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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m6thode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 !■! » lit llipuf lllllilllillll j i ii.ii",liji!.i:.jijia s? n m mm pdsfroi of TiMPlii^CE trotAT :« fii MTY OF THi CMSHAN IH EEIJOTON TO IT; ANQ tH WHAT MANMER CAN THAT DUTY «E HOST ErfECTIVELY IM80NAIi6CD7 W^W^ " Witt* Ift ft gioe^." Prov. 20, 1. L«i i», wbo Kfl •! tte diqr, dbrink sot." 1 Xhesi- 0,$. NOVA SCOTIA PiaNTING CO. 1872. A t*=*5»#to. iSBi^wiQiBS^ittE aspsi K/ *^^^^y^ ■^. ^r^:- (t -M ^. '>i^-f;,ii;' .v-t^ „;h''; : h'ith(>i.''f '-r. t/^y'-^ ■r).?r^tf>j4'*r.' '•v:'^*'; ■■,>. :*:i^^^'■ :<]^' tSiit''.v:h'^t.-r^i},:.'inti t') f'/ifj. ''I <«!• .■^Vj<. vtt V "^ • ^ . ,K7;>. '■ .^i^- [^e JStttn of ikt S^ristian ^l^urc^ /,i.,' IN mSLATlON TO THE TEMPERANCE EEFOM. Ik every ago of the world, and among all nations, ever since the intro- duction of ain, there ne&inM to have been an unfortunate tendency to the excessive use of stimulantfi. Noah fell by strong drhik ; and by it Alexander the grout wan conquered. The princely warriors of ancient Rome fell a prey to itn grasp ; and while they reeled and staggered over their cups, laurel-wreathed poets with singular devotion hymned the praises of BoechuH. Millions of the human race in India and China are opium-eaters ; and some of England's brighteat literary stars have had their light extinguished by its use. Other millions suffer the delirium produced by thel)otel-nut and the hashish, while multitudes, whom no man can number, in every civilized nation under heaven, are- victims of the monster evil — Alcohol. Through its influence every commandment in the decalogue has been violated. Has it not nerved the assassin's hand, and lighted the incendiary's torch ? lias it not sent the physician staggering to the couch of the dying, and the preacher of the gospel to a drunkard's grave ? Has it not destroyed the magic of the statesman's voice, and turned the healthful verse of the bard into a sickly ballad ? Has it not filled our land with vice and crime, and peopled our prisons with con- demned wretches ? lias it not driven love, and affectioi, and happiness- from our sacred domestic abodes, and filled them with brutal scenes of cruelty and violated faith ? Has it not produced more head-aches, and? heart-breaks, and premature deaths than all other calamities together?' Must not every man, therefore, who makes even a general claim to the name of phi)anthroi)lst — ^a lover of his kind — be constrained, on refleo* tion, to ask himself the question, " Can I do anything to stem this mighty torrent of evil, which is sweeping over our land like a besonkof destruction ? If we proceed a step further and appeal, as we do m this essay, to Ghriatian philanthropists, hov/ can we, as professed followers and servants of the Lord Jesus, bound by the " New Commandment" to hve one another, turn a deaf ear to the wailing cry of suffering humanity addressed to us daily by the crushed childreu and Heart- 91 ^ -Tft'^v : ■' v^"' broken wife of the wretched devotee of Bacchus ? This love impera- tively demands of us to open up the fountains of our affection£> and cause the kindly stream of sympathy and aid to gush forth to iheir relief and amelioration. It demands of us not only that we abstain from everything that intoxicates, and thereby set them an example of renunciation, but that we also labor zealously by affectionate counsel and brotherly aid to assist them in shaking off the galling shackles which so strongly bind them to the intoxicating cup. If any christian miian should plead his christian liberty as a reason why he should not be required to depri/e himself of his occasional glass of wine, we ask yuu, friend, is this christian self-denial ? Who had more liberty than the apostle Paul ? And yet, under the influence of inspiration, he has recorded for the guidance ot the brotherhood in Christ Jesus for all coming time : " It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor to do anything whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak," There are about 600,000 drunkards floating about in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and it is calculated that 60,000 of these die drunkards every year. Tliink of the numbers in our own city and province, that fill our police-courts week after week and eventually a drunkard's grave. Re.'lect, too, upon the misery entailed upon unfortunate wives and helpless innocent children; and do you wonder that we make this earnest appeal to you as ministers of the gospel and professed followers of our common Lord ? As disciples of our blessed Master, we ask you to unite your efforts with oars in order to rescue some of those who are hurrying towards the frightful abyss of ruin and the awful realities that lie beyond. We want not only individual exertion, wo require also the social power of combina- tion. We want the combined harmonious effort of the good, at least, in order to present to the enemy a strong moral front, which will baffle all selfish antagonism on the part of the vicious and depraved. In order to encourage the besotted drunkard to abstain, and in order to as- sist those that are weak and easily liable to be overcome to keep the safe path, we beseech the sober and the strong, for the sake of their weaker brethren, to adopt the safe principle of Total Abstinence. It is an act of self-erance organizations done in this direction ? Tliey have done much. Hundreds, ay, thousands ot the noblest in the land, alive to their high responsibility as their " brother's keeper," characterized by an exalted philanthropy and truly patriotic spirit, have bound themselves by a soleiiin pledge to aid, both by example aad by active effort, in bringing these pevuicioua customs into disrepute. And, by the blessing of God, their efforts have not been mia vailing. The drinking customs of forty years ago are no longer respectable. Then, excess, even, was not considered disreputable. Now a prevailing temperance sentiment has necessitated that a man do not exceed the bounds of moderation at most. This is a great point gained. We have, however, another mighty stride to make. We must educate public sentiment up to the Total Abstinence point. And the moment we succeed in enlisting the hearty co-operation o( the vast body of the clergy and the religious community it is accomplished. Reflect for a moment on the influenoe that would be exerted against the social drinking customs of society, if every clergyman in the province, and every professed christian held up the teetotal banner in every pulpit, in every community, and in every h 'nlet into which they enter. The moral effect would be astounding ; a thorough revolution would be effected ; and the votaries of Bacchus would hide their diminished heads for very shame. What minister of the gospel has not felt that social dram-drinking is the great barrier to the elevation of his people both morally and religiously? Has he not found unavailing all his efforts to elevate individuals, as well as communities, and place them in those positions of honor and of influence for which their natural endowments had qualified them, until he has overcome those pernicious drinking customs which so debase and degrade society ? Clergymen know, in their experience as pastors, that the drunkard on his death-bed differs from all others in similar circumstances, in that his heart h{>3 become so callous, so thoroughly stupefied, as to be altogether insensible to the awful realities awaiting him on the dissolution of the body. How, 5 therefore, can the " watchman," whose duty it is to care for souls refniiti from uning his iiifiucncc in every legitimate way to reclaim the erring before their case is hopeless and irrenjediuble ? Let us glance briefly at some of the inevitable effects of drunkenness as seen by the missionary »nd the minister of the gospel. Their testimony is that it stupefles the mind, blasts the social affections, steels the heart, deadens the conscience, and keeps men from God's word, from prayer, from every means of grace. In fact, wherever it has full sway it frustrates the gospel, and completely nullifies the influence for good of the minister of Christ. The christian worker, therefore, if he would raise the fallen, if he would streugthen the weak, if he would guide his flock aright, and be successful in winning them to Jesus, must go before (hem. in the path of abstinence. He must set them a good example by abstaining from even the appearance of evil, — by abstaining personally from all that can intoxicate, or lead thereto, as many, very many, of the noblest, and holiest, and most successful of our clergymen delight to do for the Master's sake. " For eight years," says an eminent Scotch clergyman, ** strong drink stopped all my efforts to do good ; it kept so many from God's house. It hindered those ?7ho came from profiting. They came heavy and oppressed through drink, and unable to hear and pray aright. But at length I pressed Total Abstinence home upon them, and became myself a member of an abstinence Society^and set them an example of abstain- ing. I brought many to join me, and then I saw the change I wanted. And could you hear the blessings showered upon me when I entered their cottages, and could you see the good abstinence has brought them, — -religion — health — prosperity — peace, you would soon find your objections against Total Abstinence cease." On the other hand, how many young men have been led away by the example of christian men, and even ministers, on festive occasions! When admonished by anxious friends to be on their guard against their besetting sin, " Oh, no fear of me, I'll do as this christian man does, and, of course, I shall be all right!" Alas, how powerful for evil is the good man's glass of wine on such occasions ! He does not exceed, of course ; but what of that ? He does drink, and his example sanctions the proctice,Ktind thereby many are turned aside. Let us not mistake, therefore. Think not the sole field for labor, for reform, is to be found among the ranks of confirmed drunkards. No : by no means. We must strike at the primal source of the evil. If our efforts are to be crowned with success, if we are to see our free institutions flourishing, our honor as a nation untarnished, our citizens sober, industrious, progressive, we must see to the manly and virtuous training of our young men just launching into active life. And it will be acknowledged that there is no such bane to the intellectual and moral growth of our yoimg men, no such serious obstacle to virtue and religion and all that makes men useful, and noble, and good, as are the social drinking customs of the present day, with all their attendant fascinations in the »»^w^ form of dancing-revels, card-plaving, and gamblfng. These are all evils whirh arise ut a very early period in the history of those who eventu- ally fu! a prey to such pernicious vices. The thrist for strong drink has often tiilcen a fatal hold upon a young man when thoughtless friends, sensible men and women, sit quietly by and see him take his glass of wine daily. How are we, therefore, to bring these too con)nion practices into disrepute, and save our young men ? It can be effected only by united action. Individual effort may, in some instances, accom()liHh much. In some instances it has accomplished much ; but, in order that the good be permanent and efRcient, combination is indispensable. Father Mathew, throwing his whole soul and mind into the Tem- perance Uoform, sustained by heavenly impulses in a most remarkable mauncr, capable by his fervid eloquence and untiring zeal of swaying the multitude, as with a magic wand, succeeded in creating a wide- spread enthusiasm among his countrymen in favor of reform. During five years he prevailed upon more than five millions of people to pledge themselves to forego their long-cherished appetites, and offer them as a sacreil oblation at the shrine of duty. The educated classes, however, the nobility, the clergy even, stood aloof from his work, thus frustrat- ing, in a great measure, the good wlich otherwise might have continued to flow from the earnest, zealous labors of so great and so gooermeated the people, not even the religious com- munity. It is th(; people, rather than the legislative body, that must first decide the (juostion of prohibition or no prohibition. Is it not asking too miu-h of any body of legislators, as such, to pass a measure prohibiting the li(juor traffic before the popular will has been educattfd to such a degree as to sustain them in the act? It is for this work of enlightening the public mind, of educating the popular conscience, that wo so much require combination on the part of patriots, and philanthropists, and all truly christian men. Temperance organizations nnist toil on with unflagging zeal, working together harmoniously, and, as far as possible, in harmony with the christian church. The church should countenance and assist in every possible way the formation and sustentation of temperance societies within its bounds ; or, better still, wherever available, let the church itself be a temperance society. The religious press is a potent agency in the formation ot public opinion, therefore, let every legiti- mate means be employed to secure its hearty co-operat'- )n. Especially let the temperance press be cordially patronized, and liberally supported. Every christian family should, if possible, Ihve access to the temperance weekly as well as to the religious ^ ly. No christian man could read fifty-two "Abstainers" in a y«r r without feeling conscious of the solemn responsibility which vests upon him to engage heartily and zealously in the Temperance Reform. If the christian church, and individual members of the church throughout the^ province were but thoroughly informed of the evils of intemperance, — the great waste of money, the inoial degradation, the long category of" vice and crime, the want, and wretchedness, and brutality arising out. of it, the 8| ritual deadness and danger of its votaries, — the present, apathy and indifference '^f christian r en would soon be supplanted by ardor and zeal in the te )erance r:n ^e. And we do not hesitate to affirm that it i.< ihe bou. leu duty t the christian church to keep. 8 abrtjast of the times in relation to this great work. Let each indivi- dual member rewl \ip on the subject and study the great problem of Reform for himself. Let the clergy of the different denominations unite as one man in recommending the diffusion of tojiperance literature ; let their influence and actire effort, in social life, on the platform, from the pulpit, be brought to bear upon the masses, and the desired end will soon be accomplished. The public mind, however, must not onlv be awakened and enlightened, it must be aroused and put in motion. This is a great moral work, and moral means must be employed to accomplish it. A prohibitory law can be enacted only when the cause has accjuired great moral strength in the land. Prior to this it would be worse than futile to expect it. The State of Maine had to be leavened with temperance truth, and permeated with temperance sentir^ent for many years, fcom tiie pulpit, the platform, and the press, before she enacted her law for " the suppression of tippling houses;"* We are now con- vinced that strong drink is a social, moral, and economic curse; and that the time for action is at hand. In a free constitutional country action nieans j)olitics, — not the very questionable politics of u party, but the broader and nobler politics of a cause. "VVe must have reform, and not the mere phantom of reform. Half-hearted compliance deadens enthusiasm. Let us, therefore, as a christian people, manfully, and vigorously, and persistently, strike a death-blow at the hydra- headed monster alcohol in every form and place where he raises his head. t There is only one method of meeting the formidable onset of the manufacturers and sellers of liquor. What was the course adopted by the free traders in England in order to rouse a dormant nation and make the heart of every member of Parliament thrill with their principles ? Tliey wrote, they spoke, they pou/ed forth their money, their tinie, their energies, like water ; they were determined to make their (juestion the question of the day : and they did it. Our reform is not less momentous, nor less needful than was theirs ; nor is it a whit ,les8 logical. t AVell-meaning people of those classes where the family (does not suffer because the father's wine bill is large may laugh at our 80-callod fanaticism ; but every clergyman in the church of God, and every y,ibserving christian knows that the crime of drunkenness is a monstrous evil, and requires speedy and resolute action in order to ;8ave our young men, Jf the clergy and laity unite for this great work, ♦ With rc'^Rnl to the hehcficial results of the Maine Liquor Law up to the present time. Set; testimony of GoTcrnors, Executive Couneii, and Congresa of btnte of Maine, publishe'l in the " Abstainer " of Nov. 6, 1872. « # « t The Grand Alliance hart raised £100,000 stg. this" year to assist in carrying the provisions of the Permiwive Bill, * * * and if the several branches of the christian church combine and work together harmoniously they can make it the question of the day. Just think of it. What political party would exist for a day without the support of the temperance community and the allied forces of the christian church ? United, we would present such a formidable front that our noble principles' of philanthropy, and integrity to our fellow- men and to our God, would be carried triumphantly with scarcely a struggle. Take any county or community in the province, and let the clergy, and the office-bearers in the church, and every professed christian unite to select a christian man as a temperaiice candidate, and who will dare oppose him ? The time is fully come when christian principles should permeate, and christian influence control our politics. It is right and proper, it is the bounden duty of the christian church to exei't her influence in every possible way to elevate the nation and promote the glory of God, to put down evil doing and to uproot pernicious cuf?toms. It is not enough that christian men sympathize with the cause. It wants active support — it wnts moral power — it wants votes. And if christian men are true to the principles which they profess ; if they are as loyal to their order and profession as the liquor seller is to his ; if public sp'.rit. and -true patriotism, and pure religion have not ceased to be motives of action which will far out- weigh self-interest and a thirst for ill-gotten gains, there can be no doubt as to what will be the ultimate issue of such a conflict. You who move in refined circles, and mould, ir. a great measure, the customs of societv ; who never drink till you lose your balance or your reason ; but who make wine-drinking fashionable, and, in a man- ner respectable ; consider that you have in your power, under God, to redeem our land from its most awful curse and save thousands of our young men from crime and inebriation. Will you not, therefore, as christian men and women, deny yourselves your trifling indulgence and give us your hand, your votes, your sympathies, and your prayers? In so doing you will receive an abundant compensation for your self- denial in the consciousness of having done your duty, of having saved some young man, perchance your qwn child, from a drunkard's grave and a drimkard's doom ; and certainly you will not regret the sacrifice when you are culled to give in your account. A very respectable number of our christian people are already fully ripe for some decisive action on the part of the ruling powers in the church anent the liquor traffic, and hail with satisfaction every step in the right direction. There are many in all the christian denominations who are pre[)ared to make any complicity in the manufacture, sale, or use, as a beverage, of ardent spirits a bar to communion, so soon as the higher church courts decide that such a course of procedure will meet with their a()proval. But where are \ye to begin ? Are we in this matter to reverse the usual mode of procedure in church matters, or in matters pertaining to the public weal ? Is it not right and proper — r 10 is it not customary for the members cf our church organizations to originate such reforoiS and bring them up to the higher courts for approval. As it is necessary to educate the popu'vr mind to any Important political measure before we can expect our members of Parliament to legislate upon it ; so in the church, the nigher courts should be apprized of the well-understood wishes of the membership by means of memorial and petition. Let our christian people, there- fore, of the several religious denominations, who have the success of the temperance cause at heart, make a grand rally for Cnrist and humanity and memorialize the Synods and Conferences and Conventions at the'T next annual meeting to prohibit the countenancing in any way of this terrible evil — intemperance. And let the memorial be so thorough, and so numerously signed as to convince these ecclesiastical bodies that the membership of the church are fully alive to their duty, as christians, to abstain from all appearance of evil that God may be glorified in the advaiicement and prosperity of his churdi. In this way combined harmonious effort on the part of clergy ani laity can be obtained. But a still wider combination is essential to complete organization. There should be a basis of union for this special object, agreed upon by all the religious denominations, so that when indulge.ice in strong drink is made a disciplinary offence in one church tuc offender cannot find a refuge, or a cloak for his sin under the mantle of another church or congregation. In order to the effectual carrying out of this scheme it would b* necessary for each ecclesiastical court to appoint a special temperance Committee to meet for conference and to arrange a basis or standard, by which each denomination would hold itself bound. Let there be the most perfect understanding relative to the matter so that the decision of one church or congregation, beir)g in accordance with the basis agreed upon by all the negotiating churches, shall be the decision of the entire church. The body of Christ must not be broken up into discordant sections if it is to flourish and prosper and be a power for good in the world. Wherever there is an acknowledged national evil, equally affecting all, there should surely be unity of aim, and Ci effort, and of action in suppressing that evil. Such is certainly in acconlance with the revealed will of God. And whereas the inhevent craving in man for unnatural stimulants had its origin in the introduction of evil into the world, it should pre-eminently be the work of the Christian Church to do all in its power to check and, if possible, to uproot and entirely overcome this depraved appetite, which is so lamentably pre- valent among men. By such united effort and combination we would be able, in a very few years, to banish intoxicating liquors from the land. Let it not be objected, however, against entire prohibition and total abstinence that moral suasion is sufficient. The history of the past abundantly testuies tliat even when a strong public sentiment has been formed in favor of total abstinence principles, and a large majority of d< h fd 11 to for anj of urtt the people are rea«ly totpledge themselves, and to adhere to their pledges, still there remains a. large number, either too exalted or too degraded, to be influenced by any appeals to reason or conscience or humane feeling. Therefore, as reformers, we must press steadily forward towards the grand ultimatum — prohibition. Dr. Cuyler has well said; — " God has never ordained an easy patent method of saying men from drunkenness. Preaching abstin- ence, practising abstinence, and persuading others to pledge thfrasclves to abstinence are about all the practical expedients yet discovered for making men sober. When the conscientious convictions of a com- munity are embodied in a wise law of prohibition, and good men are determined to enforce it, then grand and beneficent results are obtained. But all this comes right back to individual and combined eAbrt." What then is the duty of the Christian Church in reference to this great question ? St. Paul says of professed Christians, " None of us liveth to himself." True religion overcomes and uproots the naturpl selfishness of men's hearts. It teaches us that we should care for our brother, and live to do him good. The christian lives not merely t«i8tent with the claims of christian duty." At the Conference of '1871 the Wesleyans, actuated by the true spirit of their founder, Besolved, ^ That we earnestly enjoin upon all our people the most careful and conscientious observance of the rule given by the Ber. John Wesley, viz., ' Neither buying nor selling spirituous liquors, nor o 19 6 drinking them except in cases of extreme necessity.' And, That as the Church of Christ should be tho most effectual promoter of moral reform, we pledge ourselves to renewed efforts to purify and preserve her from reproach by discountenancing all complicity of her members with the great evil of intemperance, whether by drinking, nmnufactur* ing, selling, signing petitions for license, or furnishing or renting places for the sale of intoxicating liquors." This deliverance is metu of the true ring and sterling value. The Synod of the United Presbyterian Church of the Lower Provinces in 1872 passed a resolution enjoining on all ministers to countenance the temperance reform in every possible way ; and to preach temperance sermons on the Sabbaths preceding gala-days, such as Christmas and election days to warn their people of this great evil. Our limited space precludes further discussion ; we will therefore conclude by quoting the earnest appeal and wholesome counsel of the Bev. Dr. Sprague ; — *^ Christians, is it not a part of almost every prayer you offer that God will soon open upon the world the millennial day ? Are you acting in consistency with your prayer by lending your influence to help forward the glorious cause of moral reform which miut prevail ere the millennium shall fully come ? Are you exerting any influence directly or remotely to retard the cause? Do you make the poison, or do you gell it, or do you use it ? Never open your lips, then, to pray for the millennium." Now, in summing up, what are the inferences which must unavoid- ably follow from the various positions we have established ? We have conclusively shown, we humbly think, that medical and chemical science unite in pronouncing all intoxicating liquor to be, not only incapable of affording nourishment, but to be positively injurious and decidedly poisonous, so that to coantenauce its use is to permit a phy$iological wrong,—- to use is suicidal ; to dispense to others, homicidal. We have briefly traced its pernicious influence in society as the prime producer of misery, and distress ; therefore, to encourage its use in any way is to sanction a most grievous soctql wrong. We have seen that it is the prolific source of vice and crime ; therefore to withhold our influence from the temperance reform is silently to acquiesce in a most humiliating moral wrong. We have proved by the unbiassed testimony of eminent ministers of Christ that all other sinful practices combined are not so powerful in deadening men's consciences, and in rendering inoperative the means of grace, and the untiring efforts of holy men of God ; therefore, to refuse to labor in pulling down this formidable barrier to the influence of divine truth must, in all solemnity, be a great religious wrong. We have, we trust, satisfied every candid reader that the inspired Word of God makes it imperative on every true christian to deny himself for the good of his fellow-men. We have glanced at woman's influence and woman's sphere of labor, — what she Aa« done and what she can do, — and have shown the benefits that would necessarily 20 follow uiiitfid iiction. Wo have Hhown that wo must reform, not only tho (IninkiinlH, hut nl.so tho fuuntain-hend of nil ilrniikcnnosH, vix., the drinking <'ustomn of society. Wo have soon tlmt tliero ur