PHELEM’S REPLY TO MR. KYNE

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 10753, 26 November 1928, Page 6

PHELEM’S REPLY TO MR. KYNE

(To The "Editor). Bir, —Now that the .excitement and heat of the. election is over I would like, with your kind permission, to reply to'my friend, Thomas S. Kyne, who so vindictively attacked me, instead of my epistle, -Which had been published in your paper, a month previously,’and the reprint of which and (been - posted to almost every publican, priest and parson, throughout the, district-,; and not one. of them • thought it worth while to. ’notice it,- until I sent one of them "to Air. Kyne, which seemed to toudfi him on a tender spot and, therefore, he attacked me, instead of my epistle in full:. ■■

I "excused him at the time for, -no doubt, he was somewhat’ elated, after his wonderful onslaught on the Salvation Army and ’ Mr. Alilner, but, as I' am only a working man. with no financial organisation behind me to foot the hill, I waited patiently until the strife of the election was Over so that he might be in a calmer frame of mind to reply:" And now, Air. Kyne, I am pleased to hear tlmt you are a Bible student, tor like you, I deplore that many do not go to church, and that not many of those who do go, ever study tlieir Bible, whether they- be Catholic or Protestant.

' I would have preferred that you hud commented on the whole of my epistle but, probably, you will next time, as you have plenty of time at your disposal while I have to earn mv bread “by the sweat of my brow. You took exception to my quotation of Lev. 10. 9—“ Do, not drink wine or strong drink, thou, nor they sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die, it- shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations.” Will you give chapter and verse where it says they shall or may drink wine or strong drink? Then you quote'Deuteronomy •8. 1—45. {not one word about strong drink). I am particularly fond of the Book of Deuteronomy; it was that book that our Lord used to combat the enemy, as recorded in Alatthew 4. I—ll. and particularly should we’ notice' the words of our Lord in verse 4 “Every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Satan does not like every word, (lie added one to the word which God spoke in the garden) and vet in the very next verse of ATatthew he leaves a portion out of God’s written word, and our Lord had to remind him that' “it was written AGAIN,” not against, that which he quoted. • And so Air. Kyne I fear that you overlooked the fact of what is written Again concerning Deut. 18, 4, that which describes what shall be offered in Lev. 2. 11. “No meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the Lord, shall be made with Leaven ; for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in ANY ottering of the Lord .made bv tire.” Then where is the STRONG DRINK that you so strenuously advocate; certainlv not in Lev. li, nor yet in Deut. 18. 4.

Now, Air. Kvne, it is quite clear to a careful Bible student that there is something that requires to be investigated and as EVERY AVORD is of equal authority, that which is within AGAIN, can never contradict that which “is written,” so that Deut. 18. 4. cannot contradict Lev. X 11. Therefore, I love. the Book of Deuteronomy because it makes this subject clear and plain and we will have a little Bible reading together in chapter 32. I pointed this out in my first epistle but, in your fever heat, you overlooked it, so we will look at it again. In verse 4 of Deut. 32. God is spoken of as a Rock. He is a rock, His work is PERFECT for ALL His wavs are judgment; a GOD of TRUTH and without iniquity, just and right is He.” Then, speaking of liis people in verse 14., “and thou didst drink the PURE BLOOD of the grape.” 'Then from verse 15 onward we have a people who “waxed rat and kicked” (do you know any people who have waxed fat and kicked at God’s word ?) In verse 15 thev provoked Him; in verse 17 thev sacrificed to devils; in verse 19 God abhorred them; in verse 20, children in whom is no faith; in verse 28 they have NO UNDERSTANDING; in verse 81 then' rock is not our rock; in contrast to verse 4; in verses 32, 85, “For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorroh; their grapes a.re grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter: their WINE is the POISON of DRAGONS and the cruel VENUAI of ASPS.”

Now as we see, th'ese two classes of, liquor described in this chapter winch would you give to the priest ns being without LEA YEN. Compare this with Josiah 65.. 8: “Thus saith the Lord, as the new wine is found in the cluster, and One saith DESTROY IT NOT, for a blessing is lu it.” Now Dent. 32, 33 shows that it has been destroyed and made into a POISON. Now is this poison the gift of God? Surely it is man’s manufacture? Would you say. that the POISON GAS from which our soldiers suffered was the gift of God? I think you will say it is man’s manufacture and so is the POISON of DRAGONS in Deut. 32, which the PURE BLOOD of THE GRAPE has been changed into. Gave you ever heard of a moderate thief or a moderate murderer, or a moderate adulterer? Would hot the same term apply to a moderate drinker of poison ? In Proverbs 20 1, it says that “WINE is a mocker and STRONG DRINK deceives people and makes them fools. Can this be the pure blood of the grape or the .prison of dragons? In Proverbs 23 31. “LOOK not thou upon the WINE, when it is RED when it giveth his color in the cup when it MOVETH itself aright nt the last it BITGTH LIKE .' A SERPENT and stingeth’ LIKE AN ADDER.” Now Kere is /a’ distinct command not to LOOK upon that which'is the POISON of the dragon. It does not say take it in moderation hut do not look upon it. Would you give this to the priest in Dent. 18 4? Again in Proverbs 31 4 5. “It is not for KINGS to drink WINE nor for PRINCES STRONG DRINK, lest they drink and forget the law.” I suppose you have known men to drink and forget the law. but it was hot the pure blood of the grape.thev j>nd V bdpn taking. . but- that, which biteth like a serpent - and - istihgeth like an adder, the noison oEihe-dra-gons .of Deut. 32, 33.. .• -sy Now , Mr. Kyne. .I. asir you, can there bef ?any Mother: rendering - of EVERY v.WQRD and of - that which “is, written .AGAIN” apart from Deut/.;32. X'/For tbp .Word of God is quick and powerful, and. sharner than anv two edged' sword. * piercing even to "the dividing asunder - of' soul and. spirit/ and -of the joints and marrow. • an*T is a. 'discoverer- of. the thoughts and- intents of the- heart, i'4 12 .i We rend in r nlso fmd through WINE and through STRONG DRINK are- out of, - the -vsmv;rthe PRIEST and the PROPHET : have erredi. through• • stron, drink. - they are swallowed aip of WIN® > + hev are out: of the wav through STRING pKLNK: they ferr in vision: ythev st”Tr,Tn e ,; n judgment.” T ask again i« this the "piire Mood of the grane t-hat has. caused thorn, to eyr; or is it: tbe noison ;ot .the dragon that b;tpth like serpen t? - And. ..a^ainl state” a s lid id jnv first eni cf.le f,h a t He. who gate EVERY WORD 'could neve?-: brenlt' that' word‘'by' turning

water into the POISON OF THE DRAGON, even so that which'‘‘is, written" will never contradict that winch -‘is written AGAIN.” -‘And Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is/profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, in instruction on righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished into all good works.” Timothy 3 16 17. “Know-, ing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interprenation for tlie prophecy 'camo nothin old time by the will pjLrpaii; but IxULY - men 'of God : spcfire} a'stv' they were moved -by • the Peter 1. 20, 21. ' Habakltuk S., (Je-‘ dares "‘ WOE unto him'"that giveth his neighbor drink,' that putteth,. thy bottle to; him, and rnakest ; him drunken also that thou mayest Jflok bn their nakedness.” ' What drink would this be—would it ,be tlie ; PURE RLOO]> of the grape iriych of it yrould one have/tp Hiaiyi to be'drunken, and how'.little' $ 1 POISON of the .dragon' does'it', require to make one incapable ? Some mein; have sworn on their, oath .that" they, had only three drinks, so we-see from Deut. ,32 that* the people- who use ! this POISON,. • kicked ' against, God, provoked Him. , sacrificed »tb deyi Js,. God: abhorred them, they had no faith, _no understanding; .in,, fact 1 they were 'followers .of'Satan,, and not of. God and His .Word.. ' ? , . “And now,,- brethren.- I. commend you to GOD. and the WORD of His grace, piuclv is able to build .you up,; and *to - give you - an, •< inheritance among" all them, which '^are sanctified. Acts. 20; 32- “Out of; the -mouth of the Most'High proceedeth not evil and goo'd’?. —Lamentations 3' -381—1' am,'- yours' ole., • ' -, ,r ■- ■' <;■ • :PHELEM: ' (Publish^' ;hy.^ArrangentenS.).