The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1889-05-22

of absolute right. They here make the
same mistake of ascribing to civil law
Spiritual law, the law to which Christian
must conform in all his conduct, is ideally
perfect aud allows of nothing short of
perfection. The civil law which the
Christian is to enforce by penalties on his
fellow-man is entirely another thing; it
is not ideally perfect, and from the nature
of the case, cannot be. will not here
say what has been asserted by eminent
publicists, that it would be a fatal obiec-
ton to civil law that it implied high
ideal; butt will say, that | know of no
law enforced by men with civil penalties
which does not admit, sanction and re-
quire, that which is inconsistent with ius-
tice and right. l have never heard of
such law. The civil laws which regu.
late marriage, the transmission of proper
ty, the punishment of crime, every law
which is to be enforced by civil penalties
administered by human beings, must by
very necessity fall short of the standard
of Gods holy law. They all allow and
enjoin much which is not right and equal;
they all allow and require much which is
unjust and wrong; they all allow conduct
forbidden to Christian man; it cannot
be otherwise; the attempted application
of an absolutely just civil law would work
greater injustice than a law which in the
circumstances aud on the whole is the
best thai. human beings can administer.
The standard to which as Christian
man | must conform my life is not the
standard to which may by fine and i'm
prisonment compel my fellow.man to con-
form. When | listen to my esteemed
Prnhihitinnict frianIo ~, .h;a 7
open my eyes with wonder, and look about
me for an instance in all history of civil
laws framed in accordance with their
Ideas. From the days of Moses until
now, | cannot find one.
3. More than all, protest against that
Judgment which denounces every man as
friend OF the liquor traffic and foe to
temperance, who does not see his way
clear-to advocate constitutional prohibit
ton; which finds in the moral depravity
OF the dissentient the reason of differences
of opinion as to measures. | have read
one or two numbers of a Prohibition or.
gan whose vituperative abuse of some of
the best men of our generation, men who
have been foremost in the warfare for
temperance and every other good cause,
was SO bitter and venomous that / could
think Of but one passage of Scripture,
Neither drunkards nor revilers shall in !.
herit the kingdom of God" n
This refusal to allow any difference of
Judgment on questions of measures, this
training of batteries against earnest and
Jealous workers for temperance, this war;
fare, against godly men instead of against
the saloon-keeper, this pronouncing SEN
tence of moral depravity on every one
who does not see with you, seems to me
utterly foreign to the spirit Of Christiani-
ty. AS to the policy and prospect of con-
verting men to your views and securing
their votes for measure which you can.
not pass without their votes, as to the
reasonable prospect of winning them over
to your side by denouncing them as ''sons
of the DEVIL" others can Judge better
than |. Paul indeed uses this language
to Bar.Jesus; and one of my temperance
friends in her speech cited the Apostles
words in justification of the denunciations
OF temperance workers; but, with all de-
ference to the fair advocate, it may be
doubted whether Paul's position and ours
are quite parallel. At any rate, he does
not make this phrase the staple of his ad-
dresses.
| have given these thoughts in compii-
ance with the request of my esteemed
friend. If any word ! have written is in-
consistent with respect and affection, |
beg him to believe it was not so intended.