The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1909-07-07

STUBBORN ana reoeiliCuS son. tnaJ
Will not obey the voice Of
his father and his mother,
and, though they cnasten him,
will not hearken unto them;
then shall his father and his
mother lay hold on him, and
bring him out unto the elders OF
his city, and unto the gates OF his
place; and they shall say unto the
elders OF his city, this our son is
stubborn and rebellious. he will
not obey our voice; he is a slut-
ton and a DRUNKARD. And ali
the men Of his city shall stone
him to death with stones: So
shalt thou put away the evil troa
the midst of thee: and al Israel
shall hear and fear" (Deut., 2l:
1921.
You Will readily see that drunk
enness was placed among the
worst Of crimes in Israel. The
very mother and father Of the
victim were to be the plaintiffs
and witnesses, and all the people
executioners, that Israel might
be rid of a terrible evil.
The New Dispensation enters
it's statute in the language of the
text and other similar passages.
In the former, judgment was cor
poral and immediate. In the lat.
ter the victim was to share
the living tortureS conse-
quent to its poison. and
abide the assignment Of eter-
nity's curses. The first with the
last taught the same inevitable
lessons Of temporaland Enalrcin,
end served to school the living IN
the diSpleasure of the Creator in
such vile perversion Of the rights
Of his creatures. To the Hebrews
the awful fear from example was
necessary. To US the revelation
is more perfect and the moni-
tons Of the spirit warn by rever-
sion to the mandates of law
In whatever stage Of tie life
Of the caeature, in the dispersa-
tion of Divine Revelation, it is
woe, woe, woe. to the DRCNkARD.
Whatever may be the curse Of the
machinery that furnishes his op-
portunity and temptation, as
though it would have no part II
the final sentence of justice, the
DRUSKARD is wholely account
able for himself.
It would be q great mistake
not to notice in the New Dispen-
sation the divine estimate of
the sin of drunkenness, from the
association it is given with other
evils; ssFoRNIcATORs, IDoLA-
TORS, ADULTERERs, THIEVES,
coyEToUS, DRCNkARDS, REvIL-
ERs AND ExToRT1cNERS.," How
can any human heart justify or
fellowship a sin that is classed
with such associates by the code
OF Divine justice?
Apart from the legal aspact Of
the drunkard, I want US now to
look at some Of his real expert
ences in life.
I. TIE DRUNKARD'S HEART.
s'Out Of the heart are the is
sues Of life." Nothing can Ser
iously affect human life that finds
no inlet to the heart. AS the
physical organ is the eaginery of
circulation and distribution of
things that nourish or destroy
bodily life: so the heart is the one
organ of the spiritual nature
which must be enthralled in sin
before It's deadly power can reach
any or all of the elements Of life.
It viii be found that the heart Of
the drunkard, the throne Of his
powers, suffers the Infection Of
the evil.
(a) First of all be will find that
his heart is at variance
With the law Of God. That plac-
id sentiment which issues from
the first and second great com
mandments is a stranger to the
heart of the drunkard. In con-
temptuous hate for all that is
virtuous and pure and true his
prostituted heart r.les with re.
sentiment to law, whether statu-
tory or ethical, and disobliges
every agency Of his personal
safety and real comfort. It is a
poison that enters and
corrupts the very citadel Of life
and bliss, and sends from it
streams Of discord and de6lement
to every limitation of nature.
(b} The drunkard's heart is i'll
at ease with environment. That
beautiful correspondence which
was arranged in the psychic Or
der of his nature has been so dis
turbed by the entrance CT this
new and strange element, that
disassociation reigns
where it would be most natural
to expect correspondence. It is
thisrupture Of the sublime rule
of nature which makes his heart
(c) Irritable, and the prey of
passion.
The normal condition Of 2 civ
ilized human heart is peaceable,
sociable, polite and clever in oo-
of the laws Of seutility.
But, infiamed by the poison OF
alcohol or narcotics, self-respect
is dethroned and the whole ma.
ture becomes 2 prey to depraved
passion.