The Cecil Whig., 1874-08-15
SACRAMENTAL WINES,
From the Phrenoloqicn1 Journal

From the Phrenological Journal
There is confusion among commentators
theologians, rabbis, and priests as to the
sort of wine Christ made for the marriage
feast. One maintains that it was " fer.
mented,' and therefore Intoxicating: an
other, that it was simply expressed grape-
juice, called the fruit of the vine:'' an.
other, that it was magnetized water: and
another, that it was miracle, therefore
impossible of explanation.
| Now what is wanted to settle the ones.
tion is right Interpretation of the Scrip.
ture. If it can be made to appear that
Christ made an intoxicating drink, or that
lie commended its use, or that lie was
indeed, what His enemies represented Him
to be, "glutton and a wine-bibber," then
many Of the so-called Christians of today
will Justify themselves in I" following His
example" even in this respect. There are
others, however, who will not believe that
Christ was glutton OF drunk ard. They
will accept any theory as to the fact about
His making "wine out of water" rather
than that He encouraged habit which lead
directly to drunkenness, death, and hell.
And, since each individual human being is
personally responsible for the safety of his
own soul as well as for the health of his
own body, it is right and proper that each
should interpret the meaning of the Scrip
lures in this and other matters for himself.
In other words, each of us may do our own
thinking, and not "pin our faith on any
mans sleeve"
What were the wines of Scripture p
Were the wines of the jewish passover fer
mented wines? Would such wine as was
used at the marriage feast intoxicated
Was the wine used at the Lords Supper
a distilled or fermented Intoxicating drink
No mans ipsa dirH can settle the question.
We may, by going back and learning what
were the customs of the people among
whom Christ lived, labored, and taught,
infer what sorts of food they eat, and what
were their drinks. There is no account of
distilleries among the Jews in Christ's
time, as we have among bad Christians
to-day. There was 10 Bourbon, Irish,
Scotch or other whiskies. There was no
champagne to give unnatural vivacity, to
be followed by headache. Christ asked a
blessing on none of these. But what did
He approve or use ? Let us see. Here is
the testimony of learned Hebrew rabbi,
DR.. S. NJ. lsaacs, editor of an influential
inin bo
who says:
"In the Holy Land they do not COM
monty use fermented wines. The best
wines are preserved sweet and unferment-
ed. In reference to their customs at their
religious festivals he said, The Jews do
not, in their feasts for sacred purposes,
Including the marriage feast, ever use any
kind of fermented drinks In their obla-
tions, both private and public, they en-
ploy the fruit of the vine-that is, the
fruit of fresh grapes and of rasins-as the
symbol of benedictiop. Fermentation is
to them always symbol of corruption, as
in nature and science it is itself decay, rot
tenness."
From this the inference is clear that the
custom of the people of that country was
to use the unfermented juice Of tile .frut
and this can not intoxicate. We are d
posed to believe, with the rabbi, that CHI
had no reference to Intoxicating drink
when lie made wine of water, and that
is a percersion of Scripture to claim t
He did.
The testimony of Rabbi Isaacs
The practices of the Jewish people
elusive. 1t settles the question s.,
mooted, 'What was the best wiz
by Jesus Christ for the marriage
Cana? And not less decisive
show what was that fruit of,
used by Him at the institution of
Supper. This sacred Christian
confessedly substitute for e
ately followed the Jewish
Passover from which all fer
bread as well as wine-a
cluded The pretence tt
drink was in any form
aged by Him who 'ca,r
was lost must be :,
fore one can hope
entirely, even fir
the communion
gin first at the