, 1881-02-27

would in /, moment Of mans emergency, nc up
his conscience with pledge. which. wnen ING
emcrgency is paft; nc 81 WI a,st Gear rh5s ~ most
pcr:licious instrument tor deo0ncInG lne o. GU
SCIENCE. In the first place. 1t manufacturers u
new sin,-..lways a dMcg7rous experiment, aaa ~
bringing about u renction which sweeps the
soul into real sin from US experience ~ E'''4i
mt.iug the constructed SIN; hnn secot'st2, ;st ~
gives Il ready excuse tn the conscience aEil'h5I
any moral argument for temperance by cover
ing It with Ii suspicion OF convcnnonal!t5.
The pledge Is aways IN INJURY; e',hs1;tmie ana far
principle 1t Is a sign not Of weakness. fnr We
are I'LL OF US weak enough; but OF readiness 70 Fo
form True reform wiua aetr'an1 ca Sa nnt thn
pledge takcr refuses TO make. Instead or tnAI
he rcfprms the surface. Instead nt turning 4s tng
with throwing up curthern dkcs to prevent m
overflow. Tou Gun get thousahos ~ STU tns ns
pledge where you can get one 10 reform. -.
eases whero II was not needed, where the re-
iartn to0k tho place OF the p!eoRe, WHttc tue
nun would have reformed without any pieose.
Surely. such wholesale aehltng VI prona's''a ID
4 PRoFASE DEALING WITH SACRED THINGS.
nature is not to be curl'et by pledges. HIS out.
ward conduct may be restrained py lnHoseo
law, but, so far forth as that conduct has
moral clement In it, no action ot the man nm
self can ufccr 1t, except a moral reformation.
Government, by its threatened punishment.
may stop mans drinking SO long as ne d!k th'hks
himself in danger Of put,tshmeRtt but q pledge
that has no punishment for Its breaking will
command no obedience, while the moral conrtc-
tions remain unchanged. 1t Is only an invita-
Sixtl-Tho sixth and Inst moral error oe'the
total abstinence system to which shall REFER IS
one which bring forwAri mt MS u philosopher
or a uuralist, bnt as Christian, WHO believes in
tho Divine authority OF the Holy SCRIPTURES.
This error have nsrcndy nverfed tn III my prll-
lurge upon here. it Is impossible to condemn
l drinking! of wine MS either sinful ur Improper
withont bringing reproacn hpno .ae ,', Gopa ess i
mense amount of wriggluE by Christian writer's
on thts subject toget away from this alternative,
but there 1t stands iinprcgAaole'
JESUS DID Use WINE.
will not waste my time In proving this propo.
sixion and answering the wild bash-bazouks Of
CONT roversy who assert With chltllikc confidence
aud simplicity that the Bible wines were unfer-
mened I1e!r ,easneH ,' agn3Ganso
criticism by thei- overwhelming dAsb: Such little
questions lis, Why the cpishei VINE b'bter rshould
have been opprobrious?-Why aescons U.S.. should
Corinthian cunmunicants should become drunk
en?-Why the Apostles ut Pcntecost should
cause Of their strange utterances?-nll such
tritftng questions they utterly A!sdnln 70 hotteo
III the magnificent sweep Of their assertion. II
ties never hint ut two kinds Of wlne,-a good,
unfermented wine. ant. a bnd ferTcntea one
when it would have been SO easy !nd natural for
unfcrtncuted wine.'' Instead of thut, thoy lead
us into great danger by their unEuarded re-
marks about wine, us II there were hut one sort:
nay, wcrse thun that, Pnul even tells the dcl-
cons not to drink tho much wine. Did Paul mean
the rermentesl wine? Then he allowed the
dtaeos 70 us t. as ;, M R he h MEAN it 4 qha
amount? This dile,na. and all the other argu-
mems from the Scriptures, nre as mere cobWebs
to tho ianccs OF these vallnnt knights, who are
too free ana fiery TO he checked BY reason or
overcome By Il sylluEisnl. 10 Il toot-piigrln,
like myself, however. these Scriptures are con-
vincing aud end the controversy: and there
fore, l have to charge the totai-abstinence prop
agAndn with
WEEsr1SG THE SCRIPTURES AND DEsPIs1NG
TIE AUTHORITY.
Iknow TINT there is VIM wing Of their "a, army ~
Scripture record and WHICH holds that times are
so changed that the Scripture examples aud
principles are now obsolete; that they were
mada for an Oriental people eighteen centuries
ago, and are wholly inappEicMplo in the great
Uucident in this Nineteenth Century: But this
often very thoroughly snubbed BY the loud
lenders, who count Its: position a giving Up OF
the contest: Us, indeed, II is For who will be.
moral questions aud matters OF moral conduct.
gave examp!., sud prcccpt that would not ln;t?
The argument runs this wy; Car,st ana .has h,s
WIS locni nial temporary lnatter. Now: unacr
| new circumstances. we lnnst not. Christ and
| His Apostles said that Christians must not be
incnl and temnorury when idolatory was rife.
Sow, under new circumstances, Christians md
TINT you cant ,ell one from tho other:
| The Apostle OF Christ said that women must
Keep silence in the churches; but that was local
more than slaves. Now. under new etrc1,11,;
stances. women may mount platform ,!lld pulpit
II The Gospel therc @ Is no Inference between male
| and female! | said, Who will believe all this?
/ Alas! there are many vino do and l charge
I rr4t
| Word or God. II moral questions that are not
In tho Scripture urc tu be thus treated who is to
draw the line where you nre to stop? why muy
| not the Christian merchant say OF the New
| Testament command. Lie not to one another !!
| This is local und temporary, when trnde was
sluggish and mems minds were dull. Now. un-
der Jew circumstances. when emulation needs
every help and Wnll-street sharpens men wits,
yon must lie or go under? This departure from
| the Bible sentiment aud example OIL moral con-
duet in us who believe Ia the Dible is
l. VERY DANGEROUS THING.
, OF course, for the Budlnists, who hare lntely
| Become fashionable in our country, It is Of NO
consequence. aud to them this DIVISION OIL my
| argument is mol addressed. ......
| tn point out the reasons why tho total-abstl.
| nence system us cure for intenpcrAncc Will
| not and ought not to be adopted. Ut course. !
am. therefore. bound to propose system that
ought to to adopted. 40 not aodEe ne ,ssue.
! r,svages Of drunkenness than am and II IS oe-
! cause tho prevailing system Of tornl af''ti.
| renee CFusafiG IS GuKE u tA0
br Keeping just methods from tho Held, anu ny
[ Disgusting mems minds with the very name ut
| temperance, so cruelty bIinircd, that dcnouEcc
t it, and Ask good men to rally around trucr ana
| purcr standard. ...-.
The right system must be one that recognizes
| practically the difference between excess nn9t
| moderation. md tho difference between ln1ur5-
| GUS aud hArmIess drinks, and that vii! arpca1
To the common sense Of reasonable ana think
ing tnc:l. 1t must be- !: system that deals non.
| e-llv with history, sctellce. and Scripture. anu
| does not invent theories. and then support
thc,n by garbted quotations and imaElnary
| fncts. It must he Il manly system. that nts
no cant or foplery of orders and ribbons. de-
| grading Il matter Of high principle TO the hocu5-
| pnclls Ot chid's play SUCH Il systen "ould nu
! found III tho exclusion OF distilled liquor from
| common use as beverage, both by pnt1!Ic opn-
| ion and iy law, and tue wise reputation IN So
| ccty nnt in the State OF tho use nf v1nuus ana
| ms!t liquors. Society should put away all the
! drinking usagcs that lead to cxccss,-sucn as
| furnishing MANY wines ut m entertainment. or
y treuting" others, Or putting or;nu;ca wines
| upon the table; mud the State should limit tho
number OF LICENSED sellers to ut most tho propor-
ton Of one to n Thousand Inhabitants OF eacn
| town; and these sellers SHOULD he under heavy
| bnnts nut 10 sell to minors or drunkard5, and
| mt to allow tsrrputubc characters 10 gather
| Mt their pluces. Tho law should likewise make
! the collection Of evidence against licensed
! seller easy. and rho penalty OF brenklug the !AW
| sht,uIu bc jmprist,ntnent as we'll us tine. On
| trtsis like this that d>es not swcep:nsy con-
| dean every drink that has alcohol init,
! THE GREAT MAJORITY OF TIE -1'Eor1.E