THE GOSPEL AND BLUE RIBBONISM.

North Otago Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 3967, 29 May 1885, Page 3

THE GOSPEL AND BLUE RIBBONISM.

TO THE EDITOR.

'Mongst all your virtues 1 see not charity written.

MIDDLF.TON.

Sib, — In my youthful days, I can now well remember a favorite hymn which was then, and is now, doled out verse by verse, and with much unction roared out by persons professing the Christian religion. The first two lines run thus — Ashamed of Jesus — oan It be, A mortal man ashamed of Thee.

The hymn itself is a mere memory, but in readiog the ponderous temperance correspondence of the last few days I was struck with the absence of true courage on the part of the various writers, all of whom used a norn dc jtiume, all vaunting in their firm foothold on the " rock of a^es," in the healing and protecting power of their divine Master ; all professing to sacriOce themselves in furtherance of that great panacea for the regeneration and indeed the salvation of the undamned remnant of the human race — the temperance movement. But none of them appears to possess the couroge of his opinions ; none has dared to " 6«ht manfully under His bann°r," and if I were to say to each tomorrow, "thou also art one of them,'' I would doubtlees receive aB many denials as would make all the cocks, and even hens, in Christendom, crow and continue crowing vociferously for the next six months. Surely in His name they mieht have the pluck to acknowledge their own. And let me ask, what worldly considerations should deter them ? Should the ridicule of men, the loss of business, the responsibility of using bad grammar, or any other paltry sublunary primum mobile, discourage the creature when giving battle to the world in the dread name of his Creator 1 I s*y, Sir, if those men are sincere, if they believe nil they urge, if they look upon their Master aB a shield and buckler, if their attitude is not as many of the ungodly rightly or wronely suspect, a cloak for hypocrisy and self-Becking— then in the name of Him whom they profess to adore and to serve, let them fearlessly and openly add their true namei to their con tributions. Then will men bo able to judge by the fruit they have already borne, whether they are indeed branches of the true vino, or are merely fitting food for the vagrant wayside quadruped of the British lalea. And mark how politely, how charitably, how religiously they charge each other with ignorance. One says to another, " s u arch the scriptures " ; the other one in effect Pharisaically retorts, " search them yourself ; you don't appear to have done so beforo, and have more need of it than I have." This and much more equally contemptible is the burden of the mon■onti lpvelled at the devoted head of A.L.0.H. , whose fint letter I greatly admired, although people, judging by my norn deplume, which is excusable, must see I c.mnot entirely agree with. But looking at the whole subject one i 8 constrained to exclaim, '• Oh how these Christians love cob. other."

I visited the Public Hall on Sunday out of curiosity to hear Mr Buoth, but not expecting to hear or see anything new. The lecturer struck me aa being a pronounced specimon of the 'cuto Yankee nhowman, of a type much akin to thos* wo have seen at the council chamber corner ; jtiat as flippant, jußt as dramatic, the only difference between them being that the street-corner man gave us for our shilling a knife sharpener or a pot of corn eradicator, whilst Mr Booth treated us to a hurricane of mugged. up, strung-together platitudes, and wan all legs, wings, and gesticulation, the' grotesquenoss of which was covered only by hii frequent vehement, and to my mind blasphemous, protestations that he wai there in the name of his Redeemer, and by his well simulated trenzy in denouncing the horrors of intemperance. As usual the weaker vessels were his chief admirers, but let me, in the words of Paul, say to those too soft-hearted sisters, " Beware of falso teachers, who creep 'into men's houies, leading, BBtray silly women." Let them look at the efforts of the benevolent institution and the difficulties encountered in raising a few paltry pounds for relieving real distress in the town after weeks of laborious dunning, and then let them look at the ease with which thiß blatant Yankee showman walked off with twenty-five pounds for two or three frothy harangues so sterotyped that they are his stock-in-trade wherever he poes. His chief cry wbb, " Come up, come up, and sign the pledge in Hw name." It reminded me of a blacksmith in (he old country, named Bryan, who used to say to any cardriver who had met with a smash, " Come up to Bryan's with your wheel." No man, sir, deplores the etils arising from intemperance more than I do, but I ftrongly protest against being deprived of my whole •ome pint of stout, which agrees with me, and which I never abuse for the sake of a imal weak-minded minority who deaitt to

thrust down the Ibroats of sensible men, n cry attempted to be bolstered up by tho power of tho Gotpel. It ia no longer :> social queßlion, but a sectarinn and politictil ODe, which they have made it. Sraugely enough, we do not find either tho Anglican Church or the Church of Rome running m»d after the f adß of one kind and another, so eagerly accepted, and so greedily snapped at, by the nroselytising Bethels and conventicles of the British dominions, where ignorance has for its guide such leaderß ns Dickens so ably described— Dickens, whose knowledge of men in his day was gained by a clo^e study of the people amongst whom he moved. What I consider i« pood for me I take, and bo lone a« it IB lawful I allow no man to dictate to me what or how much it shall be. I love liberty, nnd ana determined not to be shorn of it by any charlatan, who, by parading a few shocking examples and a few mushroom converts, may succeed in either frightening or pleasing a few old women, and In drawing filthy lucre from tbe pockets of the sniveller and the weakminded.

Only a Heathen.

28th May, 1885,

TO THE EDITOR.

Sir,— ln reply to the letter "f "ALover of Humanity " in to-night's Mail, " A.L. 0.H." expectod in answer to his letter — the teaching of which was strangely aside from that of the " law and the testimony " — a perfect avalanohe of •' dogmatic assertion," but is sadly disappointed. He has dealt so extensively in that mode of reasoning that there does not exist a need for any from his oppo* nenls. That he can use the Nnsmyth hammer in argument we will admit, aa it is evident to do so will please him ; but we will not admit that the Blue Ribbon Army engaged "to free the land from the overwhelming curse of alcohol," but it will rejoice if God will honor it by ÜBing it as a moans in His hand to effect this glorious consummation. Why will "A.L.0.H." persistently attribute to our body tescuing opposed to its principles ? This is not fair. We could not even if we would make drunkenness appear to be a modern sin. We claim to study God's word, and we find that its conlinous denunciation of the evil prccludea such a possibility. He objects to our singling it cut as a special sin, but he must be aware we do so becauae we are informed by our judges, our magistrates, and our ministers that it ciuses nine-tenths of the general crime and consequent misery of the race. "A.L.0.H." asks, "Has it been reserved for recent times to discover that the Gospel of love ham flaw, snd is not able to rescue sinners ?" We tell him we glory in tbe power of the C r oas, and recognise it as the true power to raise and sustain the life. This is the distinct teaching of our organisation, it embodied in our form of pledge, and enforced at all our meetings. But all do not accept the Saviour's Grace, yet we are glad to get all under the influence of total abstinence, and we are conviced ifcjwas the God of the law of love who wrote for our guidance, " Cease to do cvil — learn to do well. Come, now, and let ua reason together, aaith the Lord." "A.L.0.H." will please excuse my saying bis reference to severe denunciations for adding to the Gospel In connection with our total abstinence movement ia simply absurd — too silly for snriouß notice. And now as to our badge. We believe to Bee it worn by others, helps weak and battling members. Hence we wear it. We disclaim any other motive. This has before been stated to " A.L.0.H.," and yet he continues to cal

r i Pharisees, and thus proves himself ungenerous in order that he may be unjust. His reference to moral suasion ia likewise very weak. Why, you must get a man's judgment convinced ere you can lead him to see his need of a Saviour, and yet it is a God-eiven power. " A.L.0.H." writes as if all total abstainers become «o from individual need. He is tiuly a lover of humanity who denieo himself in order to remove temptation from the pathway of a weak brother, and to this elevated platform I would earnestly invite "A.LO.H." The Gospel narrative of a rich young rann is very explanatory here. Moneywas not in itselfan evil, but the Saviour, reading the heart, saw tbe complete sacrifice was not made, and he called for a full surrendar. Even the little indulgences "A.L.0.H." so pleads for must be given up and we must take np the Cross if we would follow the Master.

Will "A.LO.H." look abroad upon the misery and ruin caused by the drink customs and still call this indugence innocent amusement, Let me state a case for him. A member of our band of some three yeara' standing, who had been rescued from a very low depth indeed, recently was tempted in the Bociety, and with the sanction, of one who styles himself a minister of the Gospel, to take some stimulant which in the place was being generally partaken of. The old craving returned, end again was revived the old family misery as a consequent punishment. Will "A.LO.H." inform us which would be the noblest Gospel example— the total abstainer to help forward a weak brother, or the man who ignores the consequence upon that brother to pander' to his own self indulj&nco? I leave "A.L.0.H." with the " WhoßO cuiseth one of these little one* to perish," &c.

Honesty.