The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-05-15

iniquity and lawlessness that prevail
throughout the law.
The church at Stateburg, being in
need of wine for sacramental purpose
some six or eight months ago, 1T was
remembered that the late Bishop
Howe in his lifetime had recommend
ed for this purpose the wine made by
communicant of our church. A let
ter was written to this gentleman to
inquire whether he had then any such
wine and if so could he dispose of
some of it. His reply was in the fol-
lowing words:
81 have the wine but the dominant
element in the body polite will not
permit me to sell it nor will the State
buy it. AS Tillman is the State l Wrote
him in February last to use his inf1u-
ence with the legislature to permit
wine makers to sell their products un-
der dispensary regulations, but he
took no notice of my letter, which 1
know he received.
''The dispensary iniquity has driven
many energetic and upright citizens
to other states besides causing many
murders, yet the people submit. L
have just dug up ten acres of grape
vines and planted the land in corn as
failed to see any relief probable dur
ing my lifetime.
Thus through the crafty suggestion
or subtle influence of THAT old SER
pent called the devil and Satan," the
dispensary law was. so framed that the
vine which, ever since the time of the
food, when the righteous patriarch
Noah planted a vineyard, down to the
present scientific and progressive era,
has held an honored place among the
possessions and upon the grounds of
the husbandman, was by the enact
ment of this law, treated as corrupt
and noxious cumberer of the ground
of the State and, as it were, rooted up
and cast out of the limits of the COM
monwealth and the churches within
the same limits were, as far as the
law could make it obligatory on them,
compelled to procure the wine, they
required for sacred use, after it had
passed through the adulterating and
polluting channels of the dispensary.
But the crowning offence and damn
ing iniquity of that devilish law are
revealed in the dishonor and reproach
it has cast upon our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ and in the treacherous
snare by which to introduce defl
ing element into His church. Rev.
xii, u: Therefore rejoice ye heavens
and We that dwell in them. Woe to
the inhabiters of the earth and of the
sea. for the devil is come down unto
you having great wrath because he
knoweth that he hath but short
time. y
Hence the activity of the powers of
evil manifested in these latter days,
not only in South Carolina but
throughout the whole world.
From among all the trees and shrubs
that grow upon the face of the
earth it pleased the Lord 10 select the
vine as His emblem to represent
the intimate and mysterious relation
ship and connection between Himself
and His church. ST. John XIV, 1-6: s.
am the true vine and my Father is
the husbandman l am the
vine, ye are the branches. He that
abideth in me and I in him, the same
bringeth forth much fruit, for with
out me ye can do nothing" 1t is
customary among all kingdoms and ma
tions of the world to be represented or
symbolized by some emblem and would
not an act tending to discredit or dis
honor any such emblem be regarded by
the power represented by the emblem
as direct insult to it although the
emblem is merely figure without any
vital relationship or connection with
the life of the nation, whereas in the
case of the vine the Savior has com
manded that his followers shall drink
of the fruit of the vine, whenever they
meet together to commemorate His
lastssupper with His disciples and as
a memorial of the shedding of His
blood for the salvation of mankind.
st. Matthew XVI, 81, 2S, %, And he
took the cup, gave thanks, and gave 1T
to them, saying, drink ye all OF 1t;
for this is my blood of the new testa-
ment, which is shed for many for the
remission of sins But say unto
you, will not henceforth drink of
the fruit of the vine until that day
when I drink it anew with you in my
Fathers kingdom.
By the act of the dispensary law,
prohibiting the use of the vineyard,
for the purpose of making wine for
sale by any one, liz this State, the
vine, in effect, has been pronounced a
corrupt tree, bringing forth evil fruit
and SO has been condemned to be dug
up and cast out. May it not be in
ferred from this proceeding that the
Reformers who made the law, sup
posing that gain IS godliness, have
more concern in the power of their
law to bring In abundant profits to
them than they have faith in the
blood of Christ, Jesus. of which the
fruit of the vine is the emblem, to
redeem the people from their sins and
thus virtually manifest their secret
desire to thrust Him out from their
presence also.
The Gadarenes besought the Lord
that He would depart out Of their
coasts and He delayed not His de-
parture. Who can say how long He
will suffer His holy spirit to contend
with such reformers and indignities
and blasphemles of the dispensary?
Under the old testament dispensation
of Moses, the people were forbidden