Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1883-02-17

L SilI0SSCc-
1.-THE church our blest Redeemer bought
With His own precious blood
would withdraw its money and
patronage from this traffic, the
work would he done. And yet it is
the church that deals the deadliest
blow to a cause that deserves a
heavenly pageantry borne onward
and upward in chariOts of fire. You
point me to the resolutions of our
conference, know, and l rejoice at
their passage. Were we unit +?
Is not the liquor traffic carried on
by the church, and the drinking
done by its members indexed, or
voiced in every effort made in the
church to shield it from church dis
cipline? Where have you known
an attack made in the church of
God upon this terrible evil but that
mighty power arose and spread
prodigiously over this dark river of
death? Bishop McTyeire truly
and wisely said: politicians may
as well make up their minds to it;
prohibition is coming" But, mark
it, GoOdloe, many a head will be
handed over to this traffic i'm a
charge before the cruel war is over.
God give US true and valiant sol
diers in a war so holy and quarrel
so just. The battaliOns of dealers,
though inVeterate, are not our
most formidable foes. Great brig
AIDES and divisions of those whose
lips are monthly wet with holy
wine, and upon whose heads bap-
tismal water has fallen, these are
our foes. All, my brother, how my
heart aches while | confess that
this army is not made up entirely
of the laity. Men called OF God,
and commissioned by the Holy
Ghost to preach his word and bind
up the broken hearted, are
dallying with this question though
they see more suffering growing
out of this evil than any other men
on the earth. They will not say
that the cause is not just, but they
blot it with criticisms and blur it
with aspersiOns. They condemn
those who take the lead in il and
will neither lead or be led them
selves. These "hold- with-the-hare-
Observation-Disclosures" brethren
are always declaring themselves for
temperance, and but for that we
would never know it.
Let me quote you, GoodlOe, from
a letter written by popular city
pastor and a most estimable man TO
one of his brethren on this subject,
giving his own experience:
Zone man followed me to confer
ence, and worked night and day
against my return. He was promi-
nent in the church, and succeeded.
He was guilty of dram drinking
and open drunkenness on the street.
l reproved him, and for my labor
of love made him confidential
advisor of the Bishop and his cabi-
net. The Bishop and cabinet were
appraised of my course, and said
they endorsed me. l have no doubt
my drinking brother felt himself
also endorsed. / felt badly at being
removed" Is the church of God a
unit?
Dear brother, if any of our friends
have occupied such relation to the
issues OF the past as to cause them
to be sensitive on this question we
should deal kindly and charitably
with them. They have gained the
victory upon which their hearts
were set, and if their assertions
were true that they were as good
temperance men as we, then they
have ample time, and opportunity
to make good their assertions.
You will observe that the most
delicate thing imaginable, is to
preach a gospel sermon now. l
mean such a sermon as is necessary
in the discussion of such themes as
truth, honesty, temperance, etc.
preached a sermon a few nights
since on the latter subject. On my
way down the isle a lady whose
heart was bleeding, said, "that is
the best sermon l ever heard you
preach" Before / reached home a
man said to me you'll catch thun-
der for that" / slept. Started
down town the next morning, said
a man to me, 81 wish you could
have heard poor fellow talk on
his way home from your church
last night. He has been drinking
great deal, but says he will never
touch another drop" l felt better.
At the Post-office man said,
"they tell me that you gave us
our party-thunder last night,
and that - says it was an ignO-
rant thing and in bad taste" Good