The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-01-28
BISHOP KAN ON TEMPERANCE.
He Replies to Dir. TsatSr'S Criticism OF HI
Sermon.

Sermon.
To he Editor oflE IRlsEt0eno1.
sIR:-In your issue OF this morning, Mr..
David Teaters, an exponent Of the school
Of absolute prohibition, takes exception TO
the views expressed by me las. Sunday
week on the question Of liquor and its
use and abuse. In bis harah criticisms,
he does not, am uure, faithfully re.eCho
the sentiments Of q large portion Of the
Prohibition party Of the State. Many
stauuch supporters Of prohibition regret
/ the utteranCea Of extremists and fanatics
like Mr.. TeRter.
RETAINING from any other comment on
his unjust and unChristisn inBinuations as
70 my motives, shall simply remind him
Of command laid on him by his Saviour:
"Judge not"
He charges me with saving, "thRt sell
ing liquor is not sin in the aggregate" l
deny this charge. l could not have used
such words. / don't know their mean.
ing. Does Mr.. Tester2 Selling liquor in
the aggregate! No, l don't understand
the meaning Of that phrase. What did
say was, that in itsey the selling Of liquor
was not sinful. For this assertion, Mr.. T.
asks scriptural proof. mot quite 60 fast,
my good friend. You want me to profess
nyBelf coed Protestant, recognizing no
authority in matters Of Christian faith and
moralB excep! the Bible. That Is not my
doctrine; on tho contrary see in that
principle the germs Of sll heretical teach.
ing.
Then Mr. T. pIetends to prove from
the Bible that Christians are forbidden to
touch, taste, or handle liquor; and he
quotes st. Paul's Epistle to the Colos-
SLAMS I'll 2D. Now st. Paul says nothing
Of the kind. he there warns Christians
not to subject themselves to the Cersmo-
NAL prescriptions OF the Old Law; because
thess had been abrogsted. Remember,
Mr.. Teater, your own pious injunction:
"Evsn moderate lying ia SIM" That
Of itSelf the selling Of liquor is not sinful,
deduced from these two antsCedent pro-
position, lat, That wine or liquor is not
anything sinful; and ID, that Of itself the
use Of wine IL not ointul, These proposi-
tions arc denied by your correspondent,
who even appeals to Scripture TO sustBin
his position. 60 II was not iGins the
Saviour invited the guests 10 pErtske Of at
the marriage feast at Cana! HeonlY ''msde
the water Batisfying beyeragew This
might bs amusing, II 1t were not blasphe-
nous. The Gospel says expressly that
"He made the water wins." John iV, &c }
Nay, ne changed goodly quantity Of wa
ter into vine; for there were elk stone
pitChers full, and each pitcher contained
two or three frkins, that is from Is to q
gallons apiece; and the Gospel adds that
Il was wine OF surpRsaing excellence. l
do not touch on the EuCharistic mystery,
OF which Mr.. T. shows so profound an ig-
noranCe. II he is willing to accept tho
teaching Of Rev. DR.. Ryan, formerly
Presiding Elder OF the NJ. E. Church, that
cOlored water may be used instead OF wine
for sacrSmental purposes, he will meet
with decided opposition from ProtestRnts
as well as Catholics. He 10 not over
modest, il he judges his private interpre-
tatou Of these Scriptural passages more
in harmony with their true meaning than
the construction put upon them by the
vast msjorily Of protesting Christians. At
all events, Catholics regard such an inter
probation GO downright heresy.
To Mr.. IT'S question: "Who dare say
that God ever created intoxicRnts2 ?" re.
ply, "Eyery one who truly bslisves in
God as the Creator OF heaven and earth"
Let the juice be extracted from the grape,
and God, working through nature, makes
the wine; man adds no element 10 ma
lures product; no contributes nothing to
Code own process, Aye, wine 10 far more
directly the creation Of God than the |
bread which Mr.. T. daily begs from bis
Father in heaven.
Even moderate drinking is branded by |
this incorporate apostle Of Temperate as |
o sin on par with moderate lying, steal.
ing, &c. Before this ardent champion OF |
absolute prohibition, how the great
Apostle OF the Gentiles would have wilt.
ed2 For II the SCriptuIes speak the truth,
st. Paul, writing under divine inspiration,
advises moderate drinking in words too
clear, think, to be distorted by even this
ingenious interpreter OF Holy Writ. For
writing to his beloved desciple Il Tin. v
2S), he says: "Drink no longer water,
but use a little wine for thy atomach's
sake and thine often inhrmitieB." This
must sound like rank heresy 10 such ex.
tremista as good Mr.. Teater.
But Mr.. 7. misrepreeents me again |
when he puto these words into my mouth:
"a man may drink for forty years and
not sin unless it overcomes him" Though
this statement msy be true, 1t is not what
said. Even when drink has not over
come aman, II he perceives at any time
that he Is becoming too fond Of liquor;
that he Ia in danger Of being overcome by
it-then must he abandon it as he Is
bound to abandon any other proximate
occasion Of ain.
Mr.. IT'S argument Ggalnstliquor selling,
that the vendor cannot forese6 what evils
may thence result, would be equally strong
lgainst the druggist who cells some deadly
In conclusion will add that am quite
ls much opposed to the abuses arising
rom the sails Of intoxicating liquGrg as any
me elss-sven the good Mr.. Teater; but
| cannot base my opposition on heretiCal
f,l. Ill |