Year: 1875

Anus A1SPNSJ


We had never intended to advo-
cate the manufacture of whisky, nor
never aoo,tEd, if it had not been forced
upon us. And even then, it requires
a great deal of courage to advocate
a thing that has become so unpopu-
lar among processing Christians,
as the manufacture of intoxicating
misunderstanding we might
have lived a century ago, and manu-
factured liquor, and even used it to
a moderate extent, as did our Christ
ian Fathers, and yet been counted
worthy Christians, if we had lived
the life of Christian otherwise.


But we wish the reader to under
stand that it is not for popularity,
but for freedom of opinion and the
right of conscience, that we stand
where we do. We do not intend to
try to compel any one to believe as
we do upon this subject. With Paul,
we are willing to ''let every one be
fully persuaded in his own mind" If
our brothers conscience tells him it
would be sin for him to sell his
grain to the distiller, we are perfect
ly willing for him to think so. Bat
while we extend to him this privilege,
we think he should be charitable
enough to extend to us the same.


The manufacture CT alcoholic slim
ulan,s is either right or wrong; anG
as Gods laws are Interchangeable, they
are the came today that they were
six thousand years ago. If it is
right l.. this time, it always has been
right. But if it is wrong now it al
ways has been wrong. And if this
last be true, then every one, from the
righteous old. Patriarch Noah, to the
one that made the last fermented
cider. are sinners in tn sight of God
for SO doing.


But if we rightly understand the
teachings of the Holy Scriptures,
they teach no such doctrine. We
understand them to teach, that we
are created free moral agents, with
the privilege of choosing good from
evil, as lit is pointed out to us therein.
Man was placed in Eden, amidst all
the happiness that this world could
offer. But to try mans integrity be-
fore his Maker, God placed the tree
of forbidden fruit before him, for the !
purpose of testing him. Of every
tree of the garden, he was told he
might freely eat; but of this one tree
he was commanded not to eat; for
in the day that he ate thereof he
should surely die. But man was
tempted. He partook of the forbid
den fruit, and was driven out Of the
garden of Eden, for not resisting the
temptation that was placed before
him. Now, do you believe that the
Almighty committed sin, in placing
the forbidden fruit before our pa
rents, when He kne'o that if they par
took of it, it would be an act by which
the whole human family would fall
from grace, or was it our parents
that sinned, by partaking of that
fruit?


Well, Just as He did with our pa
rents in Eden, so has He done with
US. "Forbidden fruit" stands thick
upon every side. But He has plainly
pointed it out unto us. As we said
in our former article, "while He had
commanded US to use wine and strong
drink in a useful and temperate way,
He has also told US we should not
get drunk


But "Alius"- says, eve were not
aware that He had commanded us to
use them at all. We can only &C
count for this by believing one of two
things. Either he is ignorant of the
Bible, or he denies-the inspiration of
those who wrote it. For his infor-
nation, we will now call his attention
to the following passage Of Scripture,
Deut., xiv. 26: "And thou shalt bestow
that money for whatsoever thy soul
lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep,
or for aoiee, or for strong drink, or
for whatsoever thy soul desireth;
thou shalt eat there before the Lord,
thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou,
and thine household. Another: Prov,
xxi, 6, z: "Give strong drink unto


him that is ready to perish, and aoi',e


unto those that be of heavy hearts.
Let him drink, and forget his power


ty, and remember his misery no


more" And still another, (some of


Pauls advice to young minister) 1st


Timothy, v, %: Drink no longer


water, but use a little aojne for thy


stomach's sake and thine often in


firmities. s."


But we must be careful, or we will


dispose of this subject from "Scrip-


tural standpoint, and that would be


taking advantage of "Alius, who, you


remember, said in his last, that he


did not propose to try to dispose Of


this subject from "Scriptural stand


point" Now, why is it that he refers


to every passage of Scripture that he


thinks will produce an effect upon