har Of God the second
will never have the hardihood to present any
such excuse No redeemed sinner will signaize
his advent to the joys of heaven by impugning
the sincerity Of his Saviour's love to mankind.
No sinner ut the Judgment seat will presume
to say that anything in his Masters teachings
justified him in any failure of due love to his
fellow-men In the awful light of divine truth
both will realize that the principle of supreme
love to God, and love of ones neghbor as ones
sell Is the inner princlple OF all periection when
regulated ahke thelr SaVours ACTON IN every
particular and by which all human conduct IN the
Shlltlng remuons "i NE VIII be tired
But proceeding to some more specific thoughts
IN connection with the subject OF temperance the
preacher remarked that lie would hrSt treat ol
the duty OF temperance absolutely as 1t affected
ones own habits, irrespective OF the influence
OF one hahits upon MS iellow-men. Inc teach
ing oil the Blole IN TINS respect Is that an IN
dividuai Is held responsible Tor temperance and
not total abstinence. lhere is no more warrant
III scripture than there Is IN common sense Tor th'
idea that there Is any SIN IN partaklng oi newer
age because u mas alcohOl III IT, lhere mas beei
vast deal OF nonsense uttered upon this subject
which is dscreditable to the scholarship and in
| genuousness OF those who have attempted to twis
the teachings of the Scripture to suit the exigen
|
has been to foster ianatical methods of work, Il
do serious injury to tender consciences, to pro
mote hypocrisy, to disturb Christian harmony
and to impair Christian charity. One noticeable
result at the present time was II movement t,
Danish wine from the communion table-nut sim
ply to withhold 1t from those few unfortunate
persons, who, by reason of an exceptional consti
tuition, or of past wicked indulgence, were victim
! of an abnormal appette-bnt to Danish it entirely
from the Lords table and thus break the historic
continuity of u rite which ran back to the Lore
himself! 1t would seem as If this reflection upol
the habit of Christians in their most solemn rit
in all ages, this reflection upon the wisdom an'
morality of the Saviour himself who establishe,
the rite, ought to suggest to the most self-confi
dent that the assumption which nnderlay tn
movement must be wrong There was no occa
sion to convince most of us that we cannot i'm
prove upon the morality of Jesus Christ although
We can improve upon our comprehension of il
| and this agitation was simply noticed to show tn
almost blasphemous extreme To which the NJ
sumption that the sin of intemperance consiste
in taking alcohol drove the rcfurmer, who wa
not careful to test the correctness of his position
and methods by the standard of enlightened, cor
scientious, public opinion and above all, by tn
standard OF the word OF tod
But while the doctrine That all use OF alcoholl
beverages Is IN itseli sihiul had no ionndauo
upon when 10 rest, II could not be TOO strongl
emphasized that the SIN oil lntemperance Is de
nonnced IN terrible language IN the Bible tod
condemnation oil IL was written IN awlul langnag
In the bloated lineaments and shattered nerve
and broken manhood oil the drunkard-ih the me
ancholy ruin OF that temple OF the Holy Gho'
whlch lie mad wantony denied Such condemns
ton only anticipated the condemnation OF Hol
Nrt' ihey VINO are guilty OF drunkenness,
are told shall not inherit the Kingdom oil Got
Ana DO we not know so lnstinctlVeiyY Unless
the grace oil tod the inner man Is so changed tina
the outward form no longer hurly represents IN
inward spirit, do we not feel that the soul whic
has stamped its loathsome character of BEAST
self-indnlgence on the outward lneaments OF tn
hesh, is self-excluded from the realms wherei
nothing can enter that deflethY 1t would seeI
As II God selected this one vice In which to di'
play the hideonsness OF the ruin wrought by sin
and that for mercful considerations the DISCUS
ture, were hidden for time, that this fair worl
might not be polluted by their aspect.
1t is fair question to ask whether II drunken
ness Is so great sin, the preliminary steps to
are not sinful | answer Yes" unreservedl,
Whatever normally leads To drunkenness cannC
be justified by the morality or the logic whc
condemns drunkenness itself. The preliminar