Sword and shield. (Clinton, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1888-01-28

This is used to express both political
and ecclesiastical opposition to the
manufacture and sale of intoxieants,
except for medical, scien iical and re-
ligious purposes. The evils Of the
liquor traffic is no longer question,
but have the chu. ch and the civil
courts the right to entertain, discuss
and enforce prohibitory measures,
is the living question. This right
exists OF does not exist
according 10 the laws, that authorize
these courts. God ordains civil
government and imposes loyalty upon
the citizen to the courts. He likewise
ordained ecclesiastical government and
imposed obedience upon the person
who may be citizen Of both. II there
be laws coneeraing the same issue in
both forms of Government, harmony
must exist or loyalty would be impos-
sible. That mutual law on this SUBJ
ject does exist is the object of this
paI er to SLOW.
The divine approval for prohibitOrs
government was given into the house Of
the Rechabites concerning the issue We
now consider. The Law IS found in
j jeremiah 1861. iona lab. the son Of
Rechab, our father commanded US,
saying, ye shall drink no wine, neither
ye, nor your sons forever nor plant
vineyards. nor have any.
The blessings promised for obedience
to the law is recorded inJeremiah: And
Jeremiah said unto the house of the
Rechabith, thus says the Lord of hosts,
the God of Israel, Because ye have
obeyed the commandment o. JOnadab
your father. and kept all the precepts
and done according unto all that he
hath commanded you Jonadab housel
shall not want man 0 stand before me
forever" When we remember that
this was a civil governmet and its pro-
hibitory laws the most regid ever en-
acted by human legislators, there can
be no mistake in reading the mind OF
God in the endorsement.
For proof of the practicalitity of this
e actment, the Divine approval was
given about two hundred and fifty years
after its passage and further more we
are told upon good authority that this
same people still observe this law and
and thus about twenty-six hundred
years rude people in Asia have main
tanned prohibition IL the midst of a
wine drinking world.
To answer the complaint that Prohi
bition interferes with personal civil
liberty we remark that liberty
which ends in bondage to evil. is only
service that forges chains in the
name of freedom, This is the result
that follows freedom to drink.
ITO drink means to become en-
shaved TO poverty, shame, woe, friend
lessness and to be without God and
hone in the world and consigned to
eternal imprisonment.
We still hear the cry that pr, hibi
bition will lessen the public revenue
and thereby affect public schools, etc.
To the Christian citizen, the condem
nation Of Jehovah against iniqitous
License for revenue" is more to be
avoided than any fancied national
calamity that could grow out of prohi-
bition. To this point Ezekiel 22:27.
says of national Isreal: .Her princes
in the midst thereof are like wolves
ravening their prey, to shed blood and
destroy souls to get dishonest gain"
The gain of princes arises from revenue.
The licensed saloon destroys its patrons
as the wolf does its prev. more blood
has been.shed and more souls destroyed
as the results Of ''the licensed saloon"
than any other known evil.
"Woeunto them that are mighty to
drink wine, and men Of strength to
minSls strong drink, which justify the
wicked for reward. Isaiah 5:22-
AS further argument for the right
civil governments to protect theil citi.
zens against either existing or threaten
ed evils, we cite the example Of Paul,
who appealed to Caesar, When; threat
ed BY his country men. True he per-
suaded. but when persuasion failed to
persuade he had recoursed to a prohi-
bitory power. With US persuasion
has failed and now We appeal to the
ballot which is our cesar.
Asa question to be eonsideved by
THE RELIGIOUS COURTS
we read Leviticus 10:9 DO not drink
wine nor strong drink. thou nor thy
ons with thee when ye go into the tab
ernac,e of the congregation, lest ye die
it shall be statute forever throughout
your generations.
| Cor, 6:10: Nor thieves, nor covit-
Gus, nor drunkards, nor revilers, moi
extortioners shall inherit the kingdom
Of God" Thus the law that watches
, induction to divine service prohibits
drink: the law that guards the Heaven
, ly inheritance prohibits the drunkard
Then let the voice of the press, pulpi
{ and floor of religious leouFts Be on
. spoken NOT fsaFins what man may sa