The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1899-11-22
The Evils Of lntemperance and Its
Consequences.

The Evils of lntemperance and Its
Consequences.
By special request, that the follow
ing sermon by Rev. J. J. Meyers, de-
livered before large audience at
Fellowship Baptist church, Clarendon
county, on the 1st Sunday of Nov, be
furnished the The MANNING TINES for
publication:
I appear before you today to advo-
cate the cause OF Temperance, and to
plead with all my soul for dyiog
world and fallen humanity. My only
object and purpose at this time is, to
enforce the claims OF fearful numbers
of perishing men, by some plain and
simple, yet practical arguments which
have affected my own mind, and
stirred my heart to its very depth.
Standing before you, I desire to lift
the voice OF warning against the most
damning evil of the age, the all body
and soul destroying plague, "The
evil of intenperance." And in doing
so, have chosen few verses ofscrip-
ture for basis of my remarks, and
as a leading standpoint of living
argument that will support and bear
me out in this discussion, in both,
the defence of temperance, and
against intemperance, and just here,
let Ia say, that I do not propose to
treat the subject before US as mere
matter for argument sake-as many
DO and make harm of it-neither do
I propose to discuss the question sim
ply from conjecture or supposition to
accomplish the purpose and end o.
this question; no! for there can be
no real profit whatever, or satisfac.
ton derived from guess work, with.
out proof and sound matter of facts
I tell you, that there is no pay o,
profit, to stand before men, and con-
sumo time by telling them, it is
wrong and curse to drink whiskey:
or that it is right to abstain from its
use, without practical proof, neither
does It pay to attempt to discus:
grave questions, on sacred things, OF
unfold truths and realities as they
may seemingly appear or exist from 6
human standpoint of thinking with
out absolute proof from the word oi
God.
Conjecture upon conjecture, and
supposition upon supposition, how
ever plausible, respecting this great
question that is now agitating mems
minds, can avail very little, if any
thing, in the accomplishment of its
end, that God has designed apart
from his own prescribed way and
teaching, and as revealed in his own
inspired word. Favor or spproba.
ton fails; superficial pleasing or not
pleasing fails; no display at oratory,
or anything else that human ingenui-
ty can devise; can possibly avail OF
accomplish that good, without proof
Genuine lasting impressions are never
made upon mems minds, or questions
properly unfolded; unless they have
proof to back them, and simple argu.
ment based on simple fact. There
fore we propose now in this address.
to prove what is said by this "word
of truth" and by practical reasoning.
sober thought, and simple common
sense argument; we trust that good
may come; and thus settle the ques.
ton, that so intensely concerns you
and me and all, both for time and eter-
nifty.
Our text may be found; Prov. %
2c, 21, 1872. I remark that the
gospel OF Jesus Christ, is huge tenn.
perance sermon from first to last, hi:
very life is the center, around which
the entire gospel sheds forth its life,
healing and life-giving power; a blaz,
ing epistle Of example, warning and
admonition to mankind, so here lei
as heed it.
No question perpaps, has so agi-
tated and stirred the hearts of the peo,
in ali the centuries past as the cause
of temperance now pending in this
great 10Th century. All good peo-
pie, lovers of God and humanity
without distinction name or order
throughout the land, are actively en-.
gagged in the prosecution ofthis great
work upon which human happiness
to a very large extent rests. And
:1auv tha2t Hod-who once loved
strJ@s x d fought bravely in
tle<aaca ,rse, and to overthrow
svasz :geas hat was brought to
rage a.os destroy it; are now
ig4 .1ge. as friends to tenn
r--auce. ard are using their means,
time and talent to build up that, they
once sought so hard to destroy, much
has been said and written on tie sub
ject of this great destroyer Of mind.
body and soul: the evil itself, and its
consequences.
Yes my friends, it is an evil, the
very king of evil, and outgrowth Of
so many others that carries every
thing to ruin, poverty and shame: