Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-06-08
MAY CHRISTIANS DRINK WlNEp


Strong scriptural Authority for Moder-
alto Indulgence in Intoxicating Liquors.
New York sun.
This question, asked Of lis by New
Jersey friend, is easily answered.
In your editorial under the hend Of "A CUES.
ton Christians Cannot Debate you aver that
Christians with the example Of Jesus before
them, cannot consistently coHdamn The use of
intoxicating drinks as II beverage; also that
Christ Himself was II drinker of wine. VIII
you kindly tell me how you make out the
above, and whore in the Bible 1t says that
Christ INDUCED in Intoxicating drinks?
W, L. i.
In the 3Sd and saith verses of the VII.
chapter of st. Luke it is written;
For John the Baptist came neither eating
bread nor drinking wine; and sc say, lie hath
a devil. The Son ofman is come eating ant
drinking: and 70 say, Behold a gluttonous
man, aud a winebibber, friend Of publcans
and sinners.
when they wanted wine" at the mar
riage in Cana of Galilee," as the chapter
II. of st. John records "the mother of
Jesus saith unto him, they have no Wine"
Then this occurred
Jesus saith unto them. MI the water pots
with water And they filed them up 10 the
brlm. Ana ho saith unto thom. Draw out
now, and bear unto tho governor of the feast.
And they bare 1t. When the ruler al the feast
mad tnsted tho water that WAS made wine,
ana knew hot whence IT. was (but the servants
WHO ureW the water knew, mo governor OF
the feast called tho bridegroom, and saith
unto him, Every man at the beginning doth
set forth good wine, and whom men havs well
drunk, then that which is worse; but thou hast
kept tho good wine until now.
ltappears, therefore, that Jesus not only
furnished a miraculous supply Of wine,
but that he produced ii after the guests
had already well drunk" and among
those guests, as the evangelist records,
were both Jesus and His disciples, the OBJ
vlous inference being that He partoUk
of the beverage along with the others. He
would not have made this beginning OF
miracles BY changing water into wine ii
He had objected to the Use OF wine even
in considerable quantities.
st Matthew tells us that at the insti-
tuition Of the Holy supper, Jesus took
the cup, and gave thanks and gave it to
them, saying, drink ye all of it. But ! say
unto You, | will not drink henCefurth Of
| this fruit ot the vine until that day when
| drink II new with you in my Father
| Kingdom,
st, Paul admonishes IT. Timothy to
| drink no longer water bu. use little
wine for thy stomach'S sake and thine
often niirmitles." AT the time OF Jesus.
| too, the drinking of wine to intoxiCatiun
| was an even more serious owl III society
| than it Is now. In the early Christian
community intemperance was Il danger
4 against which ST. Paul and st, Peter often
| warn the churches. IL is thus made plain
| that the wine used was Intoxicating, and
| that It's excessive Use was both frequent
! ANA regarded as a vice, though complete
| abstentOn from its consumption, as in
the case UE the Nlzaritcs when Under theiI
| vow, was mark Of extraordinary asUeti
| clsm. Among the Jews the drinking OF
wine was general
An attempt has been made to prove that
the wine miraculously produced and APP
pArently haDllually used by Jesus was ui
termented, but the theory is utterly TN
tcnaDlc. 1t has not u leg to stand upon
The wines used by the ancieuts were in
tOXlcating, and drunkenness was Conse
quently a terrible evil in the society of til,
time. 1t was grave evil even iii the day
of Noah, WIN, rs we are told in Genesis
planted vineyard and did drink of tn,
wine and was drunken" The shameless
daughters of Lot made their father drinl
wine SO that he became stupidity drunk,
yet its use is not forbidden i'll the OF,
Testament, unless To the priests duriul
their performance Of sacred functions
they beng at liberty to drink 1t at othe
Tunes. though intoxicating, its use rs
beverage was permitted, it was described
aS blessing, and IL was employed 70
sacred purposes. IL was poured out AS
drink Offering to God 1t is said of it tina
it "maketh glad the heart OF man" an
''cheereth both God and man"
car New Jersey friend must see, then
that Christians, under the law of their IT
ligion aud the preCept and example .
Jesus, have no ground for debating whcthe
the use Of intoxicating beverages is sinful
Neltheris there any reason for such debat
among MOhammedanS, for III eSpIes
terms he drinking of thos. beverages
forbidden to them as sin.