Year: 1865




merly signed it. We hear less of the
: "Cold Water Army" than we once did.
Are they disbanded'


The same may be said of making a


public profession. Many sessions o
churches examine and admit members,
and never allude to t h g temperance
cause. They require no declaration or


pledge respecting this widespread and


almost universal curse of man, any more


than if drunkenness had not destroyed
more lives and ruined more souls than
all other sins put together.


Many of the medical profession are
taking the back track on temperance.
speak not of their habits, but oftheir pro
fessional course. Alcohol is likely to
be crowned again as king in the Ameri-
can "Aateria Nedica = ana the bottle is
now almost as familiar to the doctor as
the chamber of disease. Twenty years
ago, such an ugly thing-not as doc
tor, but as boitle-woud hardly
have dared TO show his face in such a
solemn and holy place. But it has come
back again. Bourbon whiskey cures al
most everything. 1t cures "consump-
tion," and almost everything but drunk
enness. 1t is taken by weakly women
and by more weakly men.


state another reason for looking in
to this subject. Some o our church
members still engage in the traffic, The
rum business is not yet put out of the
church. 1t is not excommunicated. 1t
is TO be feared that some church officers
are connected with the sale. Under one
plausible pretext or another, they deal in
this kind OF liquid death and keep in
charity with their consciences at the same
time. Bourbon whiskey may b e sold
because the doctor says it is good for the
consumption, an d pure wines because
they are a preventive of intemperance.
This is downright deception, and such
talk is the merest trash. BE not de-
ceived. God i 5 not mocked' Let
church members beware of the snares Of
the devil


Some of our members have a way of
sugar-coating this pill of the traffic, or of
gliding this ugly business, because, per-
haps they are not satisfied that the ply
sician is absolutely infallible, or that wine
is always the promoter OF sobriety, mas
much as the Bible declares it is a mock.
err These brethren have salpo, such
as it is. They do not sell their damning
articles personally, they belong to firm
that sell them and they are not THE
FIRM They are only members of it.
The on-professors, Or unofficial memb-
ers are made the scape goats TO bear
away all the sins of the company ifI
there be any sin in the business. Thus
casks of whisky and pipes Of wine go on
their mission of death and good men |
aid in the work, and shove off their re-
sponsibility on others, because they do
not do the thing personally and by them
selves. If they stood alone they would
shrink from the business. But it will
not do.


1t reminds one of King George and
the Bishop. His majesty reproved his
bishop for the use of psofane language.
The latter replied that he did not swear
as a bishop, but as a magistrate. But
says the king, when the devil comes for
the magistrate what will become of the
bishop? So we may say in this case
When God shall make requisition for
the blood of souls slain by the FIRM deal
ing poisons-what will become of church
members or officers belonging to such es-
All participating in the
Iced, partake of the sin attached TO the
Iced.


II anything more were necessary ih
,rder to urge this subject upon the pray. +
,rful notice of theSynod, we may find it
n the existing crisis of our national his v
ory. Our arms have been triumphant. q
God has signally rebuked the enemies of C
,ur good government. Humanity rejoi- a
es at the result, and Christianity takes
Iown the Gospel-harp and sings a new |
ong. il
But our dangers are not all passed be- Fc
ause our foes are not all dead or con- "
uered. We said the moral crisis has II
ut Just come. A vast army, pariaking "
fthe ordinary habits Of soldiers, are now al
with the American commu- &C
ity. The vice of drunkenness is sadly b,
revalent in armies, and without bring at
lg any special charges against the brave !, h
nd noble defenders of our national life, b,
would say to the people of God, do
our duty to those who have done so Va
luch for you and yours. Excuse my a, a.