Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1886-07-29
An Enemy Hard to Conquer.
By THE REV. THEODORE l.. cuYLER, D. ID.

1
| There are some enemies that il is easier
to keep out than ii is to drive out. when they
become strongly inrenched. Out of these
deadly enemies is the habit of using intoxi-
eating drinks. No deluson is so dangerous
as the idea that it is easy for an habtual
drnker to stop drinking. Out of nv long
connections with the temperance reform let
me draw few examples, which may perhaps
startle some good people who have a very
''slipshod' and shallow way Of talking about
the conversion of nebriates
! This week | learn that very kind-hearted
man. whom We received into our church
several wears ago, has relapsed again into
| drunkenness, He had been a hard drinker.
| bat gave good evidence, as we thought, of
| change of heart. For some time he iran
| well, and then stumbled and fell. We
/ Iabored with him faithfully, and he was re-
stored. Several times since that he has
fallen. and once we were obliged to place
| him IN an inebriate asylum. | have known
| that man to offer the most penitential and
| pathetic prayers in our devotional meeting,
and then stop for drink at dram shop on
| his way home FROM the meeting That man
when he drank his first glass became
slave. Often has he cried out Of the depths
/ for deliverance but very much fear that,
| in spite of our efforts and his own resolu-
tions, he will yet die drunkard. His father
was addicted TO the same vice, and the
hereditary taint is in his system.
| \ young married man-of excellent family
was received into my church in New York
twenty-five wears ago. lie had been CON
/ viyial in his habits, but We had strong hope
/ that the grace of God had radically altered
him and made him new man in Christ
Jesus After several years of sobrieiy he
relapsed (under strong temptationl into in
i temperance. For a long time he remained a
pitiable sot. Once. while his lovely wife
vas lying dangerously i'll, persuaded him
to enter an nebriate asylum. Bu, he leaped
out Of an upper window, and returned TO his
home the sight Of the poor creature At her
bedside gave his wife such a shock that she
died in a few hours Even this awful
tragedy did not reform MIN. and he con
tinued to drink as before. \, length ne
was induced 10 sign the pledge. 10 attend
the house of God and claimed to be recon
yerted, He secured an excellent situation,
and. well a,tired asd happy, used TO speak
n our PRAYER meetings with great ieryor and
declare that by Gods grace his feet were
nov upon the rock" 50 encouraged was |
b, his apparent reformation. that published,
under a fictitious name the narrative Of hls
conversion" for the encouragement OF
others whose cases were as desperate as his
had been. But alas he was on no "rock"
that was out Of the reach Of the waves Of
temptation and after two years he was
swept off again into the horrible vortex. He
attempted suicide during a debauch, and
soon aftervsrd died-a drunken outcast
nigh, multiply these me.anchol, cx-
nmpes to prove that when any man or
woman forms habit Of using alcoholic
drinks, he or she becomes slave. From
that horrible bondage, even apparent con
version does not always rescue them fer IS
DR.. Hodge once said 10 me, 'the thirst for
liquor IS sometimes physical mania, from
which even the grace Of God no more saves
a man than from the poison Of typhoid fever
in the system THIS !. fearful statement
10 make. and some may assert that that
eminent saint and the writer Of thIs para
graph may be "hmltlng the power OF the
Divine Spirit" God forbid But let u
net shut our eyes 10 painful fac,s. although
We may interpret them enormously. The
ncontroyertlble facts that hundred. Of
persons who have regarded themselves as
spiritually converted have resap,ed into
drunkenness.
Are drunkards never permanently re-
formed? Yes, let as rejoice that few Of
the vast number are saved. yet so nt
fire They are an exceedingly small minGr,-
". Dat Of those who are received into
church membership, a very large proportion
have their subsequent falls, and d these
many are never restored % sohrleiy have
spent vast dea! Of labor upon the a.
tempted reformation Of inebrate.. Quite
large number OF those who have sincerely
proiessed 10 be renewed by THE D!vlae
Spirit" have received into church member
ship. Out cf all this number | can rrca
only one tho has never had single relapse
into IntoNication since he united with the
church. Several have fallen of and have
been restored. Others have precpitat,d
themselves into hopeless drunkenness, and
sunk TO rise no more This IS a painful
statement 10 publish, but do it under
very strong conviction OF duty | do i, as
a solemn warning 10 every one-wihIn the
church AMI without it--of the absolute peril
of tampering with any and every intoxicant.
! DO II in order to emphasize the fact that
the only absolute safeguard against drunk-
enness IS entire abstinence. No living man
no. not even any minister Of Chrls,-is
completely safe from even the risk Of beng
overcome who is PLAYING with this treacher-
Gus serpent.
| have desgnedly avoided any discussion
about hereditary appetite, or Bible vine,
or the removal Of the appetite or any
other con;roveried question. Ny single aim
is 10 state solemn facts and let them carry
u.