The Kenilworth Advertiser. — 1891-08-01 (Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England)

CHURCH OF ENGLAND TEMPER ANCE SOCIETY.  Sermons in aid of the Church of England Temperance Society were preached at several Coventry aliurches on Sunday. Pulpits were exchanged in some cases, and several of the neighbouring clergy were drafted into the city. The Rev. Canon Bowlby, the probable Bishop Suffragan of Coventry, preached at Christ-churoh in the morning, and at St. Michael's at night. Taking for his morning text Ezek. xxxiv., 11 and 12, the preacher pointed out that when the Jewish monarchs were unfaithful to their trust God took His flock into His own keeping. Our rulers in Church and State had received a similar charge to that given to the Jewish kings, and they were liable to the same punishment if they proved unfaithful. The Jews at the • time of Ezekiel were a scattered people, in great misery and distress, and it could not be denied that a large number of our people were in even greater distress and more miserable condition. Many, thank God, were prosperous and happy; there were excellent people of all classes trying to do all the good they could; and there were many who feared God and were disciples of Jesus. But we deceived ourselves terribly if we thought this, however true, was a complete account of the condition of England at this moment. Look at the lower side, look below the surface, examine more fully the morals of all classes of society. Take one of the worst of our social evils; the sin of intemperance. Six hundred thousand drunkards in England. Was not that appalling? Everyone of them not only a victim of misery, a slave of sin himself, but a source of misery to many more, a source of misery to the innocent, the tender, the helpless; a source of untold wretchedness to his own nearest and dearest. After, further depicting in telling colours the evils of intemperance, Canon Bowlby said it was no use harrowing their feelings or exciting their imaginations unless one was prepared to place before them some practical remedy. First of all, he declared the duty of the Christian ruler and the Christian Church was written down in characters not to be mistaken. Reformation and prevention, the cure of the intemperate, the prevention of intemperance; these were objects which our rulers were bound to battle with. Let us pray that they might have power given them to see the urgency of the case and their own duty and responsibility, and act accordingly. Despite temperance efforts the evil was a growing one, and if those on whom responsibility rested in this matter shrinked from their duty, then the chapter before them told them what would follow. Church and State— 'the shepherds of the English people —would be put aside and dismissed by God. He would do the work ehimself if they failed to ip it. But that was not aIL The responsibility ,1 of mien in England was very largely shared by the English people, because everything was carried by the force of public opinion. But what he chiefly desired to urge upon them was that besides the elective voice of the people every man and woman had very great and strong personal duties of 'their own. They must not depend upon rulers in Church and State; they must discharge their own duty, every man as far as he could. But the responsibility, though thus divided, rested with tremendous weight upon kings, parliament, and prime minister. The church, too, must fight the drink or the drink would paralyse the Church. But upon them all, individually and personally, some responsibility rested. Passing on to consider what the Church was doing to discharge her liability in the matter, the preacher said the C.E.T.S. should give his answer, and he dilated at some length on the work done by the society, particularly referring to the prison gate mission. There was, however, room for the usefulness of the society to be extended, and he did not think it was creditable to the diocese of Worcester that there were only 130 branches of the society in 540 parishes, nor that the subscription list of the society was only what it was. Contending that by means of this society the Church of England was slowly rising to her duty, the Canon asked his hearers to give the organisation theit supporS and oonoluded by urging them to use their personal influence with the intemperate. Preaching at St. Michael's in the evening, the Rev. Canon Bowlby took for his text Phillipians iv., 8, on the words of which he delivered an eloquent and impressive discourse. After touching upon the circumstances under whoh St. Paul wrote, Canon Bowlby went on to define the perfection of Christian life and character, as indicated in the words of his text. First of all they were to be true, that is genuine, real and sincere. Then they were to be honest, just, pure—uncorrupt and untainted—lovely, that is worthy of love. Let them try personally to dissect the true Christian character and to live up to its high standard. It was like s ,picture growing under the hand of the artist, bit by bit until the final touches crowned the complete work. Many striking lessons were drawn from the text and the preacher proceeded to ennumerate the many difficulties and temptations which beset the Christian on all hands. Under the pernicious influence Of drink, for instance, the very worst passions were excited, with murder, suicide, degradation, misery, and despair as the consequent results. Drink had ruined homes and broken up families; had driven good men to crime. Of wane this was excessive drinking. But whether taken in moderation or to excess, no one could deny that there were risks—enormous dangers of absolute ruin to soul and body. From abroad the testimony was beyond question. I shoed the white man's drink more than all the irssegais of the enemy" was the emphatic protestsMin Of a Kaffir chief not long ago. At home there wee the picture on the one side of the man, loved and respected by all around him; on the other, that of the worthless sot, spurned by everybody, more sinned against than shut*, perhaps—more unfortunate than vicious. The preacher ooncluded by commending to notice the &Aims of the Church