The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1907-05-09
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STRONG DRINK A CURSE.
Its Use Robs a Man Of His Most
Priceless Possessions.

The heart. according to the diction-
airy, is the inner part of anything;
the chief or vital part the seat of the
affections and the passions; the seat
of the understanding and the will; the
moral sense; love; courage; spirit;
disposition of mind" And immoral
ity and drunkenness rob man of all
this, which makes him a man in con-
trast with a beast. What is man
without the inner part, 'the inner
man of the heart in that which is not
corruptible?' He is a beast and
worse; for living creature which is
destitute of this inner consciousness,
takes no high place in the animal
world and such is the miserable
drunkard.
A man destitute of his "chief and
vital part part which can
know, understand, and respond to
God and which can edify, help, love
and serve his fellow-creatures-is
moral monster; and such is the mis-
cradle drunkard or opium slave. A
man without this vital part, is a man
half dead, blighted creature; his af-
fections are paralyzed; he treads on
wife and children to crafty his self
indulgence, the man is without heart.
And he is without understanding.
Again and again the physical suffer
ing which is caused by his self-indul
gence in strong drink, has told him
the effect which intoxicating liquors
have upon him. But the compare
lively short time of pleasure is all he
thinks of; he is without understand
ing even of that which his experience
teaches him; he is befooled, blind
folded, by the demon into whose
charge the devil has committed him,
and he cannot help himself. He has
sold his will and his understanding
to his greatest enemy for short-lived
pleasure-the miserable creature is
without heart.
Who knows how many have passed
out of this world into a hopeless
eternity with a heart taken away by
Gods great enemy, whom they did
not resist that he might fee from
them! And they have chosen an un-
speakably terrible hereafter, lot PIE
pared, not for them, but for the
devil and his angels" Matt. 25:4D.
Drunkards and sorcerers are often
linked together in Scripture. And
drunkenness, including slavery to
opium and other sedatives, immoral
ity, in all it's terrible forms, and spir-
ness, make men heartless and cruel
towards their fellow-creatures, as they
are wicked towards God, in their re-
lection of and disobedience to him.
And drunkenness and immortality
are the essence of selfishness, con-
tinues Mrs. M. Baxter, in writing in
Christian Herald The drunkard,
maddened by the thirst of hell which
Satan has made to burn in his body,
will leave wife and children, or hus-
band and children, uncared for, with
out food or fire. bedding or proper
clothing, to indulge in the temporary
satisfaction which the stupefaction of
intoXication brings with it. Oh, how
truly, wine and new wine take away
the heart" The power to reason, the
power to reflect, the power to have
compassion, the power to consider re-
sponsibility-all is. gone, drowned by
the miserable drink, the horrible,
devilish self-indulgence, regardless of
what others suffer And truth, honor,
honesty-all which raises a man
depart when the drink or opium, or
immortality lay hold of him; he has,
like Ahab. sold himself to the devil
in the sight of the Lord" Q. Kings
21:25).