The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-09-13
Auaerson gatelligelmsy.
the sINO DRUNKENNESS.
The Two Greatest Crimes and Greatest
Curses Recorded In Scripture.

,Erom FATHER Bayk,'s orsui iLsrtulr-"D,nHInt,s ne
l'orh Degradation gn'anI
The two greatest crimes recorded in
the Scriptures which Almighty God has
revealed TO us, were expressly committed
under the influence OF drink. The first,
the crime committed by Lot, in the days
of Abraham, after he had escaped from
Seldom. Secondly, the great public apOs-
tasy Of the Jewish nation. who worship
ed their idol in the very presence Vi
God.
The patriarch Lot lived for many
years in the city of Sodom. II WAS the
worst and most infamous city in the
world. So Almighty God opened the
foodgatcs, and raincd down living tire
from Heaven, and destroyed the whole
city and nation. In the midst Of that
city livedIot. So holy was lie, and 80
pure had he kept himself, that when the
three angels were sent by Almighty God
to destroy the city they came and said to
him: "Go out Of this place; take your
wife and children and 20 out" He arose
aud took his wife and two full grown
daughters, aud fed from, Sodom The
city was burned by fire; the wife vas
struck dead for her disobcdence and
there remained TO him only tie two
women, his own daughters An in Gus
thought came into the minds Of these
Two women. They wished to commi!
sin with their own father. IL is enough
to make a mans blood run cold to think
of it, What did they do? They got Il
bottle Of strong wine and made the old
man drunk when he was drunk he
committed tho sin; and thus brought
down the greatest curse. So great WAS
the anger of God that of the children
born of that infamous act all their race
was cursed to the end of time.
St. Jerome, looking at the example,
says: MS. God |, there was man able
to live in S0dom, the worst place in the
whole world; Sc pure rs 20 be iii 20 eG.
terrain the angels Of heaven who no
sooner got the buttle Of wine in his hand
thnn he commits one .: the gTea:2ai
crimes that can be imagined or conceived
by man.
The next crime committed, the great.
est recorded in Scripture, was this:
Moses led the people Of Israel through
the desert until they came to Mount
Sinai. There arose tho mighty, solitary,
solemn mountain before them. All
Israel encamped around it. lie said
Il willgo up and speak unto God ; re.
main here Until I return"
sr~FiIe momen. ne said these words, the
clouds covered the mountain tops the
thunders of heaven ratified the light.
nings flashed aud the people were fright
ened, and they cried, 80 God, Thou art
present; spare Us = The voice Of God
ceased laundering forth from The clouds
Moses aseended the mountain and the
.2etple ..Hat down to feast snd to drink"
What did they do2 When they g8t Well
warmed up with wine and half drunk =
while the cloud was upon tho hill, will,
the thunders Of Gods voice yet echoing
in their ears-with their prophet and
leader up in this cloud, aud terrib.
darkness on Sinai-.the people nut up d
golden calf, aud kneelcd down aud ador
ed IL; because they were half drunk
The people," says the Scripture, 'sal
down to drink"
1t was the first great i,lolatry of Israel
the first great sin since God had brough,
them forth from Egypt. So great was
the Sin, that God iu his great anger pro.
destroy them and create Il new people for
myself" Ard it came through drink
Consider again. We see tha, the first
curse came to and upon Adam and Eve
when they refused TO abstain, refused To
be temperate. When God destroyed the
alniyersal world In tho deluge, Nonh aud
his family @pre spared, and the curse OF
God was washed away. All the iniquity
of tho world was washed away in tho
deluge; nothing remained. therefore,
now, but the blessing How, my friends,
ask you, how did the curse upon the
earth come ngain How did the curse,
extinguished in the waters of the deluge
revive again to be perpetunted in the
whole race? Throug h the sin of drunk
enness. Noah sat amongst his vines, and
pressed the grape; he drank the wine
and got drunk. Out Of that drum kenuess
Of the Patriarch came the curse that fell
upon Chanaan aud his descendants
upon the whole nations of his posterity
to the end Of time. What need have l
therefore, 70 multiply the examples from
revealed truth OF tic awfulness of tho
sin of drunkenness What need that
shonld tell yan that if there is Que prom,
iuently put forth in the Scriptures, more
than any other. it, is tho word that was
spoken-"Tha the drunkard shall never
inhhbit the kingdom Of God.''a