The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-03-23
WHISKY AND MODERATISM.

|
| A Scotch Preachers Vigorous and EN-.
| phatic DenunciatiOn and Warming.
The National Temperance Advocate
is indebted to valued correspondent
for the following vigorous, emphatic
Scotch testimony concerning Whisky
and Moderatism:
"Rev. John Robertson, Stonehaven,
in sermon on The Burden of Dumah--
He calleth to mo out of SER, Waterman,
what of the night?' says: Every godly
minister among US is a Cassandra to-
day. There is ''rock ahead" in our
Free Church. 1t is not Ritualism-
bah! as soon put Sir Isaac Newton to
Groom to the dandle of wax doll, or
toot to the moons march on penny
whistle, as imagine John Knox tom
fooling along in yon milliner num-
merry! 1t is not Rationalism-here
and there in some pampered dollhouse
that orchid epiphyte may flower. but
in the swung-clear, faith-built Church
it will ever be barren. it will never
multiply The luxurious exotic is
nipped and killed in the keen Northern
air of our popular appeal. The rock
ahead that threatens to tear the very
ribs from our gallant vessel is the
revival of Modernism! An anti
evangelical spirit, sly. sloeky and
Shiny. is creeping in upon us like the
stealthy foam of the main up
the frightened creek. Our con-
gregations are to ono another
leaves Adullam" for "distress" and
"debt" and "discontent. The gates
of our church membership have been
prised open SO wide that, with a ring
on his finger, a good coat on his back,
and the fling OF a copper to the funds
of the Kirk, we, with open arms and a
kiss on the cheek. have welcomed the
devil himself! l know him by the
whisky-stink of his breath! The two
hereditary diseases in our veins act
and react on one another as cause and
effect; they are always together, al
ways were, always will be. They are
whisky and modernism! Moderatism!
| just look at ia wizened, blasted
thing! that can grow only ON drink
sodden soil! Scotland is drunken
ditch. The Gospel can not thrive in
it. For tho sake of never-dying souls,
off with the drink! One primal neces-
sity to the spiritual crop of pure Cos
pei preaching among us is total absti-
hence. Fling the hellish thing out of
our hearts and homes, sweep the steps
| to our own kirk door ere we ring the
| Gospel bell in the summons to the
Cross, or it will merely clank, clank,
cracked and cursed farce! Before
now have sat on Gospel platform
| where the thick mumbloin my ear and
the tuning breath told OF inspiration
derived, not from the open Bible, but
the open bottle; and the result OF that
"toiling all night was of course
nothing! The Gospel Of Christ
from glass-licking lip! "Moder-
alto drinking" with the Bible-boards
dropped in as pa!ate-pleasing cinder
this is modernism and no Gospel
1t must be. The great Preacher and
Worker, Jesus Christ, would no more
be moderate drinlser" in Scotland
to-day than he wou' d be mode ate''
cannibal, chewing His brothers flesh
in the Island OF FIJI! "What must +
do to be savedP" put to thousands ON
thousands in tho Free Church of Scot
land would bring but this one reply:
Drink, but don't got drunk; make
money and marry. beget sons aud
daughters, and. If thou wouldst be-
perfect, dinnG ,o1ust c on the Sabbathr
Mere go-to-churchism is mere go-to-
hellism! That communicable card"
that ciinking sacrament TOKEN"
may be from tho minister's hand a
mere ticket for-the bottomless pit!
To reach Heaven by that. as soon ship
to Calcutta in cockle-shell! All,
thou robber OF the heritage of Gods
people, thou Dumah fi!cher of Judah's
message, thou doomed and deluded
garroter of Christs holy covenant
thou unconverted, unsaved unbeliever,
thou kirk-going child of the devil
stop-as Gods Word is true, as His
oath, reverberating from end to end
Of His moral universe, is sure, thoro
is no morning for thee, no dawn, no
purple glow in the Eastern sky. The
message of Judah is not for thee. The
burden of Dumah is thine. 'sAlso tho
night" Night, fastly-falling night;
dark. dense, starles5, eternal; foy over
and ever night.