THE COLONIST. NELSON, TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 1861.

Colonist, Volume IV, Issue 351, 5 March 1861, Page 2

THE COLONIST. NELSON, TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 1861.

0 We have been somewhat surprised of late o to find that some of our respected fellovv--2 citizens have run into unjustifiable extremes o upon the subject of teetotalism : so much so o that the columns of the Sydney Herald have 0 been occupied in setting forth the grievances o of a lew members of one of the churches of 0 Nelson, which grievances, it appears, have q arisen from the fact of teetotalism having o been made a matter of conscience in the n ordinances of religion. Far better would it n be if these minor vexed questions were kept f out of the church, and out of the newspapers too, as points of religious dispute. The subject matter of complaint hjw Ueew . 4- ■

printed and published in Nelson, in the form of a pamphlet, a copy of which was duly forwarded to us for review, but on a perusal of it we found that we could say nothing in its favor, we then thought it better to be silent, and if we recur to it now it is because we feel grieved that a truly philanthropic and glorious cause should receive the slightest injury by such vague attempts at book-making as the pamphlet alluded to. The author, Mr. W. Cresswell, has chosen a very inapt sentence by way of title—'Truth in Love;' for we certainly can find very little genuine truth in the book, and the only particle of love is in the title : the whole pamphlet appears to us to be eminently characterised by the negation of all Christian charity — teetotalism being insisted upon as a constituent part of Christianity: therefore a man to be a consistent Christian must be a staunch teetotaller. It is argued that Christianity does not admit of the use of anything injurious to man, physically, mentally, or morally; that stimulation of the flesh by any material substance is injurious : therefore Christianity does not admit of the use of wine or strong drink. And yet, strange to say, our worthy author actually recommends roast beef, which, oi all natural stimulants is the most stimulating. Why not exist solely on vegetable diet? But we really begin to fear that should all stimulants be rejected there will, be very little left even to vegetate upon. We are then told that Mr. W. Cresswell has collected a vast amount of material with which he intends to enlighten the world. If we may be allowed to suggest a title, it would be ' Charity in Action.' The last thing which we shall notice in this we believe maiden production is that wbich we think to be the gist of the whole matter, and which is just this, a few teetotal members of the Wesleyan church had determined on carrying their extreme notions so far as to refuse to partake of the wine at the sacrament. This exception was first permitted by the then presiding minister; the last and present superintendent of the circuit has however discountenanced such a course. Mr. Cresswell has written this pamphlet to complain of the treatment they have received, and has made a wholesale onslaught (all in love we presume) on not only his own church, but on all who, professing Christianity, in every age, from the first inst tution of the sacrament to the present day inclusive, have risked becoming drunkards by partaking of fermented yyine at the celebration of this ordinance with a futile attempt to prove that the wine used at its introduction was not intoxicating. Certainly the bread was not fermented; there can be no doubt here : then why not use passover cakes? We are not, however, so sure about the wine; we believe most firmly that it was fermented and that it was intoxicating. In fact we thought this matter had been set at rest long since. We well remember the point being agitated nearly twenty years ago by the publication of a correspondence between Mr. Owen Clarke, Secretary of the British and Foreign Temperance Society, and Mr. Lindenthall, Secretary of the Jewish Synagogue^ London. Mr. Lindemhall then stated that • the spirit contained in the wines used by the Jews at the passover service had been permitted to become evolved, but.that it was pure and free from any adulterating admixture, and that it undoubtedly possessed the power of intoxication.' The Rev. C. F. Frey, author of the work entitled * Joseph and Benjamin,' at the same time also stated:—'The Jews confine the meaning of the words leavened and fermented to the yeast of grain only, and not to the natural aud proper fermentation of the grape; and that as the wines in common use are known to be generally adulterated with spirits made from grain, the utmost care is taken to have the wine made expressly for the passover, so that nothing leavened, the produce of grain, may be mixed with it. The wine is made in the ordinary way by parties duly appointed for the purpose, undergoes its due course of fermentation, and is therefore intoxicating.'

In conclusion, we will presume to advise Mr. Cresswell and his friends to enjoy their own opinions, and views and recommend them by their example and influence, but to let that love of which he speaks prevent him from setting up himself and his views as a standard of truth for the Christian world and from condemning all those who walk not according to bis rules.