The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-08-18
OR DIspENsARY?
Opposed to Both, But Wants a Law
to Punish Those Who Insist on
Making Nuisance of Themselves
and Causing the Innocent to Suffer
by Excessive Drinking.
Editor Item:

for joke. or out of disrespect to any
one, but because I know that neither
the wine nor any friend Of the wine
ever wrote or sung such a song. 1t is
also slander for it makes the wine
responsible for the sins which the
Scriptures teach us are caused by
stubbornness, rebelliousness, disobe-
dience, foolishness and wicked imag-
nations of the heart. My excuse for
defending the wine is that 1 do so
with the Bible. the greatest and most
reliable source of information on all
questions Of right and wrong, in my
hands, and from 1t I learn that the
wine Is innocent, and that it is those
who disregard the warnings and dis
obey the commands given concerning
the use of wine and strong drink that
are guilty, and trying to excuse or
cover their sin by duplicating some
other person or some inanimate thing
Is of no benefit whatever to them. It
Is hard and bitter task to have to
say to one Of our brightest, best and
best loved that they are stubborn, re-
bellious, disobedient or foolish, but
when We know that friend is guilty
of any of these things, we had much
better tell him so, and as ST. Paul
said to Timothy, Them that sin re-
buke before ALL that others also may
fear" Trying to force them to do
right by putting those things by
right by putting those things by which
they transgress out of their reach will
not save their souls. They must ac-
cept salvation of their own free will.
The young man who wanted to know
what he might do to inherit eternal
life must have been of good family
and position, for he had great wealth
and was ruler among his people.
He must have been good and dutiful
for he had observed the command
ments, including that which says,
thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy
self, from his youth up, and lovable.
for the Lord loved him when he be-
held him. But he lacked one thing.
he had the lust which has destroyed
more men and women than the lust
for liquor. and to inherit eternal life
he must overcome it. The Master
was able and willing to help him.
but the thought Of such thing
grieved him and made him sad and
he departed from the Divine presence
very sorrOwful. He could have saved
himself so easily, but he didn't. Will
anyone venture to say that it was
mockery or worse than mockery
when the SAVIOUR tured away from
his sorrowful face without as much
as one word of persuasion and said,
how hardly shall they that have rich
es enter into the kingdom of God. No
indeed God will not be Knocked, "ard
they that worship Him must Worship
Him in spirit and in truth" What
is said in Matthew 5: % applies to
drunkenness as much as to any other
lust and from these words Of Christ
we learn that man may be a drunk
ard in his heart and guilty in the
sight of God without touching, tast-
.2g or handling liquor.
1t is very likely that every person
mentioned by Mr.. Winn in his article
had heard of total abstience, but I
am not so sure that the gallant SOL
der T. B who was taken from the
railroad track in baskets: o, who died
an imbecile. and 1, who died by his
own hand ever heard that Christ
Himself said, take heed to your
selves. lest at any time your hearts
be overchacged with surfeiting, and
drunkenness, and the cares of this
life, and so that day come upon YOU
unawares."
The Bible does not command or
commend prohibition or total absti-
nence. and if those who wish to teach
temperance would let them alone and
teach it as we find it taught in the
scriptures. they would have good
reason to hope for better success in
combating the liquor evil, especially
II there was law to punish those
who insist on making a nuisance of
themselves and causing the innocent
to suffer by excessive driking.
If l had a friend who was willing
to give his right arm to lie freed from
the liquor habit, I know that Il
would much rather trust a reforma-
tory where he might be detained and
cured than to trust a prohibition law
which would keep sober and law