The Columbian fountain., 1846-04-29
A SERMOl

| A SERMON
| Preached at the Centre Church, Brattle-
boro' VT, Dec. 2sth, 1915.
| BY REV. CHARLES WALKER.
81 "But nudge this rather, that mo man put a
stumblinq block, or an occasion to talL IN
/ his brothers. way."-Rom. IA /; l3
Concluded
The excuse which some vendors OF IN
toxicating drinks make viz that they DO
not sell TO drunkards or to those who are
now drunk, is the most ffimsy of all apol-
ogies for wrong doing. Why, it is far
less evil to sell to drunkard than it is to
sell to comparatively sober man The
drunkard is already ruined in all probabil-
ity. But the comparatively sober man may
be kept safe, if he is not tempted to 60 IN
the way Of destruction would DO nell
ther; buff were obliged to choose which
would do, would certainly sell gallon
TO an aged drunkard, sooner than aslngle
glass to hitherto virtuous and sober young
man. The latter, have no doubt. would
be the greater crime in the sight OF Cod
however human opinions or human laws
might regard it.
There is, there can be no excuse for
selling spirtuous liquors as beverage, nor
for furnishing the means for doing it. 1t
is wrong in itself-it is putting a stumbling
block or occasion to fall in brothers
way"
Bird. All who lend their aid and infiu-
ence in giving licenses to sell intoxicating
liquors to be drunk as beverage, are char
geable with the guilt of" putting stun
bling block or occasion to fall in a brothers
way"
The whole system of licenses is bad
one-it is vicious in itself and always was
A license to do a wrong thing cannot make
it right. But it has the effect of quietlng
the conscience ofhim who is engaged in the
wrong doing, and of preventing the com
munity from ridding itself of nuisance
If there were no licenses to sell spirits, and
if there never had been any, there is more
than one house in the village which might
be indicted at commen law as public nu-
isance, and be suppressed as pest in So
ciety. But under the sanction ofa license,
that is made lawful which is in itself ini-
quiious, and is the mother of denominations,
And the public mind, under the influence
of the license system, has been SO trained
and corrupted that it bears and sustains the
evil.
Just look at the matter. II was always
known that the tree and promiscuous sale
of Intoxicating liqnors was an evil against
which society should guard itself, Hence
laws were made against it. Noman has
right to sell without lisense. In regard
to other articles oftrafhc, it is not so. Any
man, who can furnish them and lind pur-
chasers, has ght to sell flour or meat,
or any other article not injurious to the con-
sinners. But if man would sell lntoxI-
eating liquors, l. e. if he would sell an ar
tcle which is injurious to the consumers
he must obtain HSenSe to do It, And
TINS law is made to sanction wrong doug.
II holds its broad shield over the man, who
is destroying individuals and iDjurlng So
cietv and makes the man feel contented
while committing the wrong-it quiets his
conscience, for he pleads that he is only
doing what the law sanctions
There never was greater mistake IN le-
o;slation than that Of the granting of license
to sell spirtuous liquors to be drank as
beverage. True, in the origin of this mis-
take there was some apology for it. In the
earlv settlement OF our country, it was not
known how great would be the evils OF IL
censipg the traffic Then there was no com
mon and general habit in drinking Of spirit
in the community. 1t was only OCCASION
allv and at intervals-on festival occasions
and the like. Then, too, spirituous liquors
were SO dear that very few could afford to
4 II yarticuar fipnpa