The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-05-17
and he loves them. Why does he not stop5
He cannot stop.

Ie cannot stop.
oh, my young friends. want to tell you
hat there is point in inebriation beyono
which II man 20 he cannot stop! BUT
ometimes q man will be more frank tnan
hat. A victim OF strong drink said 10 q
.eformer: at is impossible for me to
stop. reaIizeit. But II you should teil
me I couldn't have q drink until to-mof.
row night unless had all my my hngsrs gsa, cut cus
cut them off," I had a very dear friend
In Philadelphia whose nephew came to MIN
and was talking about his trouble and con.
fessed 1t. he confessed he could not stop.
Ny friend said, "You must stop" He said.
II can't stop. II there stood q cannon,
and 1t was loaded, and there vas q glass
OF wine In the mouth Of the cannon, and
I knew you would fire It on II
I approached. I would start to get that
glass of wine. I must have 1t. I cant
get rid Of this habit. I can't get away
from It." Oh. 1t Is awful for man to
wake up and feel that he Is captivel !
hear him soliloqulzing, saying: II mighi
have stopped three months ago, but I cant
stop now. Dead, bur not buried; ! am Z
walking corpse. I am an apparltion o.
what once was. am a Gagged immortal
and my soul beats against the wires OF my
cage on this side and beats against the
wires OF my cage on the other side until
there is blood on the wires and blood OF
the soul, but I can't get out. Destroyed
without remedy"
See the attendants stand back from that
ward in the hospital where the inebristea
are dying. They cannot stand 1t, Thu
keepers come through 1t and say: Hush
up. now! Stop making this noisel b
still You are disturbing all the other pa. 4
tients. Keep still nowl''' Then the keepers
pass on and after aaey get hdpss past snen ana
10 Godl Help, helpl Give me rum, give
me ruml o God Helpl Take the devtli
of Of mel o God! D God" And they
shrek and they blaspheme and they CRY
for help and then they ask the keepers te
slay them, saying: "Stab me, strangle me
smother mel o Godl Help, help! Rum
Give me ruml o GodI Helpl They teal
out their hair by tho handful, and they
bite their nails into the quick. This ts nc
fancy picture. 1t is transpiring in hos.
pital at this moment. It went on last
night while you slept, and more than that,
that is the death some OF you Will die IN,
you to stop before ysu go SO fur that yoy
cannot stop. -
But 1t plaques q man also In the loss Of
home. I do not care how much be loyea
his wife and children, II this habit gets thu
mastery over him he will do the most out
rageous things. II need be, in order to got
strong drink, he would sell them all into
everlasting captivity. There are hundreds
and thousands of homes that have beer
utterly blasted Of 1t. am speaking Of nc
abstraction. Is there anything so disas.
trous to man for this life and for the life
to conner Do you tell me that a man car
be happy when he knows he Is breaking
his wife's heart and clothing bis children
with rags2 There are little children In the
streets to-day, barefooted, unkempt, un.
combed, want written on every patch o.
their faded dress and on every wrinkle OF
their prematurely old countenance, who
would have been in the house OF God this {
morning as we'll clad az you had 1t not
been that strong drink drove their parents
down into penury and then down into the
grave. Oh, rum, rum, thou despoller oi
homes, thou foe OF God, thou recruiting
officer of the pit, hate tbeel
But my subject takes deeper tone when
1t tells you that the inebriate suffers the
loss Of the soul. The Bible intimares that
II we 60 into the future world unforgiveD
the appetites and passions which wers
regnant here will torment US there. J sup,
pose when the inebrlate wakes upin the I
lost world there will be an infinite Thirst
clawing upon him. In this world he could
get strong drink. However poor he was
in this world, he could beg or be could
steal five cents to get drink that would
for a little while slake his thirst, but IN
eternity where will the rum come fromf
Dives wanted one drop OF water. but could
not get It. Where will the inebriate get
the draft be so much requires, so much de.
.mands1 No one to brew 1t. No one tc
mix 1t. No one to pour 1t. No one tc
fetch 1t. Millions OF worlds now for the
dregs that were thrown on the sawdusted
floor OF the restaurant. Millions Of worlds
now for the rind flung out from the punch
bowl Of an earthly banquet. Dives called
for water. The inebriate calls for rum.
II flend from the lost worldShoulG come
up on mission to grogshop and. having
finished the mission In the grogshop, should
come back, taking on the tip OF bis wing
one drop OF alcoholic beverage, what ex.
citement 1t would make all through the
world Of the lost, and, II that one drop OF
alcoholic beverage should drop from the
wing OF the flend upon the tongue Of the
inebriate, how he would spring up and cry:
"That's It'll That's It'll Ruml Rum! That's
It'll" And all the caverns OF the lost would
echo with the cry: "Give 1t to mel Rumi
Rump All, my friends, the inebrlate's sor.
row in the next world will not be the abb
sence Of God or holiness or light; It will b
the absence OF rum. "Look not upon the
wine when 1t Is red, when 1t moveth Itself
Alright in the cup, for a: the last It pitetn
like serpent, and 1t stingeth like an ad!
der"
But I must not dwell on generalities; ]
must come to specifics. Are you astray7
II there is any sermon dislike, It Is a ser.
mon on generalities. want personalities.
Are you astray3 Have you gone so for you
think you cannot get back2 Did say
few moments ago that man might 60 to
q point in inebriation where he could not
stop? Yes, I said 1t, and I reiterate 1t.
But I want you also to understand that
while the man himself, OF bis own strength
cannot stop, God can stop any man,
You have only to lay hold OF the strong
arm OF the Lord God Almighty. He can
over to New York one Sabbath even
Ipg-our church not yet being open for
the autumnal services. I went Into q
room in the Fourth Ward, New York.
where q religious service was being
held for reformed drunkards, and !
heard a revelation that night that had
never heard beiore-flfteen orstwenty men
standing up and giving testimony such as
had never heard given. They not only
testified that their hearts bad been changed
by the grace Of God, but that the grace OF
God had extipguished their thirst. They
went on to say rhat they had reformed at
different times before, but Immediately
fallen, because they were doing the whole
work in their own strength. But as soon
IS We gave our hearts to God" they said,
'and the love OF the Lord jesus Christ has
come into our soul the thirst has all gone.
We have no more disposition for strong
lrink."
on, II you could only hear intenperanoe
With drunkurds' homes drumming on the
op OF the wine cask the Dead March" OF
speel down and pray God that rather than
;our children should ever become the
victims OF this evil habit you might carry
hem out to the cemetery and put them