Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1880-05-25
disgrace and woe; and even, sometimes

disgrace and woe; and even, sometimes,
that,
Outlasts this fieeting breath,
And, o, eternal horrors hang
Around this second death.''
Truly, "wine is mocker, strong
drink is raging; and whosoever is de-
ceived thereby is not wise." For, when
we behold the evils which the use of it
brings upon ones family, we see that
"at the last it biteth like serpent and
stingeth like an adder" But that we
may be the more so,emnly impressed,
by the truth taught in the text, let US
pass on to consider:
8 The eUils 1t brings upon mems souls
in the aUorld to come. l have heretofore
addressed my remarks to those who do
not drink to excess, and endeavored to
point out to them some of the evils they
are bringing upon themselves and upon
their families, but will now address
those, who have, by moderate drinking
and by the occasional glass been seduced
by Satan, till they have actually become
drunken. My friends, God speaks to
you. He tells you some fearful things.
Awake, 0 sleeper, attend unto the voice
Of your Maker, proclaiming your dread
full doom: "While they are drunken as
drunkards. they shall be deyoured as
stubble fully dry" Isnot this terrible :?
To be devoured by the flames of hell,
even as dry stubble. Yet it is the word
of Him who formed your body and
breathed into your nostrils the breath of
life. There must be sin in it, or he
would not speak thus. Hark hear
another voice. tits the voice of the Son
of God saying, eff that servant shall be-
gin to drink with the drunken the Lord
of that servant shall come in day when
he looketh not for him, and In an holr
that he is not aware of, and shall cut
him asunder, and appoint him his por-
ton with the hypocrites there shall be
weeping and gnashing of teeth" You
cannot turn away from this voice, and
ease your troubled conscience, by saying
they are the words of q temperance ia
natic. For they are the very words of
Jesus, that loving Saviour, who, out of
pity and compassion for poor sinners,
died for them "that He might bring
them to Cod" They are the words of one
who pities you with s tender pity not
known to human hearts. Yet. if You
will be drunken, He would have you
know thct "the beginning of hell is in
it, that you are drinking liquid hellfire
and distilled damnation whose biting
and stinging will make you "weep ana
gnash your teeth" throughout eternity.
But, my dear heSrer, the blessed Jesus
makes the curses of the law to ring in
your ears, not for the purpose Of driving
you to despair, but that you may "hee
from the wrath to come ;" "for refuge to
lay hold upon the hope set before" you
iG the gospel. 20 Israel. thou hast de-
stroyed thyse,f; bgtin meis thine help"
Thou hast destroyed tnyself.n aFt lost.
But, "behoId," Jesus, ''thy King COM
eth unto thee; he is just, and having
salvation" He is your only refuge
Ehsu art helpless captive under the
dominion IF That red-eyed monster OF
hell. What you want is Haysr. We'll.
"Christ is the power of God" Relieve
in Jesus, trust to Him for salvation and
you will bring to your rescue the power
of Almighty God. And 'if God be for
you, who can be against you ?" His al
eighty power will burst the bands Of Of
Satan aai get the prisoner free. But let
tain delusion into which you might fall.
Men, sometimes, talk Of relying upon
the grace of God to keep them from
committing certain sins, and yet are not
bsissya,s "a the Lord Jesus Christ, have
never committed their sOlis and bodies
to HIM to be His for time and eternity.
Brethren, more unscriptural idea never
entered the heart of man. Why, the
Lord Jesus Christ is the. only channel
whereby the grace of God flows to sim
nere. Ee yho is without Christ is with
out God, saith the APOSTLE ii you are
not believer in Christ, then you are
not trusting to God foranything you
have no access to Him. '!No man.
saith Jesus, "no man cometh to the
Father but by me-" You must then
make total and unreserved surrender
of your whole being into the hands of
seeug, to be saved from all sin, and to be
his forever IN the p8ngs Of q pegpetual
covenant that shall not be fofgotten.h
My son, give me thine heart.'' This
morning respond to this gracious invi-
tation and He will save you with an ev-
erlasting salvation. And you shall be
''kept by the power of God" not only
from tle sin of drunkenness, but from
all sin, Through faith unto salvation
ready to be revealed in the last time"
Blessed Saviour, "Christ the power of
God" Yes, poor sinner, when the
power of Almighty God is brought to
your aid, you will be able to keep your
resolution, to "touch not, taste not,
handle not" ''And the peace of God,
which passeth all understanding, shall
keep your heart and mind, through
Christ Jesus.H Yes through Christ .Te-
sus," don't forget that part of 1t. We
have now contemplated some of the
evils which the use of intoxicating bev-
erage brings upon men themselves in
this life, the evils it brings upon their
fana;isas, the evils it brings upon their
souls in the world to come; all which
go to show that "at the last it biteth like
a serpent and stingeth like an adder"
That is the conclusion of the whole mat
ter. But I cannot step here. AS the
pastor of your children, brethren, I wish
TO Pilot them safely into the haven of
eternal rest. And Satan is ever raising
q perfect hurricane of temptations, by
which he hopes to SINK nay cargo Of pre-
cious souls into the abyss of heli. My
dear children, what must say to you:
cannot do better than to speak the very
words of your God. "Look not then
upon the wine when it is red." God
loves you, and He says that you must
not look upon the wine. Well, now,
Riay does God say this? Can you tell
me? 1t Is because Ii yoT stop to look at
1t. yol will soon want to taste it, and
when you have once tasted it, you will
soon become fond of it, and when you
have become fond of 1t, you will soon
become a drunkard, and when you
have become drunkard, your soul will
soon be in hell. Your only safe plan IS
never to touch it, for sat the last it biteth
,;ke serpent and stingeth like an ad-
aer.y Wa.ll, now, my young friends, it
will be very difficult f5r you to escape
this ''snare of the devil" Your friends
vii! laugh at you, and tell you that you
are not manly, or you would take SO
cial glass with them. But HWhen sim
ners entice thee, consent thou not. ~
Tell them that you do not like to play
with serpents and with adders. And
O, never forget that Jesus is your loving
Saviour, who died to save you from your
sins, and bring you to God" Ever look
to Jesus, remem bering that you are His
dear child, and that He will keep you
from falling, make yoH q useful member
Of His Church while here upon earth,
and afterwards receive you to Glory.
Henry Clay, a grandson of the Harry
of the West" will accompany the How.