The Forrest City times., 1893-06-02
The Pulpit and the Liquor Traffic. CHARLES A. PAYNE D. D. IL D.

that which binds the universe together binds our subject upon the conscience ot the Church and the pulpit.
 The liISt link in the cham IS the jncontroveitible fact that liquor traffic ls the greatest curse of Chlstendom, and stupend0us obstacle ill the way of the Christian church.
 fl. Link second This greatest enemy of nlan and deadly toe of Christ King dom will be conquered only by the agency of the Christian church. It ls vain to expect the Devil to strike down his strongest ally. The world expects aud awaits the leadership of the church i'll this as in all other moral reforms.
 III. The third link is the fact that the church can cope successfully with the liquor traffic only when the church forces are thoroughly massed. A united foe. d divided church. IllS se, tence tells the story ot our long de- feat.
 nere is no sadder sight on ealth than to see the liquor forces rally around a common standard. lrfeSpect i've of party or creed or personal rela' tons, while the temperance forces are hotly contending about measures and methods, and, for the most part. practi- glllN HIUlIlk llt 0oi fhere be any intelligent questioning of the fact that thesduty of the hour is to unite all the forces that acknowledge loyalty to Christ, ana march ln soldlerly order and serried ranks against the common foe
 The toleration of the liquor traffic is the greatest anachronism of the Nine teeuth century, the greatest crime of
 
 the Christian church Thirteen mil- lion of communicalits of the Protestant Christian church. ol this Christian na- tion. and this traffic of Hell unchecked. Thirteen million Christian men and women in Protestantlsm and six mil lion more in Catholic communion, ali helpless and palsied III the presence of this oligarchy of Satan Nineteen mil, lion protesting Christians and Il hun dred thousand Christian ministers, and the saloon has more power III the poll ties of this country than all the churches all the ministers. all the membership, all the college. and schools of the lIa- tion combined. Could not these mil- lions of Christian people outlaw the liqu0r traffic If tley wouldI Could they not stop the legal manufacture and sale of intoxicating beverages if they would? Could they not prevent the United States government and every state from having any further compiicity with this iniquity by licens- ing or legaliziBg Il in any form if they wouldy Beyond question, thls is all far within the power and province of the Christian church.
 " The pulpit is the legitimate and dWinely ordained agency to mass the forces of the Christian church and lead them on to victory iu thiS holy crusade against the liquor traffic.
 It is to be sald. that the pulpit should preach temperance but leave anrebuked the traffic; reform the drunkard, but spare the druukard maker, then you ask tue pulpit to belitte it's own work in the eyes of all manly men by openly confessing its puerllty and pusilam- mity. Since the saloon is the central source of the crimes aud curses and woes of mankind. If the pulpit cannot, or will nUt antagOnZr this eyli. it may as we'll abandon it's calling aud cease its high pretent,ons.
 But how shall thls duty be performed? The pulpit must keep before the people the true standard of total abstinence for the individual and total legal pro- hibitiOn for the trailic.
 Undoubtedly. the one difficult aspect in the treatment of the case k the poiiti- cal aspect We are told hy men who think themselves honest that this whole question of temperance and the liquor traffic should be kept out of politics. Very good; but we may as well be told that sin should be kept out of the world The disagreeable fact ls that sin is in the world. The equally rrSlstless fact is that the liquor traffic is m politics. and it Is there Ot its own viaition. It Is common to charge it's presence in politics upon temperance retoImers. but this Is a mistake. The liquor oli- garchy put this question into politics It did this most naturally, and COnsid- erin@ its own interests only, most wisely.
 The liquor question is in politics. and can never be gotten ont of politics until the ministry and church unite t0 put it out. And they will never put it out by pious talk nor fervent prayer. In this issue, forced upon us by the enemy. votes and votes only. give the ultimate decision. The liquor question will never be put out of politics until forced out hy the ballots oi tree men, emancipated from party domination.
 In order to do thls the pulpit has delicate and difficult, but neceSsary, duty to perform. Men calling them selves Christians must be made to see that there is no evll of society greater than the saloon, aud no duty greater than the distraction of the saloon; that the saloon must be outlawed: that it cannot be outlawed until a majority of voters demand lt, and that this ueces safy majority can never be secured while men savishly follow the dictum