A Cure for Tobacco by Editor

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Aug 21, 1884

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 10, No. 32.

A Cure for Tobacco.

By Editor

To ALL who are enslaved by the despotic power of the weed, we prescribe the following infallible cure:—

1. Do not trifle with the habit.

2. Do not imagine that you can drop this drug by degrees. Use little as you please, and you nourish an appetite which never dies, so long as fed with one morsel of aliment.

3. Use no substitutes.

4. Do not merely try to abandon tobacco. Trying and doing are two different things.

5. Abandon it now—now and forever.

6. Go to God in prayer; cry mightily to him for the appetite to be destroyed, as well as for grace to enable you to carry out your resolution. Fully trust him to do this for you, and it shall be done; yes, effectually done. "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another; and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son, cleanseth us from all sin." 1 John 1:7. Hallelujah!

We have seen the effectual working of this remedy; in our pastoral labors we have been privileged to witness a great many cases of salvation from the tobacco appetite. Their united testimony is, that they have a cleaner body, purer breath, improved health, a quicker conscience, more money, a better appetite, steadier nerves, a clearer intellect, and, best of all, great peace with God. One old man in particular, testifies that he had used it for seventy years, but God has completely taken from him all desire for the weed! Thank God for a clean salvation. If the Son, therefore, shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Tobacco-using, though a dreadful evil, is only one of the many popular "works of the flesh," and though a man give up his weed, unless he renounces all other sins, he is in danger of hell. Reform, then, that is not based on a surer foundation than the mere cutting down of one of the branches of the tree of depravity, is not, and cannot be effectual. Something more radical than this must be done before the victim of the pipe or the cup can be a truly reformed man. The ax must be laid to the root of the tree. See Matt. 3:10. There must be a mighty change wrought in his soul by the power of the Holy Ghost saving him from the bondage of all depraved appetites and habits, and making him "a new creature." When this work of salvation has been wrought, the emancipated soul will neither want tobacco, strong drink, opium, snuff, cards, billiards, nor any other sensual indulgence; most assuredly he will not need to join a temperance society to keep him from drink and tobacco. Every chain is broken and he has victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil.—Earnest Christian.