Bible Truths Illustrated by J. C. Ferdinand Pittman

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BIBLE TRUTHS ILLUSTRATED
INTEMPERANCE
486. In a general sense, intemperance is excess of any kind.
The following illustrations have special reference to indulgence
in alcoholic liquors. It is scarcely necessary in our day to dwell
at length upon the Scripture teaching upon this most important
question. In unequivocal language the Bible denounces intem-
and
perance.
"Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging :
whosoever is
deceived thereby is not wise" (Prov. 20:1). "Look not thou
upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the
cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a
serpent, and stingeth like an adder" (Prov. 23:31, 32). "Take
heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged
with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so
that day come upon you unawares" (Luke 21 : 34). "Nor thieves,
nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners,
shall inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Cor. 6: 10). Who, in the
light of such scathing denunciation, can view intemperance and
its evil results unmoved? One wonders what kind of anathemas
would have been hurled had Biblical writers lived in our day,
and witnessed the foul saloons and fiery liquids of the twentieth
century
Here, then, we are face to face with an arch-enemy of mankind,
which insidiously works ruin, defiling the temple of God,
and proving itself daily antagonistic to religion, civilisation, and
prosperity. It follows that the attitude of Christians towards
the drink traffic should be one of uncompromising hostility.
Towards those engaged in the business, or victims of alcohol,
our attitude should be one of brotherliness, but towards the
drinking habit we should assume an attitude of eternal and
uncompromising antagonism. The bounden duty of Christendom
is to present a united front to the world on this question, with
earnest prayers accompanying consecrated effort that the giant
foe of humanity and civilisation might be speedily felled and
annihilated.
487. Intemperance is a hydra with a hundred heads. She
never stalks abroad unaccompanied with impurity, anger, and
the most infamous profligacies. Chrysostom.
171