Church Action on Temperance [pp. 595-632]

Church Action
constitutes a disciplinable offence and a bar to communion.
Let us, therefore, look a little into the ethical relation of things
indifferent, also of liberty and expediency as related thereto,
and to the deliverance in question.
Meanwhile, if any perceive inconsistency'in these deliver ances, or that some of them taken together with others thus
constitute a "confused and contradictory medley," we cannot
help that. It is certain that although some persons have under taken to put the ban upon all further discussion and criticism
of the action of the last Assembly in the premises, and all attempts to render filture testimonies consistent with themselves
and the truth of God, that action is differently interpreted by
different parties. Thus Dr. Mears, in the Interior, had felicitated himself and his readers that "' By this last action the Assembly and the Church is pledged not only to total abstinence,
but to prohibitory law, and the liquor traffic as a disciplinable
offence."
Upon which the Interior of June 6 remarks: "It (tlie action
aforesaid) is a protest against any indulgence on the part of
Christians in the use of alcoholic drinks of any kind as a beverage, and against any complicity in the liquor traffic. We
fail to see in it, however, any assumption of what is called the
'radical ground,' anything that indorses prohibitory law as a
measure of reform, or any assertion of what is, or is not,
disciplinable. It is true that in 1854 and'55 the New
School Assembly took strong ground in favor of prohibition,
but we suppose the actior of the Assembly referring to
'testimonies of former Ac"ii-lies,' to be general ill its character, and not designed reaffirm in the United Church the
position of one Wane' l'a matter which the other branch was
careful not to indorse, and which is in a degree-that is to say
unless prohibition is construed to mean restriction-contrary
to its traditions."
Now to the main point.
Since total abstinence from these intoxicating beverages,
therefore, cannot be enforced on the ground of intrinsic sinfulness or immorality in the mere use of them as a beverage, it
only remains that it be placed on the same grounds on which
all other morally indifferent actions are placed. All such ac
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