Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1858-08-17

Rev. j, &c Adams Lecture ON Wine
Drinking.
The Universalist church crowded to its
utmost capacity, Sunday evening, to hear the
fourth of the course of temperance lectures by
our clergymen. The lecture by Rev. Mr.. Adams
was one OF the best ever had the pleasure of
listening to. We are sure he touched at the root
OF the matter, when he viewed the wine drinking
customs of our times as the source of most of
our drunkenness. We heartily wish that the
whole lecture might be published, and not only
published, but carried out into practice. The
following brief report will give but faint idea
of the lecture it wants the eloquence and ear
nestness of the speaker to give it more power;
The subject was Wine Drinking: and the text
Proverbs 70: 81, 80. "LOok not thou upon the
wine when it is red &c. At the last it biteth like
serpent and stingeth like an adder" Alb
stlnence from the use Of intoxicating wines
as a beverage, seemed, to the speaker, to
De the doctrine of the text nothing less, moth
ing more. Physiologically, man is thus warned
and directed. Any creature comfort of God of
actual benefit to man, may be properly used by
him. Abstinence from all intoxicating wine is
snJoined not because wine is good creature, but
because 1t is an evil thing Nowhere in the BIZ
BILE are these statements eontradicted. The
speaker went specially and at some length into
consideration of the Bible question as to the uses
OF wine, fermented and unfermented, citing pas
sages IN the Old Testament where wine drinking
is lnterdicted or the Of it in certain instances
allowed. References, in particular, were also
made to the example of our Savior, his first mir
acle, the eucharist, and the of wine medici.
nally, as in the Gaze of Paul's advice to Timothy
In the New Testament. II any would Justify
wine drinking from our Lords miracle at the mar
rage, the speaker thought they ought to be care
full to procure an article such as our Lord fur
nIghed pT,fa
Other preparations, or simplest drinks, might be
used at the Lords Supper. Medicinal wines
might be of home manufacture, with but little of
the alcoholic in them, and taken in small quaHti-
ties, as Paul advised Timothy. Had this young
apostle been a wine drinker this PRESCRIPTION
would not have been given him.
Quite an expose given of the infamous
work Of drugging liquors, and making all kinds
OF artificial wines Of the worst of mix lures, and
OF the extensive use of these destructive drinks,
all over our land. Many instances were cited to
show this fearful work was continually going on
The culture of the grape was alluded to, and the
dement's Of this culture, if the fruit could be used
as food, principally. Its extensive manufacture
into intoxicating drinks, would serve to encour-
age the counterfeit wines.
In regard to the effects of wine drinking, in
wine growing countries, some very striking evil
dences were adduced to show that these effects
are, on the whole, evil.
Here, then, was principle here were facts
And from them the speaker made his earnest
appeols, to Christians, that they take Just ground
on the subject of temperance, and maintain it,
through evil and good report to all good cit.
zens, that they exert their influence, by word
and example. for the right. They cannot elude
responsibility here there can be no purIfica.
ton of their indifference. More could now be
done IN our own city for temperance, if the drink.
ing usages Of our homes were different. Here is
one oil our greatest hindrances. Appeals to the
law, to the gity government, appeals to have
temperance candidates for Office supported, and
all this, were of but little avail so long as
this evil of home and social wine drinking
aoounded. Let the greater part, a respectable
majority Of our fellow citizens, feel TO their souls
depths the binding force of the doctrine of the
text and how long would this apathy in respect
TO the making and sale of these liquid poisons
here prevail An appeal to parents mas made,
and startling facts stated in reference to the
drinking habits of the young men of our city.
ANY father who could sneer at the temperance
cause and refuse to aid or countenance it, while
his sons might be among the fastest drivers and
drinkers OF the place where they lived he thought
was troubled with kind of parental insanity
An appeal to young men and women was made
IN view OF their responsibilities in the present
and tor the future and of the dreadful ravages of
the evil of drinking with the youth of our lond
Inc temperance cause is a eoork 1t had lost,
because this fact had been too little regarded
Our public opinion needs vitalizing and strength
ehihg anew Law, alone, had been, recently, too
much depended on and old drinking habits re-
vlved. The law of Conscience, as we'll as thu leg.
lsiauVe law, needs new and wider existence and
application. We need it 10 individual example.
in home influences, social observances, in our
Bands of Hope" for the young, in associations
Of the "Sons and Daughters of Temperance" in
the union of those of every age and station of
lie In our community, who would say to the work
OF the destroyer, Thus far shalt thou 90. and no
farther" The speaker closed in a truthful para.
phase OF the text By an American poet The ad.
dress occupied more than an hour in the delivery.
but was listened to with the utmost attention by
the large audience.