The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-04-23
NEW ENGLAND FREE BAPTIST Asso-
CATION.
Strong Grounds Taken in Regard to Tenn
perance.

The convention resumed its sessions yester-
day morning with service of prayer and
praise led by Rev. Mr.. Hall.
Rev. Mr. Malvern of Haverhill, Mass, Tread
paper on the duty of the church in relation
to the liquor traffic. The following are the
principal points of the address:
The people of America rule the rulers, and
we believe IN equality and equal rights 1t Is
disgrace for members of churches to have
their names retained in the church books who
nave any sympathy with the liquor traffic or
the manufacture of ardent spirits. A clergy
man must be willing to meet disapproval and
even hatred when he breaches temperance to
his people, but if he would do his whole duty
as minister of Christ he must be bold and
strong In his attack upon the curse of liquor
and the seller. In this connection Mr.. NAL
vern stated that he knew brewer who paid
his clergyman literally for preaching the Cos
pei of repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ, and rainy Sundays when the intem-
perate portion of his congregation absented
themselves he delivered temperance sermons
In conclusion Mr.. Malvern said that we can
not pray right and vote wrong. Christians
must not throw their ballots for those who SYM
pathlze with the rum traffic. He also stated
that no Free Baptist church in this State uses
fermented liquor at the Lords table.
Rev. Mr. Perkins of Boston, read commu-
nication from the Woman's Christian Temper
ance Union of Massachusetts,, urging the New
England Free Baptist Society to purify the
channel of public sentiment in relation to the
use of fermented wines at the communion SER
vice.
The Rev. Mr.. Boyd moved that vote of
thanks be given to the Woman's Temperance
Union for the communication, and that the
Secretary state that the same position has been
taken by the New England Free Baptist socie-
ty for fifty years.
The following resolution was offered by Rev
Mr.. Chase of New Hampshire:
Resolued, That it is the duty Of the church
to exert more positive influence for the sup
preston of incompetence and the rum traffic
Remarks were made by Rev. Messrs. Chase
BOYD, White and Davis.
Rev. Mr.. Penney Of Augusta, offered the
following resolution which was passed:
Whereas the liquor traffic and it's results con-
| stltute the greatest obstacle in the way of the
| gospel in every land, and whereas no day in
week OF prayer for 1880 was assigned to the
cause of temperance.
Resot0ed, That the association fully endorse
the movement to secure the appointment of
such day in the week of prayer for 1881 and
will cooperate in every effort to influence the
International committee of the Evangelical
Alliance to DEVOTE one day to prayer for the
cause of temperance.
In the afternoon there was a service of
prayer at O'Clock. At o'clock paper upon
the Ideal Passionate was read by Rev. J. A..
Lowell of Danville, N. H.
In the evening, after union service led by
Rev. J. M. Lowden of the Casco street church,
the convention closed with addresses by the
clergymen of the association and Rev. Messrs.
Clark of Williston, and Ladd of the Con-
greSS street churches