Temperance--necesity Of A Prohibitory Law

Moral suasion, witbcut thc aid oi prohibitory law, is not sufficient to reslrain all menfrom vico. There are various reasons why it isso- two of the principal of which we wül notice. First, all cnen aro not sufiïciently enlighlened to see and fecl the forcé of moro.l principie, nnd therefore cannot be controiled by moral suasion. Secondly, all men are not honest, and therefore disregard the voice of moral suasion. Tak ing the wurld as we find it, ihese two cunsiderations show, mostclearly lile necessity of prohibitofy law to reslrain men from vire. Bul it is often objected to this vicw, thnt nolhing is gained, .na rmral point of lighí, by restruining men from vico by forcé of law, masmüch as it does not reform thc disposition of ihe hearl. To this it may be replied, that ihrec important advanlnges may be gained by prohibilory law, admilling thal it ha3 ño direct tcndency to make thc lieart better. First, t may provent the formaiion of invelentc h-ibits of vico, by which the infliviil!:! is hopt within the inlluence of fmral suasion. Serondly, it will prevent all the individual and personal eviis which would follow Ihe cotnmi.-ion of crimes thus restraioed by Inw. ' Thirdly, the infuience of luid cxample 3 prcvenlcd, when men aro restrained from vice by the forcé of tbe law. Why not suppress horse-stealing by moral suasion, :s well as to euppress rum-relling by the same process? li musí appcar easicr lo suppress horséienling by the foren of public opinión, (han rumselüng. Horse-stealing cannot look back to the time when it could picad ihe sanctionof tho law, but rum-seliing will always be able to do this. Iloise-siealing ennnot name thc time when it wus reputabte wiüi the community generiílly, when Ihe diñbrent cliurches had horse-stealing inenbers and. deacons and ministers, but rum-selling will always be able to do Ibis. No one eau hope to make rüm-selling more disreputable ihan horse-stealing and yet moral suasion is not suükient to snpp'ress horse-stcaling without ihe aid of law; yea, moral suasion and law combined cannot wholly suppress it; how vain ihcn to thínk of suppressing rum-selling wilhout law. Why noí suppress fai?e swearing, slander, profane swcanng and Sabbalh-breaking, hy moral suásiotí without law? Why púníéh thc erfíne by law, and at the same timo legalizo ihe cause that produces the crime? Drunkenness is prohibited by law ir) this Commonwcalthj why not then prohibit the sale of i n toxica ti ng drinks which cer!;)inly leads to the crime o drunkenness; Moral suasion can nevéi be arraycd against rumselling v. ith a more united atid powerfu! influence fhan ii bjva been against ihe other vices above named; ihe civil law has prociaimed its penalty from our seats of justice; every púlpii in the land has ihundered nnd lightened with the law of God against stealüig, Iying, profane swearing, &c, and yet lliese evils have not been put down; it must therefore be a hopeless case to think of pveventing ihe sule of intoxicating drinks by moral suasion, in view of the slroríg hold which it has upon the community, the many advocates it fiads, and the countenance of ihe civil law. In conclusión, the experience of the world proves that moral suasion will not restrain all men (rom vice. It faüed lo do itamid the hallovved bowers of Eden. It failed to do it on the day when the earth received the blood of righteou.s Abel, al the hand of the first murderer; it was not suffieient in the days of Noalvs ministry, while the waters were gathering to drown the old world; it f.iled on the day when Abraham prayed for devoted Sodom, as the clouds of God's wrath werc gatheriny surcharged wiih iire; it was not sullïeicnl at Sina's base while God rested in a cloud upon the sumtnit, blazing with lightning and utlering his command in the thunder's voice, "Tliou shalt do no sin;" moral suasion was not equul to the reformaiion of all men, nnder the nnearthly and soul sub duint,' elorjuence of the Son of God.