TOBACCO SMOKING.

Evening Star, Issue 4953, 17 January 1879, Page 4

TOBACCO SMOKING.

TO THE EDITOR. Sißjrr-Au, effusion of :• somewhat thropic style under the above; heading -ftp-, E eared in last •■evening's • Npw>r. .as eing '.' prje of them t worshipping at the time, I quite agree with Mr ":J,qhn; JJrown " that it to rate his hearers ,|pr{ l snuffing!', and smQ&ng,.more especially-as..one-third- of them-eithersmoke. . or snuff hj; ignprance*,of doing sin. ■. But;Mr "John Brown,"" in his, eagerness to defend smoking, has jumped right out of the fryingpan only tafoll ittttf the fife; Where he may." smoke for ever (andfia;'dayU;l6n'ger) if he please. As regards the - commandment " Thoul shalt not sm6k«," ; I cannot- really show him the only an amateur jn Biblical knowledge as yet;, but in his"search for it did he neyer cdme,'across ■ the cdunterpart which has very direct bearing on it He that is /filthy,, let be filthy.; ;stjll." I may, use the sam« logic in defence -of drinking, dancing, and a host \ of •.-.other• ■. little items, 'that we come in contact with in ..this;-brief life of ours, as he does smokicg. I fancy his conscienc&niustbe a little smoky, or otherwise would see that an act that oonfersnp benefit" or anyone else must be bad; Nowyif he. could point'out one benefit t'6. accrue by ;the use of tobacco, he wduld'be able to give someconsoiation to : the smqkers. .. ii: ._ '.....""' '..'..",„ ' lam', nowever, afraid that Mr." Johnijrown", does to emulate St. Paul,:who said ," ; Wherefore .if meat make my ibrother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world, standethjflestlinake my brother to offend. A child' might see the analogy. •; I would advise Mr r «' Brown" to debdorise his cranium from smoke before trying to give consolation to,smgkers.—-ram, &c, ' '' ' J_ J ;. Spectator'.' Dunedin, January '«■,..■.>>? '•■:• .•v;i.-'; T P' T . v - ; ...,'• Sir,—ln your. issue, i'pf Tuesday last I/see a letter-having ihe significant signature-of "John Brown." Wither. a newcomer, or an old identity,-or possibly the resuscitation 'good old godly minister of Haddington, cannot satisiactorily %e discerned. ]■ If- thei T la ! tter/''his; f little foi" r the" improvement v mad6'by Hirii in the world oi'spiritsTrVrathef • does it indicate a woeful /Vetrogade f and when I say this, let ; it" not be understood' : as giving an opinion/much -less : of v casting an aspersion on the-doctrine of metempsychosis. The..,writex,; ioweyer; telfe-, us what,, all should ibe glad to .that !".a number, of our fellowrcitizens *were'.-worship-ping; but mstead of having preached'to them 'Christ ' an"d ; him : they ( 'were' soundly rated by their newly-arrived pastor for smoking';tobacco.".. Suiely ;; tHis' ; " Johii' BroWiTi haye cpmd 'from good/old Bible-reading i.should conclude he g O . much r a's .visited'. : it. r Had he done 'so^"' his ideas' of'worship;'" knd pastoral duties musfrsmely -have' been different from ' those conveyed in the critique on Tihe services witiiessed'"by lriaron.' last' Lord's Day. •' He should have known, had he drawn his thoughts; from,the New-TestameHt, that preaching" ''''Christ', and "him crucified " forms no part of a. pastor 'a work; and fur- ■ thereto do ;this in an assembly-such as he • witnessed—one-met for • worships-Would be altogether out- of place, I respectfully submit, -without 'either precedent .in or authority from the New Testament. Before anyone can bei r a ; worshipper he must have hearld of : .", Christ-and him.crucified," fand must have, believed in/him.;. these being accomplished, he has done with the evangelist, and then and only then does"he properly enter.: the.'domain ; of. pastoral in-struction,-a distinction clearly unknown to . "John Brown." .The > sphere of the .evangelist's labor is the world of-sinners; that of thepastorisfeeding the sheep. Taul instructs Timothy jtard.q the former, (2 Tim. iv.- s>, Christ authorises Peter., .to" do the latter (JohnOxsi., lg, 16/17}..-. H a .-. Ay m r; * But "John Brown" not only finds' faultfor leaving •andone what was no business of the meeting, .but likewise for doing what was fight and proper to-be done ; and the source of,, his, error is. not difficult to discover —-simply the admission" Of human authority. Who made Spurgeon an authority on. the . subiect ?__K is ..simply se.lf : created. \ It is a" fact patent,.to, .e-very observing, mind 'that drinking, smoking; national sins of the"" day, and every Bibletaught ;,employ h>,\talent and influence to. drive *hem. but; of .the Church, irrespective of Spurgeon -or his thoughts! When ;I put drinking arid smoking together Iwish ; 'tO be-clearly understood. •"I am no" Good Templar I require a drop of xpirituous liquor I take it—otherwise! abstain. ' If my cohstitutiori was such that.it-required tobacco (thank God it is not-!)"whyshpuldlnofemploy'it? : But if I-were going into the "question 5 of Evolution (which I am not) I think the .strongest' argumerit'tlfat" I ?r could ! use'-against. ; man ; being' derivecf from tbe;rri6rikfeiy \isf jugt;this': that in all the w-ays k ,wKich:.marl his ; intellect he never would.be. able to teach the' monkey either to - become; ■a. • smoker ■ or. a' drunkard;« r ;i:<"oT'!' r ' i ''7;-. '-'r.d'o ''- John Brown's "- letter is quite suggestive. It of.William Cowper'sT'poem "The Love of the Worldßepitoved": .Thussays. Jhe prophet "of the Turk: There is a part in everyjswihel - r No friend or followeratminep. May taste, whate'er his .inclination, - - ~ . .. ■'.'■ Such Mahomet's'mysterious charge,' i l "- •■ .- • •'=-Andthiri'h'eleffthepoitt atlarge. :?. iHadhe; the sinful part expressed,' .;: ; They might with safety eat the rest; ..gut for one piece .they thought it hard Jroßi the whole U6£ to be debarred, : And ikx theu wft'ftt work to find '■ What joint the prophet bad in mind. "•■''■ Much-controversy straight arose; These choose the back the belly those, While others at that doctrine rail And piously prefer the tail. . ...Thus conscience freed from every cloc . Maliometarja.eat up the hog. . . I am, <&c, '. ' V ' ; .' "" " ' ''•'•■■'; ■j G' Dunedin, January