Year: 1877

VINE ana lead me into drunkenness
There is more than drunkenness to be
avoided if We keep ourselves temperate
and contain ourselves, as Saint Paul
says, "Know ye not that the unjust
shall not possess the kingdom of God
Do not err neither fo,ncators, nor
idolators, nor adulterers, nor the eff
Terminate, nor liars with mankind, nor
thieves, nor covetous, ncr drunkards,
nor railers, nor extortioners, shall pos
sess the kingdom of God" "If you
enter into life says Christ, "keep my
commandments"


Now to decribe drunkenness, as
have seen it, is poor recital. Just
think of man, after working hard
month, more especially in coal mine,
when he gets his pay the first bolt is
into a tavern. LET us have the
drinks J. Then he takes drink after
drink until his limbs begin to shake
like an aspen leaf beneath him. Bias
phemy and impure language charac-
terize his utterances; he is put out
but another place of business will let
him in. He staggers home to an hon
est and faithful wife and innocent
children. The poor children fly from
the wrath of a drunken father; the
wife is abused like brute. Is this
the contract made in the bond of mar
riage? No, it is altogether contrary.
What kind of comfort can there be in
a house where such occurrences take
place?


Think of an able bodied man stand
ing behind bar serving out intox-
icating liquors. What kind of an
agent is he? | do not like to describe
him, but according to Sacred Writ,
he is an emigrant agent of hell. What
does a man think Of wife or daugh-
ter that will place herself behind a
bar to be the servant Of disappearing
drunkards, listening to all kinds Of
impure language. Somebody has to
answer for it before a Just God. The
sins thus committed must be punish
ed by God whom they are committed
against. God does not grant license
to commit, sin for nothing that def
leth can enter heaven Men say they
cannot quit drink" This is the Ian
guage of the devil. Christ, our Lord
and Savior, says, Call on me in the
day of tribulation and vii. hear you" F"
He says again, ASK anything of the
Father in my name, and it shall be
given you We have many other
great proofs OF Gods protection. Hab-
itual drunkards have no excuse they
do not seek the grace of God to sup
port them. They are living enemies
of God. O what terrible thing for
a man endowed with the greatest
gifts that God can bestow to place
himself below. the level of brute
with drunkenness. A hog or dog
will not turn to its vomit. 1t is
not so with drunkard you will see
him sneaking around the tavern very
early on Sunday morning, begging for
the poison, and, worse than all, asking
it for God 8 sake.


To describe drunkenness as I have
seen it would take a page of your pa
per. Yet I do not write this letter to
insult or call the public at large drunk
ards. For why should the public be
insulted for few drunkards Man
has a God-given birthright which
no man has a right to interfere
with as he is a law-abiding citizen.
He has right eat and drink what he
pleases. If man gets drunk and an
noys the public, there is law topunish
him. There was no local option in
the garden of Eden; there was no To-
cal option at the welding in Canaan.
There is no man would attemp to de-
prive a man of what God gave him,
namely free will, but a tyrant or fool.
Is the drunkard to be lost? Yes, ac-
cording to the Scriptures, if he dies the
death of a drunkard. Well, we say
to the poor drunkard, raise your eyes
to heaven Christ is looking down con-
stantly for the conversion Of sinners
There is more Joy in heaven oyo- the
conversion Of one sinner than ninety
nine Just persons" Turn to me, ="
saws Jesus, "and I will turn to you if
vour sins were as red as scarlet | will
make them as white as wool. Now, my
dear friends, who are addicted to
drunkenness, think on the kind words


I14 ,,, poroJ o,I Iio1 m ~ "a