The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1883-06-14

TEXT-"He that is not with me is against me; and h
that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad."-
| Matt. l2-3O.
These are the words of the Savior, by
which he teaches us that on every princi
pie and question in life, there are only
| two sides-the right and the wrong. On
F, all the great moral questions of society
we must be either with God or against
Him. Plainly in the light of this text
there is no middle ground between the
right and the wrong, upon which any life
can stand. On every question in society
every life must make its own personal
decision, and that decision must inevita-
blybe on Gods side OF against God. With
this plain truth of the gospel before us, to
guide US, we undertake a discussion of the
Temperance question of the day, that we
may inquire what is Gods side of this
question, that we may thus see clearly
our duty, and may go forth into this great
moral campaign, each one of US to give
our decision, our influence, our work, and
our vote, for God and the right.
The liquor traffic that abounds in our
land destroys the peace Of society, imposes
the most grievous financial burdens upon
the state, wrecks and ruins all the tenn
poral and spiritual prospects of it's vic
tins, brings sorrow into every home it
enters, and breathes out poverty, distress
and anguish through time and eternity.
No one has ever yet been able to show
any blessing that this traffic has ever
brought to society. Its influence is all
evil-an unmixed evil. 1t is traffic
most severely condemned by the word of
God. The curse of God is upon it. And
the curse of society ought so to enkindle
against it, as to drive it from our land
into utter banishment, as the enemy of
our homes and of our souls.
"Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow L?
Who hath contentious? Who hath bab-
bling? Who hath wounds without cause
Who hath redness of eyes? They that
tarry long at the wine; they that go to
seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon
the wine when it is red, when it giveth
his color in the cup, when it moveth itself
Alright. At the last it biteth like ser
pent and stingeth like an adder
"Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor
drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and
mallest him drunken also, that thou may
est look on their nakedness." Oh with
such woes as these pronounced by God
himself upon those who drink iptoxica-
ting liquors, and upon those who furnish
tho intoYicotirr c1p fo ofborc io +bara
any difficulty to determine which is Gods
side of this question? With the curse of
God resting upon this traffic in intoxica-
ting drinks, is there any man who dares
to apologize for such traffic, or to defend
it, or to compromise with it, and yet as
sumes to be on Gods side of this ques-
tion? Let him hear the message, "He
that is not with me is against me, and
he that gathereth not with me, scattereth
abroad
The absolutely wrong thing to do with
the liquor traffic is to license it. Shall we
by our human laws license, permit, and
protect that which God in His Word con-
derlns as evil and sinful? Shall we thus
array human judgment against Divine
Judgment, and assert our authority
against Gods sovereignty? Shall NOR
tai man be wiser than God. Shall we
dare to permit and license what God con-
demns, and still think to be counted on
Gods side? All sin is in Gods estima-
ton exceeding sinful" Shall we in our
humanity assume the right to grant in
diligence to sin when God in his purity
cannot look upon sim? The licensing
of evil is utterly wrong in principle. 1t
is the demand that Satan makes upon
society to strengthen his sinful kingdom
by the permission and protection of hu-
man law. The licensing of the liquor
traffic, which is the greatest OF all evils, is
the essence of all that is wrong in morals,
and 10 man can be true to God and advo-
cate or vote for such a proposition.
On the other hand the absolutely right
thing to do with the liquor traffic is to
prohibit it forever. 1t is the crime of all
others that brings most sorrow, desola-
tion and distress to society. Why not
treat it as crime and utterly prohibit it
by human laws as we prohibit all other
crimes? This is the only right thing to
do in morals. Shall we undertake to reg
ulate the liquor trafliop AS well might
we talk Of regulating murder as of regu-
lating this accursed traffic which is in
reality only a wholesale method Of MUIR
der itself. Indeed RIGHTEOUSNESS, rob
berries, murders and long catalogue OF
!-eVila come as the natural fruits of the
Liquor traffic. Shall we condemn such
things as these as crimes under our laws
and yet let the traffic which is the author
of two-thirds of the other crimes of the
land go uncondemned in its work OF
death? Or shall we not condemn it and
prohibit it as the father of crimes and
utterly Danish it from our land as an
outlaw? The prohibition of the liquor
traffic is right in principle. 1t brings
human law into conformity with Divine
Law. What though men have theil
property invested in this traffic, so that
prohibition would be to their financial
misfortune? Is this any reason why we
should not do right in the making anC
enforcing of laws for the government OF
the state and the good of society? Are
we under any bonds in morals to protect
mems property when that property is in
vested in the merchandise of sin? Le
their money perish with them rather thar
that they should be allowed to ply thei
vocation to the temporal and eternal ruiz
OF our fathers, our brothers, and our sons
o when we consider this traffic in tn
light of Gods condemnation upon it, ant
in the light of its destruction, sorrow ant
crime all through society, any REASONABLE
man must be convinced that the morall.
| rioht thinc to do in LEGISLATION cAncernin!