Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1849-1856, 1852-04-08
With all Difference for the opinions OF


millions of those for whom he died.
The fact is, as all conversant with the
scriptures know, that two kinds Of
wine are there spoken of, one Of
which is pronounced blessing and
the other "a mocker" or "curse." In
regard to this matter there is no con-
troversy. The question at issue is,
what wine is a blessing, and what
wine is a curse.
In order to understand this sub bjcct,
shall not only consult the Bible to
clucidatc it, but such other authorities
as are within my reach. If no other
light could be brought to bear upon it,
but that which shines upon the sacred
page, ] am free to confess it ought to
be sufficient to vindicatc this miracle
even from suspicion; but | rejoice
that we have other evidence, and that
God has very kindly afforded the most
ample means, wherewith to prove the
truth of his blessed revelation.
Wine is word of great ambiguity,
not on y as spoken ofin the Bible, but
also in all winc-growing countries
Doct. Hewitt, who has been great
traveller, speaking on this subject,
says-"N is indeed one of the most
ambi guous words in the language.-
Let us glance at list of its various
meanings, from the pure blood of the
grape, fresh and unfurmentcd, pressed
with the hand from the ripe cluster in
to the cup of Pharoah, by his chief
Butler, to the motley mixture of rye
whlskey, cream-tarter, nicaragua, SUI
gar-of-lead and impure water, manu-
featured in New York and Boston,
for sale pure as impOrtcd,' and all
other itoxlcating mixtures now in use,
called wine. Pharoah and others
drank liquor which we know
could not have caused the least
degree of intoyication, and that too
was called wine. Barley water, wheth-
er an innocent household decoction,
or a nauseous and mischevious fer.
mentation, has been extensively called
wine. The juice of the pllm-tree,
whether fermentcd or unfermented,
has been called wine, and so has the
birch. The Malay has but one name
for the innocent milk of the cocoa-nut,
the juice ofthe palm, and the powerful
| Iy Intoxicating Installations from Rice;
that nlme is synonymous with wine,
for il is ali the word he has for the
jnIce of the grape, termented and un-
| fermcnted, and the distilled liquors
furnished him by Europeans and
Americans. The Mlhonmodan un-
derstands his prophets prohibition of
wine, to dcbar him from the use of
London porter, and Holland gin,
equally with the uice of the palm and
the grape. Solomon tells of the wine
of the pomegranate. The Juice of varl-
Gus other fruits and melons have been
called wine. In this country the luce
of the currant has been called wine,
and is extensively used as such in
the sacrament of the Lords supper
Every thrifty English housewife knows
! that the Juice of the gooseberry, the
raspberry and the clderberry is wine
and you have only to pass into some
parts Of Europe, to hear the juice of
the apple, the pear and the peach
called by the same name.
"What then is wine and what is
proved or disproved by showing that
the Savior used wine? and the scrip
lures mention it as a blessing, unless
we know, not merely the name, but
the thing signiied by it? We have
to do NTH things. would not con-
denim an innocent thing because it
was called wine. | would not use
poisonous one because it is called by
the same name. Doubtless the scrip
lures do not contradict themselves,
consequently they do not call wine
ga mocker," and then call wine ga
blessing" and yet mean in both pass
ages the same thing; mocker is not
"A blessing, nor does God thus deceive
us. When the Scriptures say that
God repents, and that he does not re-
pent, aud that he tempted no man, and
that he tempted Abraham, they do not
contradict themselves, because the
same word, in the different paragraphs,
mean entirely different things. This
necessarily results from the impcrfcc-
tion of human language. Why, then,
may we not infer that when the Scrip
lures alternately approve and condemn
wine, they mean different things.
"What is our next step obviously
to determine the line or distinction be-
tween the approved and the prohibited
wines"
We have d WI thus largely upon
this cmincul man, because nothing
could seer to be more directly to tho
purpose. To this testimony could be
added that of the 'at temperance
Apostles, Delavan, &c ddo,! and many
others, but it canno, be ne, -ssary.-
Those who arc not convinced from
proof like this, must be more or less
prcjadiced, and consequently it is
hardly worth time further tn oilcrit.-
Considering then, that the fact is cs-
tablshcd, that the WINE mIraculously
produced by the Savior was that de-
nominated ga blessing" although
called by the same name as that de-
dominated "a mocker," we unhesita-
,ingly declare that i, was the samo