his feet. "Intemperance is the voluntary extinction of reason. And is it not a great crime for a man voluntarily to deprive himself of the reason that God has given him. And the man that is voluntarily instrumental of depriving a man of his reason, is more criminal than the drunkard is. And Col. Gibbens and all other importers, distillers, whole-sale dealers, retailers, and dram sellers, are instrumental of depriving thousands of men in Massachusetts of their reason, and their families of the comforts of life. They are in a moral sense, hurling deadly arrows, fire-brands and death through the commonwealth. And because the legislature of this State has exercised the power that God and the framers of the constitution, has fully given the general court, to check drunkards and drunkard makers, they are "full of wrath," and cry out, saying that the license law is an assumption of arbitrary despotic power, and those that submit to such a law, "but invite and deserve its consequent curse.' This is like Athaliah crying out son, treason," when Jehoash was proclaimed king over Judah.

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Athaliah was a worshipper of Baal, and the mother of Ahaziah. "And when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal." But Joash was saved from her destructive hand, and was anointed by Jehoiada king over Judah. "And when Athaliah heard the voice of the guard and of the people, she came to the people into the temple of the Lord. And when she looked, behold, the king stood by a pillar, as the manner was, and the princes and the trumpeters by the king, and all the people of the land rejoiced, and blew with their trumpets. And Athaliah rent her clothes, and cried, Treason, treason." And Athaliah was engaged in as good a cause, in worshipping and in promoting the worship of Baal, and even in destroying "the seed royal," as the dealers in ardent spirits now are. For the importers, and distillers, and other dealers in intoxicating

liquors in the United States, have been the means of making thousands and millions of human beings miserable, and of destroying hundreds of thousands of human lives. The evil of intemperance is infinite. It was a very great crime in the sight of God for Ahab to take the life of Nabath, and then take possession of his Vineyard. And I have no doubt that there has been and now are thousands in the United States, that have done as wickedly in the sight of God as Ahab and Jezebel. And He will ultimately reward them according to their works, as He did Ahab and Jezebel. And as 66 the princes and the trumpeters" stood by king Joash," and all the people of the land rejoiced," even so the people of Massachusetts ought to rejoice that the legislature has enacted the license law.

The more intoxicating liquors there are imported and distilled in the United States, the more abundant it will be. And the more abundant it is, the greater will be the facility for any person to obtain it. And the more easily it can be obtained, the more will be drank, and the more intoxicating liquor there is drank, the worse it is for the drinker, and for the community in which it is drank. And the less prosperity, safety, tranquility, happiness, piety, morality and religion there will be in society. This cannot be doubted by any man for a mo

ment.

But the less intoxicating liquors there are imported and distilled in the United States, the less abundant it will be. And the less abundant it is the harder it will be to obtain it, and the harder it is to obtain intoxicating liquors the less will be drank, and the less there is drank the better for the drinker, and for the community. And the more prosperity, safety, tranquility, happiness, piety, morality and religion there will be in society. This is so plain and so self-evident that " he that runs may read" and understand.

It was the great design of the authors, advocates and friends of the license law, to promote the common good

of the whole people of this commonwealth. To give them "the power of enjoying in safety and tranquility, their natural rights, and the blessing of life" more fully and perfectly than they could under former laws that have been repealed by this law. The license law is for "the protection, safety, prosperity and happiness of the people; and not for the profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family, or class of men." But Col. Gibbens and other dealers in ardent spirits, would like to have a law to favor him, and his "family" and the whole "class of men" that traffic in intoxicating liquor, or else have every man do that which is "right in his own eyes."

The traffic in intoxicating liquors as a drink, and the drinking it as a beverage, rests upon the same immoral and demoralizing principle, that the making and worshipping of graven images does. Both are based on an arrogated and not on a natural and moral right. And if the former is right and just then even so is the latter. But if the latter is wrong then even so is the former. Both are an abomination in the sight of the Holy One of Israel. God in his word, has in a great many instances compared drunkenness to idolatry, and of course they are both alike unto him. The pure juice of the grape was designed by Him for the good of man, but he must use it lawfully and not abuse it, by taking it when he does not stand in absolute need of it.

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Noah once, and but once that we have any account of, made an unlawful use of the pure juice of the grape. "And Noah began to be a husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: And he drank of the wine, and was drunken." This fact was recorded as a warning to all the posterity of Noah, to be very temperate in the use even of the pure and unadulterated juice of the grape; and not as an encouragement to any of his race to be intemperate and drunken.

Aaron and the Jewish priest were commanded to offer unto God as a drink-offering, a certain quantity of wine.

And that wine was typical of the blood of Christ, that should be shed for the salvation of sinners. But Aaron and the Jewish priest, were forbidden to drink any wine when they offered the sacrifices to God. "And the Lord spake unto Aaron saying, Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations: And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean an clean." Levt. viii. 8-10.

"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the Lord: He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall ye drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried. All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine-tree, from the kernels even to the husk." Numb. vii. 1–4. And Moses said unto the children of Israel, "And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot. Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink that ye might know that I am the Lord your God."

"The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying, Go unto the house of the Rechabites, and speak unto them, and bring them into the house of the Lord, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink. And I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites, pots full of wine, and cups, and I said unto them, Drink ye wine. But they said, We will drink no wine for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father comcommanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever: Thus have we obeyed the

voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters. Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me for ever." Jere. xxxv. 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 19. Jonadab the son of Rechab lived in the days of Jehu, whom Elisha anointed king over Israel. And this was about three hundred years before Jeremiah the prophet sat before his sons "pots full of wine, and cups, and said unto them drink ye wine." Jonadab was a very wise and good man, and his sons and daughters were very obedient children even for three hundred years. And Jonadab's command and his children's obedience met the divine approbation: "And the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel" blessed them.

The sons of Jonadab were not such men as Col. Gibbens, and other dealers in intoxicating liquors are in the city of Boston. But they were wise, prudent and considerate men, and they well knew, that Jonadab their father, in his great wisdom, gave them such commands as would be for their best good, for this world and for the future. Jonadab by giving his commands, did not in the least degree deprive them of their natural rights and the blessings of life. They did not consider that their father's command or law, was an "unreasonable and arbitrary act." No, they were no nullifiers, nor rebels against their father's commands or laws. The sons of Jonadab were 66 sincere friends of temperance. Daniel the prophet, was one of the very wisest and best men that ever lived upon the face of the earth. And he refused to eat the king's dainties or drink of his choice wines.

"Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael,. and Azariah, Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. Then let our countenances be looked upon be