The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1895-04-05
w. c. T. U. COLUMN.
Extracts From Sermon of Rev. A. p.
Hutchinson.

IluICnlSOHs
Rev. A P. Hutchinson, pastor OF
the United Presbyterian Church,
Oxford, Penn, spoke to a con-
gregation of his church Sunday
evening, March oath, upon "The
Christian Temperance Alliance and
the License Court" taking his
text from Isaiah 81: 4, "Ye shall
not fast as We do this day to make
your voice to be heard on high. y
Following are extracts from the
sermon:
When the DEGREES of earthly
courts are reviewed by the Judge
of the earth, and the victims of the
licensed saloon stand unshriven be-
fore the bar of God, the force OF
that malediction will be known.
Horror of a watery grave is a COM
mon sentiment of mankind. 1t is
found in pathetic song and Bible
figure, but before Jesus Christ, in
whose presence | stand, | had rath
er milestone were chained about
my neck and that | were cast into
the sea, than sit in the seat of any
gray haired Judge who, in defiance
of Gods throne, licenses the dram
, shop. Were l a saloon keeper,
there are two papers l would keep
with me; l would sleep with them
under my pillow and charge my
children to put them in my cold
palm in my cotfin-namely, the
license which the Judge issued and
the petition signed by these repu-
table, qualified electors. Such
papers cannot save the rumseller
from the doom of the quenchless
fires, but they would prove even at
the bar of God that he was not
alone in his guilt nor more guilty
than others. And why was the
Christian Temperance Alliance,
with it's almost seven hundred
members, the working force of the
church leagued together, with it's
remonstrance, overruled by the
License Court -? 1t has enrolled
the solid, Christian and business
element of our town, with the dec
larations of the church, the utter
ances of great men, the DEGREES of
the courts, the Word of God upon
it's side. Why was it overriden ?
Did it not have the promise that
"One of you shall chase thous-
and" Why then did the Alliance
organize, muster its forces, resolve,
enter into the solemn covenant, and
then lie down and surrender in the
face of the enemy? Why was the
Alliance spurned out of court and
made the laughing stock of the
town? How comes it that the AL
lance has only gristle where it's
back bone ought to be? David, the
stripping, with God on his side,
defeated Goliath, of Gath; Elijah,
alone and unaided, defeated eight
hundred and fifty false prophets on
Carmel; Gideon, with three hun,
dred, overthrow the hosts of indian
and Luther set the papal power to
: quaking, because these had the
promise that zone of you shall
chase a thousand" AIS for the
Alliance One saloon man can chase
a thousand such. Where lies the
fatal weakness of the Alliance? Let
us 90 to the root of the matter. Its
weakness lies in the fatal inconsist-
ency and the compromised position
of its Christian men. Whatever
else the whisky man may be, he is
consistent. He asks for what he
wants, fights for it, votes for it, and
if he does not get it the next elec
/, ton will hear from him. But the
children of darkness are wiser in
their generation than the children
of light. History has demonstrated
that the natural and effective
method of carrying and enforcing
great measures is through the
agency and power of a political
party. The Alliance discards the
wisdom of history. The secret OF
power with God, as Gods word is
witness, lies in standing upon eter-
nal truth without equiyocation,
compromise or reservation. So
stood the heroic three before their
angry king; so stood Elijah on Car
mel against his nation; so stood
Paul before Agrippa, and Luther
before the Diet. And a soul, a
church or an army must triumph
when it stands out for God. But
where the members of the Alliance?
They boast that they once voted for
an amendment. They have voted
for license at every election since.
They demonstrate against license
and use the princely power of the
ballot to perpetuate the license sys-
tenn. They 60 into their secret
closet and pray that God will over
throw the throne of iniquity which
frameth mischief by law, and in the
secret booth of the polling place,
vote to establish it. Here is the
fatal weakness of the Alliance. II
the Alliance be but slave for con-
sciences which are resrive under