Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1889-08-17

INV, W sun. Ctop IhuhuhB oi 1uiS
noisew But il is effcctual only for
q moment, for rs soon as the
kecpsr is gone. they begin again:
"Oh. Godl oh, God! Help! helpl
Rum! Give me rum! Helpl Take
them off me! Take them off me!
Take them off me! Oh. Godr And
then they shrek, and they rave, and
they pluck out their hair by hands
full. and bite their nails into the quick,
and then they groan, and they shrek.
and they blasphemc, and they ask
the keepers to kill them. Stab me.
Smother me- Strangle me. Take the
devils of moi" Oh, il is no fancy
sketch. That thing is going on in
hospitals, aye, it is going ON in some
Of the finest residences OF every neigh
borhood on this continent. II went
on last night while you slept, and l
tell you further that this is going 10
he the death that somo Of you will die.
know IT, see il coming.
Ills HOME IS RUINED
Again: the inebriate suffers through
tho loss OF his home. l do not care
how much he loves his wife and
children. il this passion for strong
drink has mastered him, he will do
the most outrageous things. and il he
could not get drink in any other way.
he would sell his family into eternal
bondage. How many homes have
been broken up in that way. no one
! but God knows.
Oh. is there anything that will SD
destroy man for this life and damn
him for the life that is TO comet /
hate that strong drink. With all the
concentrated energies of my soul, l
hate it, Do you tell me that man
can BE- happy when he knows that he
is breaking his wifc's heart and cloth
ing his children with rags2 Why.
there are on the streets of our cities
today little children. barcfootcd, un-
combed and unkcmpt; want ON every
patch Of their faded dress and on cv-
cry wrinkle Of their prcmaturely old
countenances, who would have been
in churches today and as well clad as
you are, but for the fact that rum de-
stroyed their parents and drove them
into the grave. Oh, rum. thou foe
of God, thou dcspoilcr Of homes, thou
recruiting officer of the pit. abhor
thee,
WORST OF ALL, Ills SOU. Il LOST.
But my subject takes a deeper tone.
and that is, that the incbriate suffers
from the loss OF the soul. The Bible
intimatcs that in the future world. il
we are unforgivcn here, our bad pas
sions and appetites, unrestraincd, will
go along with us aud make our tor
,nent there. SO tina, suppose when
an incbriatc wakes upi, Ills lost world
he will feel AN iniiY thirst clawing
ON him. Now. do a in the world,
although he may Sc been very poor.
he could beg Of 1c could steal five
cents with WY 10 get that which
would slake 4 thirst for little
while; but III eternity, where is the
rum la come FRONT Dives could not
get one drop Of water. From what
chalicc Of eternal fires will the hot
lips Of the drunkarl drain his
draughti No one Ia brew it, No one
Ia mix il. No one Ia pour IT, Noone
Ia fetch il. Millions of worlds then
for the dregs which the young man
Just now slung on the saw busted
iloor Of the restaurant. Millions
Of worlds now for the rind
thrown out from the punch bowl Of
AN earthly banquet Dives cried for
water. The inrbriatc cries for rum.
Oh, the deep. cXhausting. cxasperat-
ing. everlasting thirst Of the drunkarl
in hell. Why, il ficnd came up To
earth for some internal work in grog
shop. and should go back taking ON its
wing just one drop of that for which
the incbrintc in the lost world longs.
what excitement it would make thcrc.
Put that one drop from of the
iicnd's wing on the tip OF the tongue
of the destroyed incbriatc; let the
10y htncss just touch il.
leI p bc very small il
IL ~ in it the smack Of alco-
hoheurinE. let that drop just touch
the lost inebriatc in the lost world.
and he would spring to his feet and
cry; That is rum! aha! that is rum"
and il would wake up the echoes Of
the damned: Give me rum. Give
me rum. Give me RUM" In the fu-
turc world, do not believe that il
will be- the absence of God that will
make the drunkarl's sorrow; do not
believe that il will DO the absence Of
light; do not believe that il will De
the absence Of holiness; think il will
b. the absence Of strong drink. Oh.
look not upon the wine when il is
red, when it moveth itself alright in
the cup, for ut the last, it bitcth like
serpent and it stingcth like an adder.
WORD To THE VICTIMS
But want in conclusion To- say one
thing personal. for do not like IA ser
mon that has no personalities in il.
Perhaps this has not had that fault al.
ready. | want Ia say ~ those who are
the victims of strong drink. that while
! declare that there was point beyond
which man could not stop, | want
Ia tell you that while man cannot
stop IN his own strength, the Lord
God. By his grace. can help him 10
stop nj any time. Years ago was in
room in New York where there were
many men who had been reclaimed
from drunkenness. | heard their tcs.
timony, and for the first time in my
life there flashed out "A truth never
understood. They said: I'VE were
victims of strong drink. We tried Ia
give it up. but always failed but some.
how, since We gave our hearts
To Christ lac has taken care
Of us" believe that the time
will soon come when the grace
Of God will show It's power here
not only To save mans soul. but his
Body. and reconstruct. purify. elevate
aud redeem it, | verify believe that,
although you feel graphing at the
roots of your tongues an almost ON
nipotcnt thirst, II you will this mo.
mcnt give your heart To God he will
help you. BY his gricc. to conquer.
Try it, II is your last chance. | have
looked OH upon the desolation. Sit.
ting under any ministry there aro PEG.
pie in awful peril from strong drink,
aud. iudging from ordinary cicum.
stances. there is not one chance in five
Thousand that they will get clear Of it,
! scc men in this congregation az
whom must make the remark that,
~ tlcr IA, n.t chao.r. tbot. co,,..a..