Democratic Sentinel, Volume 3, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 March 1879 — “Take a Little Wine for Thy Stomach’s Sake.” [ARTICLE]

“Take a Little Wine for Thy Stomach’s Sake.”

ESSAY READ BY MR. FRANK W. BABCOCK Al* THE TEMPERANCE MEETING, MONDAY EVENING, MARCH Bd. It seems to be a rule of hamsu thought and conduct that lor every act of doubtful propriety we seek justification in tome respectable authority. The popular notion is, not whether the thing is morally and abstraclty right or wrong, Uufe “can I find some respectable justification for it?” Especially do men try to justify their acts, bad as well as good, by authority of scripture. Atheist and Christian, believer and unbelievers, alike are content to fall back upon some one or more isolated passages of holy writ in defense of some questionable habit or dubious conduct. Those who boldly deny the divine authority of the bible, and refuse to accept its moral code as the rule of true moral conduct, or its revealed plan of salvation as the true way to eternal life, still dare, before a Christian world, to rest their ill seeming acts or manifest vices upon some declaration of the scripture. Following this rule, whether sincere or not, we frequently hear bibbiers, and the conservative friends of bibbling, quoting Paul’s suggestion to Timothy, “take a little wine for thy stomach’s sake,” as scriptural authority for dram drinking; and as for further conclusive authority from the same source, is cited, the miracle of Jesus converting water into wine at the naarriags feast in Caana of Gallilee. It would be difficult, to do greater violence to the scriptures upon any one rule of moral conduct than to assume they teach or tolerate the use of intoxicants as a beverage, in the way they are ordinarily used. The scriptures are consistent with themselves in teachings; always harmonious wltyn understood. Therefore let us briefly examine this subjects What were the circumstances under which the suggestion was made by Paul to Timothy, “Drink no longer water but take a little wine for thy slom ach’s sake and thine often infirmities”? For many years Timothy had been engaged inthe work of an evangelist, spreading “the good news of the kingdom.” He had traveled from place te place; had suffered over-fatigue, hardships and deprivations; he had been buffeted scoffed, persecuted, despised, stoned and imprisoned. Those were not days of steamboats and state rooms; railroads and palace cars. That was not the enlightened age of the 19th century nor the cultivated civilization of present Europe or America. They were the days of donkeys and foot travel, camels and small crude sail boats on the Mediterranean. They were the days of Jewish Christianity in its infancy; the age of Asiatic ignorance and supersti tion and of Roman misrule and tyranny. They were (he days to Christian evangelists of sandals and bread and water; of persecu tions, mobs, violence and no salary nor quarterly coiled ions. Timothy had borne it all in meekness and patience and persisted in the work of his master’s kingdom. He had risen to the highest office in the church as much on the account of his exemplary habits as for his devoted * energy to the work. He was noted for his abstemiousness. His habits were guarded with austerity. But he had now become infirm; he was

wearing out with his nerve exhausting labors and needed some simple remedy to assist nature to rally the physical powers. Paul knew him thoroughly. They had been com* panions in travels for many years and together had suffered the trials and hardships incident to their evangelical work. Thusintimately knowing Timothy, liis rigorous temporate habits, his strong resolution, his safe self control, Paul, could safely and properly say to him, “take a little wine tor your stomach’s sake and your many infirmities.” But Paul did not sug-* gest any such thing to the world generally nor even to his fellow Christians; but on the contrary, as we shall see, he left many direct and positive injunctions against the use of intoxicants, and exhortations

to temperance and sobriety. But what about Jesus furnishing wine for the wedding? Jesus embraced many opportunities to manifest God’s power in him. The miracle of converting water into wine was only one of these many manifestations. He did not rec ommend the use of wine as a beverage. Himselfordisciples w ere never found drunk, we do not even find any record of their visiting, saloons, buying by the quart or s favoring a license of the traffic. The bible permits one to take life in self defense, but it does not allow murder. So the spirit would suffer Paul to recommend wine purely as a curative remedy to the rigidly temperate and abstemious Timothy, but it never winked at drunkenness nor in. any manner authorized dissipation. “Wine is a mocker, and strong drink is raging,” declares the wise man by inspiration, “■and whosoever is deceived thereby is not

wise.” Again he warns us: “He that lovelh wine shall not be rich.” “Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow? Who hath babbling? Who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that seek mixed wine.” “Look not on it when it is red in the cup.” “At last it hiteth like a serpent and sjingeth like an adder.” “Give strong drink,” he says, “to him that is ready to perish,” but again, “be not among wine bibbiers.” Isaiah says: “Woe unto them that rise up in the morning that they may follow strong drink; that they may continue until wine inflames them.” “Harp and wine are in their feasts but they regard not the work of the Lord.” Again he tells us: “They also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way.” Paul to the Ephesians says: “Be not drunk with wine.” And in his first epistle to Timothy he warns him that a bishop must be “not given to wine.” He repeats this to Titus, writing that eo-laborer: “Not given to wine. * * Sober, holy, temperate. The prophet Hosea gives as one of the idolatries that caused the estrangement of the Jews from God, that they “love flagons of wine.” The same prophet declares “Wine and new wine taketli away, tl.e heart.” Habakkuk, speaking of the condemnation which shall overtake the wicked, says: “Yea also because he transgresseth by wine.” Solomon declares the dangers of strong drink again to Lemuel: ‘‘lt is not for kings to drink wine; : nor for princes ’ strong drink, lest they drink and forget the law and pervert judgment.” Paul to the Gallatians classes drunkenness with the vilest offenses and says: “They that do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” Solomon compares strong drink to a thorn: ‘‘As a thorn goeth up in the hands of a drunkard.” This is a forcible illustration. How many thousands who have ignored this wise hint have found to their sorrow that this indulgence has become not only a painful jagger in the stomach but that the thorn has sprouted, grown, scattered its seed and spread its roots until its irritating barbs are wrecking a thousand nerves in all parts of the body. The scriptures teach no such dangerous or destructive habit. The bible teaches not only Christianity to cLristians and to all who would 4>e such, but it teaches good moral Jaw, correct physical habits, sound business principles and common sense generally. Quotations might be multiplied almost ad infinitum condemnatory of the vice of intemperance, but in all the teachings of holy writ there can not be found one license to indulge the destructive passion nor palliation of its practice. Away, then, with biblical quotations justifying dram-drinking. Tne bible teaches temperance as a part of Christianity, as a rule of morality, as a maxim of hygene, as a business necessity, as a prerequisite to success in any enterprise of life. It condemns.intemperance in all its forms and under whatever pretense or guise.

5 The attention of the public is invited to the Adamantine Pavement, as an article deserving special consider ation. This pavement is a Portland Cement Betun, which, though soft and plastic when laid, solidifies into a stone of great hardness, surnassing many of the best natural stons, in strengths density and durability. It is moulded cn the walks in blocks of any form, size and thickness, which do not combine and Interlock, and may, if desh ed, be taken up and lelaid like ordinary flagstone. From its plastic nature it may be laid on curved and irregular walks, with the same facility as on straight ones, and without that waste of material ami extra expense that pertains to the fitting of stone. It may be made «1 most as white as marble, or tinted to imita’e blue, brown and other sand stone. It is rich, eleg ant, durable and cheap. The most desirable pavement yet introduced for either private grounds or publi sidewalks. It has a wide and varied application, and numerous testimonials cau be furnished from those who have practical ly tested its merits. Walks that have been in use five years are as level, sound and perfect to-day as when just finished, and to all appearance will last a century. Inquiries and orders respectfully solicited. -Address,

I. S. KINGSBURY

Monticello Ind.