Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1844-04-05

w no gave MIN tlldt uTlllk IL Is hnuWi WI"
gave it to him. 1t is knowd by whom the Of
fence came. In the name Of Christ ! say
"Woe to that man" 1t is known who minis
tered to that poor boy the maddening draught.
The finger of Indignation, anticipating the judy
tnent of God, points to the new dramshop with
its entcing appearance of responsibility, where
the drink was administered From that dram
shop from the corrupter of morals who stood
that night dispensing drunkenness-came the
madness which produced the riotous outbreak.
Upon that threshold is the stain of blood, to be
removed, not by the profession of change, but
by repentance, and by "works meet for repent
ance" "Woe TO that man by whom the
offence cometh!'
Who gave TO that young man the maddenng
drink Who tempted him! Who led him
along, hand joined in hand to the carousal, to
the putting on of DISCUSSES, to the scene of mis-
chief, TO the mean, cowardly crime Of breaking
at the dead of night, with heavy and dangerous
missiles, the windows of an unoiiendng fellow
student In him has come to pass, in part that
which is written, "A companion of fools shall
be Destroyed Who are they that have been
bis companions, and that have led him thus far
towards utter destruction Who are they in
whose company he encouraged himself in dsre-
garding the necessary regulations. and in resist
ing the constituted authorities of the institution
whose privileges he was permitted to enjoy (?
Who are they in whose company he was en-
Outraged TO practice that language of hell
which broke from his furious lips as the dagger
went to lis aim Who are they in whose COM
pany these low-lived sns-;hese base forfeit
ures Of the honor which thoy plighted at t leir
mairicula,ion--thes drunken frolcs-.these das-
tardly midnight outrages-seened to him like
marks Of spirit and of gentlemanly breeding
Some Of them may be here tonight. Let me
say then to them, you are parakers in his sins,
as he is in yours; on You rests dread respon-
sibility in regard to his moral character before
God, as on him in regard to yours you partake
in the responsibility even of that horrid act the
offence came by you; the stain of that blood
reaches even to your souls.
And does not the responsibility reach farther
still !-Who gave the guilty boy the drink that
madjencd him Tell me whose influence goes
to form that state of public opinion, which tol-
crates and keeps up those bloody dens of intox.
cation at which the morals of our youth are cor
rupted! How happens it that man dares to
come TO such place as this, and open shop
for the purpose Of training men to outrage and
crime =! Who are responsible in this respect
| can tell who are not. Those who in their own
practice conscientious,y abstain from all intoxi-
eating drink. Those who are known to be the
! pledged, uncompromsing enemies of all that
leads TO drunkenness. Those whose influence
is continually crying, Beware look not up
on the wine when it is red" Whatever these
mems inirmities may be--whatever eXtravagan-
ces and errors may be justly imputed to them
whatever sins they may have to confess before
God--this offence comes not by them.
Can y0u say that the offence comes not by
you? If the example which you give to the
community tends to uphold the habjtual or the
festive use of those drinks which madden the
brain, can you lift up your head, untrembling,
10 COD, and ask, Lord, is it | :" If you, in
your eXclusiveness, stand aloof from the great
movement of the Temperance reformaton--if
you make light of this kind of plilanthropy-if
you contcmn the vulgarity of "Washingtouian-
SNIFF the "red wine" "moveth itself Alright"
| at your tab", and passes round at your festive
| entertainments, can you say before God that
| this offence comes not by you! The young
man who, by the use of wine for revelry, has
been led TO the commission Of 50 blasting
crime, has shared perhaps in the hospitality of
pf otr fa,niliac D,,La,,- h., l,., L. 1
m'lted to the clvities of acquaintanceship in
your family, and to the enjoyments of fashion,
able society in your dwelling. If so, wkat was
the lesson which you gave him there If he
had been invited to your entertainments, tell
me, what would have been to him the language
of your wine glasses! Gods wisdom saws to
the young man, " Look not thou upon the wine
when 1t Is red.' You reverse that lesson. You
say, in effect to your own son, if you have one
and to all who share the fashionable inequalities
of your dwelling-nay, all who know your posi-
ton in respect to this matter, you say in effect.
Look thou upon the wine when it is red, when
it gveth its color in the cup, when it moyeth
itself Alright" Tell me-tell me, by whom
cometh the offence Tell me, have not you
somewhat to repent of, somewhat for which to
cry, IS Deliver Inc from blood -guiltness oh God
thou God of my salvation
Let that serious lesson which has been thus
teebly illustrated, he deeply engrayen on every
mind. "Woe to the world because of offences !
Woe to that man by whom the offence comelh!"
lie who influences men to sin, whether by
teaching and maintaining false prime pies of &C.
ton, or by tn" fatal power of pernicious exam
pie, or by spreading temptation, like snares and
pitfalls, in the path of the unwary, or simply by
encouraging the transgressor in his way to
death-he brings woe upon the world, and the
justice of God will bring a woe upon his soul.
Let him repent then, while there is yet "space
for repentance" and call upon forgiving God
while there Is yet "day of salvation" Let
every man look with careful, trembling circum-
spectlon into the tendencies of that influence by