Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-02-01
H CONCLUSION
OF REV. WBRDBR'S SERMON UPON THE
SUBJECT OF TEMPERANCE.
Hs Cautions His Hearers Against Misleading the Bible
A Reply from Rev. William Ulfsrt to The
Criticism Of Rev. Dryden.

The REGISTER this morning continues
its translation of the salient points OF the
sermon upon the general subject Of tem-
perance, delivered last Sunday by Rev. w.
A. Werder.
Ia referring to what be had said in his
first sermon on the subject of the general
intemperance of Sweden, Mr.. Werder said
there were in that country, in 1880 49, 600
distilleries. A movement was begun
against the evil in 1853, and by 1870 the
number of distilleries had been reduced to
400. This was done by prohibiting distill-
ing in private houses, by limiting the
number of saloons, and by demanding from
saloonkeepers \ bond conditioned on their
keeping an orderly house.
Referring TO the part the Church was
taking in the Prohibition fight, he a u
toned his hearers against a partial quoting
Of the Scriptures. In many places the
Bible speaks Of wine and strong drinks,
but not a always in a condemnatory man
ner. The Bible warns the people against
intemperauce, as he had shown in bis
first sermon, bat it also speaks in a differ
ent way, as in Proverbs XXI, 6: Give
wine to the afi jcted;" Psalm civ, Is, Ec-
clesiastis x, 10, aud Judges TX, l3, might
also be referred to as carrying out his ar
gument. No one, he said, could deny
that wine aad other intOxicantS were
drunk 10 oiden times. Victor Hahn af,
firms that the Semites showed the method
of fermenting wines to other nations.
The position Christ and His disciples
took toward wine was plain. Writing aud
speaking to all nations, He condemned
drunkenness, but did not condemn the
drinking of wine. Paul wrote to Timothy
to quit drinking water, but to drink a lit
tie wine for his stomach sake. Jesus
Christ was not a Prohibitionist. His enc
mics accuse Him Of being a wine drinker.
At that time there was as many drunkards
al now. There have been many attempts
made to prove that the wine that Jesus
drank was not fermented. The greatest
living savauI, Prof. Delizty, of Leipzig,
saws in his work upon the Bible and the
wine, that the PdSSah wine was really fer
mented. Christ not only speaks Of wine in
this world, but in the next AZ well. He
says: II shall no more drink of the fruit
of the vine until l shall drink it in the
kingdom of my Heavenly Father" Bat
Notwithstanding this, fanatics 60 20
far as to substitute fruit juice in the
holy communion, instead Of wine. TheSe
people do not consider that in so doing
they place themselves above Christ,
The reverend gentleman pointed to the
Salvation Army as one of the results OF ia.
natic;sln, and said they misrepresented the
Bible at every step. He deprecated mis-
representations in the fight which was now
beiog waged. Pure and candid arguments
alone ought to be used.
Referring to the evils wrought by eXces-
sive drinking in the domestic circle, he
said that many a man became a drunkard
because he had no home, and many another
man because his home was not what 1t
ought to he. The husband should be the
head, aud the wife the heart Of the home.
Many a woman was to blame for the exces-
sive drinking of her husband and sons.
Her extravaganza, wastefulness, sloVenli-
ness or O~stentatiOn either swallowed up
the earnings Of the husband or drove him
to the saloon. He pictured the home of a
fashionable and extravaganza woman, and
said the husband Of such a woman might
easily be driven TO incompetence.
He pointed out the too frequent lack OF
a proper Christian education, and said too
many mothers and fathers think they
have done all they ought when they talk
prohibition aud pledges to their sons. This
would not do. When n young man was
not armed with q Christian education, and
had not been taught to shun temptations
of the world, he would be found unable to
resist them when they crossed his path.
Often in families where wine, beer and
other drinks are forbidden, the parents
are addicted to other and more injurious
stimulants. In many fine houses, NOR
phia, chloral and opium are freely used.
Coming down to the individual, he said
commands were not half so etfectual as
was persuasion. Get the wrong'doer in the
right path by showing him incontroverti'
BILE arguments and by educating him 1t was
wrong to prohibit the individual who had
never been incorporate from drinking, to
the end that liquor might he withheld
from the drunkard. He charged that one
rich man, here in Wheeling had said that
prohibition would merely place drinks be-
yond the reach Of the poor man, while the
rich would have what they wanted by the
barrel. This sort of legislation would not
do. Sometimes those who SOW the wind
reap the w%hirlwind.