The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1898-02-04
A Postscript 20 Prof. ChaS. Il. Wright
". w. Z. Brand.


Fear of the renonstrance for Dla"y ,rorc!S!
constrained me 10 be more brief at the close of
my last article than wished to be. Brevity is
apt to give the sembiancc of harshness. may
seem TO be altogether too dictatorul. 1t may
De said to me, "how can you be SO positive in
yuurassertions when you must know that many
learned men differ from them" II is not the
gosi:vcness | would shun, this comes from
deep conviction, but the seeming harshncss
- tch ia sooth wrongs my true feeling towards
them from whom l differ. suppose l could
not he considered dictatUrial III maintaining
the Creed of tac church, There is not an article
OF that Greed that has nat been rejected by
saiac who are counted among the learned; who
may have had far more Of knowledge than ],
ana vet ! must bc ready to die for the Faith
once for all delivered to the saints. Now there
is gut one article of the Creed more clear to my
apprehension than the assertion that the I'M
deriving principle of Prohibition makes God
the author Of the sin of drunkenness. 1t would
be Il great grief to me to think that the great
body Of Prohibitonists have any other thought
than that they are doing God service i'll CON
tending, as they do, against what we all know
TO be against Gods law. Tie local option law
III our county is upheld by three classes. 1t
finds support, | doubt not, from men who
would rather run the risk of punishment for
violation of the law than give up the profit
they make in selling intOXicants without
license; and these have their followers There
are others who vOic with these outlaws who
would 60 any thing rather than uphold Prohibi-
ton if they could not get then beer and wine
and win skcy from Baltimore. They impose Il
yoke which they do not have to bear There
Is Il third class including many men, and more
women, who from sense of duty seek 20 hin
der al sale of every inOXicant and who them
selves do not us" such. Good Christians, many
Of them, and all carried away by zeal excited
by the evident evil ofintempcrance. For these
Pruhibit!Orists, there may be felt Il sincere re-
spoyt. | certainly respect their earnestness.
That they are jealousy opposing great curse
no one can doubt. Who has not seen the
mighty fall? Men of repute in the State. and
in tie church. Who has not seen hope blight
ed, families brought to sorrow ard poverty
through love If drink IIo" few have always
escaped pain caused By the shameful conduct
OF relative or friend, There Is no narrowing
picture drawn by advocates OF Prohibitions
that ! could not vouch for. One friend of my
youth, when drunk killed himself while trying
to wound hers. Another to whom life offer
ed every attraction committed suicide by
drink. y young lady at IL wedding by her ill.,
sistancc caused his last lapse; he had lost, he
said all claim 20 respect, and he lay in bed and
drank himself To death. The fearful end of the
drlinkard God has disclosed. And yet am not
q prUhibitiOnist: and this because l am Il Chris
tian.
Human government, ordained of God what
ever be its form. has the right not only to pun
iSh, but to prevent wrong. But in the exercise
Of this right and obligation it cannot make
that to he wrong which & Od's word doth allow.
God aud human government, His minister to
this end, aiiAe deal witt evils, with this differ
euCc: 5IaE is concerned with acts only; the
Sy.alchcr of hearts traces both the act to the
motive and purpose, and counts this to be the
true evil. The Prohibitionst claims TO initiate
rod in this respect, 70 trace back drunkenness
to its source, and to forbid what leads to drunk
rnness. Their copy is in sembiancc only. Our
Lord Jesus has plainly declared that the uaac-
conpshed act may be in fullest sense sin, al
though, as we would estimate it, in less de-
gree. ~ say unto you" are His words, that
whusoever iookcth on Il woman to lust after
her hath committed adultery with her in his
heart" But this is condemnation of desires
sinful in themselves, not of what may become
sirful through sinful indulgence, that instinct
which Sod has blessed.
Again Prohibition, i'll my estimate, may be
treason 10 God through withdrawal! of trust in
Him and the placing reliance on an arm of
Gisssh on means not ordained of Him to eff
feet the end sought. As have said elsewhere,
| once heard q brother Christian in convention
say, I'VE have placed ourreliance long enough
On baptisiGal services" that Is on the grace Of
God there in pledged, I'VE must seek more
sure aid" He was speaking of what Prohibi-
iorists turn to in order to secure the fultiment
of Gods law. | ShulderCd Us heard the bias
phemy. notwithstanding the fact that this
sauddcr returns ut times. have said that |
ice a respect for the zeal that inn els the great
| er uimJvr of ProhibitiOaiSts. There is one
| II an who reioiced in thar name whom hold i'll
reverence the i,cv. Geo. c. Haddock, Il Meth
| odi5t who, If ever there was one, WAS i martyr
| to what lac held to he the cause of his Lord.
| lie had srCnt years in advocating what passes
under the lisnomer temperance; persistent in
sccl.ing to en- force the Prohibition laws of Iowa,
| he was warned that his course would bring
! hariu to hiGa, bat nc counted not his life dear
unto himself he boldly continued his self i'm
| posed task until i'll the end he was fOuly muir
Gcrcd. lie sealed his testimony with his blood,
| about thirteen years ago. This man had lee
! turgl, preached aud written on the subject of
! F;oh;hitipn; oG course had studied and was ia
! Ili1ar with ali tGat BAD Gearing On the subject
| ior wtlc, he gaze up his life. This is tie con-
| ,.,.ss9u which he reached ! copy Ills words:
! at Christ and the holy apostles Of Old were
! rtude-ary USERS of alcoholic beverages, taon
tn. .GC.rratc Use II alcoholic beverages can
mot IG ,7r'u.. now, and il the moderate use Of
these bcN eraEys - not wrO"r, then the moder-
ate sale Of them Is not wrong; AID therefore it
IS not ri-Ht 10 Prohin.l such sale. That is the
lort.2l sequence from the proposition that
Christ made, and liIat both NeaIl His disciples
hal isually used fyyueGteG wines. Bat, say,
there IS no foundation in Scripture for such i
position. | believe the true doctrine il that
held ny most Christians on total abstinence and
Prohibition, that there were two kinds of wine