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Un des symboles sulvants apparaftra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbols — ► signifie "A SUIVRE ", le symbole V signifie "FIN". Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely includeo in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre film6s d des taux de reduction diffdrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour litre reproduit en ur seul clich6, il est film6 ^ partir de Tangle supArieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en has, en prenart le nombre d'images nAcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 if A Sf ATEMENT A OP U IN DEFENCE OF THE COURSE PURSUED BV THE SESSION OF THE FREE CHURCH, COTE STREET, MONTREAL. N^'^-^'^-^^'"-.-' VV"-.^' -w-"- PRINTED BY J. V. BECKET, ST. PAUL STREET. MnCCCXIiVIT. TO THE MEftlllKRS OF THE C0i\GRIilCAT10i\. Kesp£CT£d Friends and Bkethken The following paragraphs were chiefly taken from notes of my speech before the Synod, at Kingston, ii; defence of the course of discipline pursued by the Session. Two or three of the quotations from the evidence given before the Committee of the British House of Commons, and some of the Scripture illustrations, were then omitted for want of time. The present agitation of the question in the church, has suggested the idea to my mind, that it would only be common justice to the Session, and proper respect for you, to lay the same facts and argu! ants before you, that were laid before the Synod, in order that you may have a clearer idea of the great importance of the subject, and be enabled to give ari intelligent vote on the matter which has been submitted for your decision. It will, however, be clearly understood, that the Session, as a body, is in no way compromised by all the views set forth by one of its memberS) who alone Is responsible. And that the Lord m^y guide all our minds to correct views of our responsibility, as professing Christians, not only on this, but on every other department of our duty, is the prayer of, Dear Brethren, Yours most respectfully, J. REDPATil. Li-0^^0 J^ I STATEMENT, &c, -',' I It will be obvious that the first part of the Statement of the Case is necessarily left out. And now, sir, I think this Court can have no difficulty in per- ceiving, from the explanations I have given, which are fully corro- borated by the document I hold in my hands and by the minute of Session which follows the one in question, that there were other grounds of rejection arising out of the traffic besides the mere traffic itself, and that the rejection ought not to have been recorded, without the facts connected with it. It would be a mere subterfuge to say that the latter minute is invalidated by not being recorded at the time of the rejection. The question for this Court to consider, and the only question is, does the second minute contain a record of facts ? and were these facts before the Session at the time the ap- plicants were rejected ? Now, sir, no one will have the hardihood to deny, that although it appears to be studiously kept out of sight, the facts contained in that minute were stated before the Session in the presence of the Moderator ant' two other members of Session along with myself, on the same evening the cases were before us. And you will observe by the records, that the Moderator makes no objection to this minute on the ground of fact, but simply on that of form. The slightest deviation from fact, even by inference, would not have escaped his notice ; and he was not the man to have allowed any thing incorrect to pass without entering his dissent, which he has not done, but he says merely " that he does not think the entry regular." The facts, therefore, of the second minute, are left untouched. Now, sir, I would ask this Court, if we found that our Clerk* had made an entry in the minutes which might be subject to miscon- struction, from whatever cause, and that we had allowed, through inadvertence, such to be engrossed, were we not right — nay, sir, was it not our duty to give such explanations in the following • The geutleman who wa8 the Session Clerk previous to the date of llie secong minute, was opposed to the other members of Session on this point. I 6 iiiimilu as wo coiisideietl vv«»uld sot the iiuUtcr ia its true liglit t What Court would deny any body oi' men that justice ? and if ther« were any doubts before, I think we have ample |>roofs now of its necessity ; and it is only a matter of deep regret, sir, that some of us had not paid more attention to our minutes from the beginning. If we had made that entry ourselves at any after period, doubts might have been cast upon its correctness ; but when you consider that it was done in the very next minute, and before the same Mo- derator who, as T have said, would at once have detected the slightest inconsistency, I do not see it possible how it cnn be in- validated on the ground of informality. The facts connected with the case having now been stated, 1 will proceed to show you the light in which we regard the questEon, and the responsibility which we attach to the different departments of the traffic in intoxicating drinks. It is said by our opponents that we have extreme views in regard to the use of and traffic in intoxicating drinks ; and that we have entered into a bond for the exclusion of the traffickers. I will tell you some- thing of the nature of this mysterious bond. At the time of the formation of the Church, those of us who believe that intem- perance is the sin of the age, and that the temptations held out by the traffickers are the chief sources of the evil, drew out a decla- ration to this effect, that if it should ever occur that the Church should adopt a different practice in the admission of members from the view that we held, we should be exonerated from all the evils which might be expected to follow, and that we should be fully at liberty to withdraw from all connection with it, and be no longer bound in any way to contribute to its support. — (See Extract of Minute.) I had the honour and the privilege of giving my testimony before the Presliytery regarding our views on this subject, and I esteem it a still greater honour to have the privilege of again doing so before this superior Court ; not that I am anxious to occupy a prominent position— the reverse is the case ; but having been dragged before the Church Court> I will not shrink from the duty imposed upon me. Know, then, sir, that although we deny having established any test for the purpose of debarring from admission to the Church, we readily admit that there are some departments in the traffic that we look upon in the light of sinful occupation, and that it is impossible, in these days of light, for a man to be engaged in them, without knowing that ho is engaged in a trade that is ^ V # ruinous (o Iho bodies and souls of men, and without ono rcdeomiiij; foature connected with it. Such is the husinesM of the common taveni-keoper, when loned he ncrelsed number and force of the temptations placed .n the.r path, by he HrfiriSlishmentof places at which intoxicating drinks are sold; ?he Se nt! eh^a^ from the average of several districts in EnS, ScoUand, !nd Ireland, to be not less than one such place tor eve°ry twenty families throughout the United Kingdom." 4th. Consequences to individual character : ««That in consequc-.ce of the vice of intoxication among the humbler clase and" the prevalence of intemperate habits, and pernicious customs encou a^hiVsuch habits among the middle and higher rariks, so many and *o fSS tVcontemplat., it h as dl.7..ult as t is painlul, to enumerate even the outlines ; and to pursue them in all their melancholy and frightful ''th!^ThlVrfollUt^a;^onlyaf^ of the evils springing from '^^eth'^'/SesSi^'i of health ; disease in every form and shape ; prenria- ture decrepitude in the old; stunted growth and general debility in the yount loW of life by paroxysms, apoplexies, drownings, burnings and SeiUs of various ^^^J^^f ^^ Sne^ ^^ Z^^^C^ ;red by n-e-- Si'ar^enfwh'o have mad'e this the subject of their long and careful investigation." •„„„v 5> 7th "Destruction of mental capacity and vigour. ^ . , , 8 h « Ir ita on of all the worst passions of the heart ; hatred anger, revenie: a brutalisation of disposition, that breaks asunder and destroys thP most endearing bonds of nature and society. jr.,, 9th « ExUnction of all moral and religious principle ; disregard of truth ; indifference to education ; violation of chastity; insensibility to shame; and indescribable degradation, as proved by clergymen, magistrates, over- IcerlT'cXrs, and other s,\xLined by your commUtee or. all these ^°10t'h" "That in a national point of view, as affec*! »g the wealth, resources, strength, honour, and pfosperity of the coun ry tne -nseque„ce« are as destructive of the general ^yeHare of a community, as .^^^ fat^aj to the happiness oi indiviUuals. Amon-=t utriv. -, ->■ •'-- o •-'-■--.. he distinctly traced." u i- w 1 nth. « The destruction of an immense amount of wholesome and nutritious grain, given by a bountiful Providence for the food of man, which is now converted by distillation into poison. The highest medical hulhorities, examined before your committee, being uniform in their testi- mony, that ardent spiriis are absolutely poisonous to the human constitu- tion ; that in no case whatever are they necessary or even useful to persons in health; that they are always in every case and to the smallest extent deleterious, pernicious, and destructive, according to the proportion in which tliey may be taken into the system. Sothatnot only is an immense amount of human food destroyed, while thousands are inadequately fed, but (his food is destroyed in such a manner as greatly to injure the agiicultural producers themselves, for whose grain but for the perverted and mistaken use of it, there would be more than thrice the demand; for the use ot the now scantily fed people, who would then have healthy ap- petites, and improved means to purchase nutriment for themselves ami children in grain as well as all the other varied productions of the earth." 12th. " The loss of productive labour, &c." 13(h. « The extensive loss of property by sea." 14'h. " The comparative inefficiency of the Army and Navy." 15th. « The injury to national reputation, &c., &c." 16tli. "'ihe diminution of physical power, &c., &c." 17lh. *^ The increase of pauperism in its most fearful shape." 18th. " The spread of critne in every shape and form; from theft, fraud, and prostitution in the young ; to burnings, robberies, and more hardened offences in the old, by which the jails and prisons, the hulks and convict transports are filled with inmates ; and an enormous mass of human beings who under sober .nd morul training would be sources of weiihh and strength to the country, are transformed chiefly through the remote or immediate cause of intoxicating drinks into excresences of cor- ruption and weakness, which must be cut off and cast away from the com- munity to prevent the gangrenous contamination of its whole frame, leav- ing the body itself in a constant state of that inflammatory excitement, which always produces exhaustion and weakness in the end ; and thus causing the country to sacrifice every year a larger portion of blood and treasure than tl»e most destructive wars occasion ; the innocent population thus made criminal, like the grain subjected to distillation, converted from a wholesome service of strength and prosperity into a poisoned issue of weakness and decay." 19th. "The hindering of education, the weakening of good example, the creation of constant and increasing difficulties in the propagation of the gospel both at home and abroad, according to the testimony of teachers, pastors and others, examined before your committee. The sum expended in intoxicating drinks in the city of Glasgow alone, according to one of the witnesses, is nearly equal to the whole amount expended in public institutions for charity and benevolence in the United Kingdom." 20. " The loss to the nation, may be fairly estimated at. fifty millions sterling per annum, exclusive of the cost — s?y fifty millions more." From tho 31st to the 57th clause inclusive, are contained the remedies and suggestions of the committee. The remedies are under two heads : 1st, Immediate remedies, Legislative and moral ; the 2d, ultimat>, or prospective remedies. From these I shall only make two or three quotations, and to the last I beg your particular attention, as being the voice of a most influential body thirteen years ago. I 12 In the 3 1st clause, the committee recommend the entire separa- tion of the sale of spirits from groceries and provisions throughout the United Kingdom. In the 32nd clause, the committee recom- mend the discontinuance of ardent spirits, except as medicine, to the Army and Navy, and to every other body of men employed by or under the control of Government \ the abolition of all Garrison or Barrack Canteens at home and abroad. In the 40th clause, the encouragement of all Abstinence Societies. In the 4lst, the diffusion of sound information on the extensive evils produced by this beverage. In the 44th, a national system of education, which in addition to the various branches of requisite and appropriate knowledge, should embrace as an essential part of the instruction, accurate information as to the poisonous and deleterious nature of intoxicating drinks in every form and shape. These are some of the immediate remedies ; now mark the ultimate or prospective remedies recommended. Forty.sixth clause recommends the absolute prohibition of the importation from foreign countries, or from our own colonies, of distilled spirits in every shape. Forty-seventh clause, the equally absolute prohibition of all distillation of spirits from grain, the most important part of the food of man in our own country ; and in the forty-eighth clause is the restriction of distillation from other materials to the purposes of the arts, manufactures, and medicine, confining the wholesale and retail dealing in such articles to chem- ists, druggists, and dispensaries, alone. In the concluding paragraph it is recommended that an abstract of the evidence obtained by the enquiry be given to the public in a cheap form, and extensively circulated ; to shew that the national cost of intoxication and its consequences is ten-fold greater in amount than that of the poor rates, pauperism itself being indeed chiefly caused by habits of intemperance, of which it is but one out of many melancholy and fatal results. I have quoted largely from this document, as its authority and correctness is indisputable, being part of the Records of the British Parliament in 1834, and it clearly shews thai the extent of the use and disastrous effects of intoxicating drinks are in no way dimin- ished in the present day, but are, in all probability, far greater than when the Scriptures were written. I will follow the quotations from this document, by one from the speech of the honourable mover of the resolution for a committee of inquiry. niirnoratincr n Hurnbef of the most apnallin& facts con- nected with the traffic, he says : — " These are but the outlines of 13 this great chart of misery and degradation which drunkenness has traced out for our survey, the details of which are too full of sick- ening horror to be painted by any pen, or uttered by any tongue." " As a matter of public economy — the lowest and narrowest light in which i! can be viewed — let a calculation be made of the national cost of all this evil, and it will be seen that if the revenue derived from it were ten times its present amount, it would be far out-baU anced by the tremendous loss which it inflicts on the nation. It is estimated, on carefully collected data, that not less than fifly mil- lions sterling is expended, in a single year, in England, Scotland, and Ireland, in spirits, wine, and beer, and other intoxicating and fermenting drinks, not a single drop of which is necessary either for the health or strength of man ; but every glass of which is, in its degree, absolutely prejudicial to the health of the consumer. Here, then, is fifty millions of capital wasted — a sum equal to the revenue of the whole kingdom — as much thrown away as if it were sunk in the depths of the Atlantic ; nay, worse than that, for there it would be merely thrown away, and no more ; but from its being expended in intoxicating drinks, it gives rise to a long train of expenses besides, equal to sixty millions more. It may, there- fore, be asserted without fear of contradiction, that the aggregate expenses entailed, and the losses sustained by the pernicious habit of drinking, exceed a hundred millions, annually, and that in a mere pecuniary and economical sense, it is the greatest blight that ever cursed our country, and like the canker-worm, it is eating out •Us very vitals. " But let us see, days the honorable member, how this increasing consumption of ardent spirits alone decreases the supply of human food.^-Taking the legally and illegally distilled spirits at home at forty millions of gallons annually, it would require twenty millions of bush- els of grain in a year. Here, then, is not merely a waste and des- truction of that very food of which the laboring classes in England have not enough, and which they are demanding to be admitted duty free ; but it is a conversion of one of the best gifts of Providence — a wholesome and nutritious article of sustenar.ce — into a fiery flood of disease and crime, and of physical and mental destruction. We hang by the hands of the common executioner — the ignorant rick- burner who destroys the hay or straw laid up for the winter-food of cattle, while we encourage and enrich the distiller and the vender of that far more de^^rnt tive fire which consumes 20 millions of bushels of the best food of man, which spreads its exterminating lava over 14 the whole surface of society ; which kills the body and destroys the soul, and leaves no one redeeming or even palliating trace behind it." Now, Sir, I think the examples which I have quoted from our own native land, may serve as a specimen for others, especially of the land in which our lot is cast: the nature and extent of the evil is clearly set f >rth, and also how the manufacture of and the traffic in in- toxicating drinks is looked upon by the wise Legislator, and the philanthropist, leaving out of sight the rsligious view of the question ; and, Sir, does it not present a fearful and appalling picture to every man of common humanity. But what ic the picture it presents to the God-fearing man ? I leave it for this Court to answer the question. I intended to have given you the address of the late respected J. S. Cartwrightto the Grand Jury of this City, a fews years ago, but I have not been able to lay my hand upon it. I might also have given you the testimony of Justice M'Cord in the Quarter Sessions in Montreal, had time permitted ; both of these documents go clearly to prove thnt the causes of five-tixths of the crime and misery which exists in the country, are precisely from the same sources as those in our own na- tive land, namely, intoxicating drinks, and more especially the vast number of places at which these tirioks are sold. Now, Sir, for the testimony of the Medical men. In the same do- cument it is recorded that the following testimony signed by no less a number than 589 Medical men of the first eminence in the princi- pal towns of the United Kingdom, is at once conclusive and irresist- able : «« We, the undersigned do hereby declare, that it is our opinion, ardenl spirits oannr'. be regarded as a necssary, suitable, or nourishing article of diet ..it they have not the property of preventing the accession of any complaints, ^lut may be considered as the principal source of numerous and formidable diseases, and the principal cause of the poverty, crime and mis- ery which abound in this country ; and that the entire disuse of them ex- cept under medical directions, would materially tend to improve the health, amend the morals, and augment the comforts of the community." Sir Astley Cooper says: — « I never suflfer any ardent spirits in my house— thinking them evil spii- its • and if the poor could witness the evil consequences of drinking, that 1 have done, they would be aware that spirits and poison were synonymous terms." Dr. Paris says : « that the art of extracting alcoholic liquors by distillation, must be regarded as the greatest curse inflicted on human na- ture." Dr. Douglas and 17 other Physicians in Quebec, say " that intoxi- cating drinks may be considered as the fruitful source of the numer- ous and formidable diseases, and the cause of the poverty, crime and rnjcertr which afflict the countr)'." Here, Sir, is the testimony of Physicians in Britain and in Canada, i5 and I might quote thousands from the United States to corroborate the facts. Let us now set what is said of the dreadful nature of this traffic by two or three of the most eminent Ministers of the Gospel — men whose praises are in all the Churches. First, let us take that of the Rev. John Wesley. In one of his sermons he says : — " All those who deal in spirituous liquors in the ordinary way, are poi- soners genera! — they murder His Majesty's subjects by wholesale, and drive them to hell like sheep. Neither does their eye pity nor spare — and what is their gain ? Is it not the blood of these men ? Who would envy their large estates am) sumptuous palaces? The curse of God is in their gardens, their walks, their groves. — A fire that will burn to the nethermost hell. — Blood, blood is there ! the foundation, the walls, the roof is stained with blood, and canst thou hope, 0, man of blood to deliver the fields of blood to the third generation — not so; there is a God in Heaven ! Like those whom thou hast destroyed body and soul, thy memorial shall perish with thee !" Secondly, let us take the testimony of the late Rev. Mr. McCheyne, he says : — "Public houses are the curse of Scotland! I never see a sign licensed to sell spirits, without thinking it a license to ruin souls — they are the yawning avenues to poverty and rags ; and as another has said — the short cut to hell. Is it to be tamely borne that these pest-houses and dens of iniquity — these man-traps for precious souls, shall be open on the Sabbath ! nay that they shall be enriched and kept afloat by their unholy traffio." The next is the testimony of Archdeacon Jeffreys, of Bombay. He says, " Now, can any man read the testimony given before the British House of Commons by the judges of the land, the practi- tioners at the bar, and the keepers of the penitentiaries and jails, all concurring in the fact, that intemperence is the cause of three fourths of the idleness, poverty, prostitution, and crime of England, — Can he make use of his own eyes, and behold the filthy, polluted, degraded, and utterly demoralised state of those who frequent those places where spirits are sold, — Can he hear these things, and see them with his own eyes, and doubt whether spirit drinking grieves the Holy Spirit of Gcd, and drives him from the heart ? Can he read the same testimony from America, declaring, that the united experience of the nation has proved, that it ' sears the conscience, hardens the heart, pollutes the affections, and excites all the bad passions, weakens all the motives to right, and strengthens all the motives to do wrong ; is the cause of nine-tenths of all the crime of America ; and lastly, that it closes men's ears against the preaching of the gospel, and prevents their conversion to Christ. Cat. he seriously consider these things, and doubt whether spirit drinking grieves the Holy Spirit of the Lord. Is it possible tor a 16 man to imagine a more likely way of grieving the Holy Spirit, and driving Him from his own heart ?— opposing the spread of Christ's kingdom in the hearts of others, than by using, or by causing others to use, this instrument of Satan." Is the testimony of these men in accordance with the Word of God? That is the question for us to consider : we shall take one proof. " Wo to him that giveth his neighbour drink, that putteth thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken." Habakkuk ii. 15. Now, sir, I think I have clearly proved from Scripture the disas- trous effects of intoxicating drinks; and I think the proof must be equally conclusive to every unprejudiced mind in this assembly, that the prevalence of thif great evil is in no way diminished; but that there is strong presumptive proof, that it is of far greater magnitude now, than when the Scriptures were written by holy men of old, as they were moved by the Spirit. I have also shown in what light the indiscriminate sale and manufacture of intoxicat- ing drinks is viewed, even independently of religion. We shall just glance at some parts of that evidence, and first see what is said of the manufacture of this article. It decreases the supply of human food to a fearful extent. The consumption of grain for brewing and distilling in the United King- dom, for the past year, 1846, according to the best collected data, tak- ing into calculation what might have been grown on the ground occu- pied for the growth of hops, would have fed six millions of the people, more than double the number that have been suffering from the fa- mine which now afflicts certain portions of our native land, and of which we are already witnessing some of the fearful effects, among the poor immigrants landing on our shores. But even this may be only the beginning of sorrows. May not this, sir, be looked upon in the light of a judgment of God on the land, for converting the wholesome and nutritious food, which his bounty has provided for their sustenance, " into a fi'^ry flood of disease and crime, wasting and eating out the very vitals of the nation 1" How applicable are the words of that speech to the present eventful crisis ; it speaks to us like the spirit of prophesy. Then again, sir, look at the num- ber of houses licensed for the sale of intoxicating drinks. One to every twenty families in the land !— making 250,000 houses, more or less engaged in this kind of traffic ! and these pest houses are distributed throughout every town, village, and hamlet, like small reservoirs, sending forth their poisonous streams, to pollute and A^-*~ry.r ^,,n tnthn urae nrPnfAfl in thp, imaffe of God. Is it possible, sir, that Christian men can shut their eyes to the evils consequent 17 upon this trade; ? at Ihc huro recital of which even our common humanity shudders ; and which is so strongly condemned by all who have given the subject their attention and unbiassed ccnsifje- ration. Is there not sufficient ground, sir, to condemn the traffic on the score of benevolence and humanity alone, independent of religion ? When we take it in a religious point of view— in the light of God's Word— what shall we say of the man who professes to be a " member of the body of Christ"— a '« living temple of the Holy Ghost," that would defend the traffic, on the ground that there is nothing in the Word of God where it is specially prohibited by "Thus saith the Lord," Ye shall not sell your neighbour drink, when the whole of the doctrines and precepts contained in that blessed Word are contrary to, and directly opposed to, everything of a doubtful character ? How much more then, is it condemnatory of that which is of a dangerous and destructive tend-'ucy, without a redeeming feature, as we have already shown this traffic to be, as it is now carried on ; and as is admitted by many mere worldly men. I would not presume, sir, to judge, and far be it from me to say, that there have not been \nd may not even now be, some truly Chris- tian men still engaged in this trade, and that have not yet had their eyes opened to its destructive tendency ; but I do say, sir, with the light that is now thrown upon the subject, ignorance cannot be pleaded as a valid excuse for continuing in it ? and I believe, sir that every Christian man so engaged, who will carefully, prayer- fully, and without prejudice, examine his occupation in the light of God's word, will at last come to the conclusion that he cannot be engaged either in the manufacture or in the indiscriminate sale of intoxicating drinks without causing ruin, destruction, and misery to numbers of his fellow creatures — and tknt yist in proportion to the extent of his commerce in that article. I believe, sir, that there are degrees of guilt in this trade ; just in prc.jortion as a man sees the evil before his eyes, is he culpable; and it may depend, also, in some measure, on the degree of light he has had on the subject: but this is rather dangerous ground to rest upon. Neither would I compare the sale of wine or beer to that of ardent spirits. But, sir, although these are of a much less hurtful nature in them- selves, inasmuch as they contain less alcohol, yet if any man will examine the evidences taken before the Committee of the House of Commons, (from which I have so largely quoted) he will see the most fatal rcsuhs arising from the use of even these milder b'^vcragos ; and what is more, that they too ofion give the appetite 18 which nothing but the strongest stimulants will afterwards satisfy. I would sum up these observations by saying, that the worst de- partments of the business appear to mc to be actually sinful occu- pations, inasmuch as the invariable tendency is evil ; nnd with re- gard to the others, I would say, that under present circumstances, it behoves all Christians to set a good example before the world, and especially not to be engaged in any traffic whereby men may be tempted to sin. Now, sir, what is the remedy for this great and terrible evil ? Is the church to do nothing in the matter ! Is she to sit still with folded arms, and leave the civil power to stop the torrent 1 Is her department to deal only with the drunkard, and take no cognizance of the drunkard-maker— the man who sells the tempting draught, and pockets the unholy gain ? This is the question that the Cour* is called upon to decide, who is the more guilty of the two — the poor, lost inebriate, whoso passion for strong drink has become so great as co mpletely to shut up the avenues to reason and conscience, or the man who wilfully deals out to him the tempting draught, for the sake of gain ? Can any man doubt which of the two is more guilty in the sight of God ? I know, sir, the plea that is set up by those professors who countenance the trade. Only find out that they keep a disorderly house, and make people drunk, and we will at once agree that such a man is unfit for church membership ; but, say they, it is contrary to Scripture to make the selling of strong drink, in itself, a sin. The same argument is used by the defenders of American slavery — namely, that it is not a sin per se. I do not think it at all necessary to combat so specious an argu- ment. ■ I think it sufficient for our purpose to take the broad ground, that the indiscriminate use of intoxicating drinks, as it is now car- ried on in most of the houses that are licensed for that purpose is one of the greatest evils which afllict humanity at the present day ; and this being the uncontroverted fact, I proceed to put the ques- tion — is it a legitimate business for the man who professes to have separated himself from the world, and given himself to the Lord, (as every man who seeks admission into the visible church pro- fesses to do), to be actively engaged in a traffic from which such a fearful amount of evil invariably flows, and is the church acting consistently with her high calling when she readily receives within her pale the man who is actively engaged in the traffic thut is causing such numbers of his fellow-men to stumble and fall, while she casts out of her pale the poor, lost inebriate, who has fallen through the temptation by which these men have beset his path. ? I i } I 19 Let ua vethr to the law and the testimony. St. Paul says—" (f meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no meat while the world standeth ; lest I make my brother to offend ;" and again, «« but judge this rather that no man put a stumbling block in his brother's way." Now, sir, is there anything that has caused so manyoffen- ces as this traffic ? Is there anything that has been so great a stumbling block, and caused =o many of our weaker brethren to fall and perish, as the indiscriminate sale of strong drinks 1 Let the evidence that I have brought before you, this day, answer the quej. tion. Every man is responsible to God for the evils which result from his selfishness or indiflference to the welfare of others, as will be found clearly illustrated in Exodus xxi. 28, 29— « If an ox goro a man or woman that they die, the ox shall be stoned, but the ownor shall be quit ; but if the ox were wont to push with his horns in time past, and it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, but that he hath killed a man or woman, the ox shall be stoned, and the owner also shall be put to death." If a man could justly plead ignorance of the results of this trade, he too might go quit ; but where is the man that is so utterly ignorant as not to know its destructive results, who can shut his eyes to the fact, that strong drink has long been goring mankind right and left, without mercy, and that it has long been, and still is, preying on the peace and happiness of individuals, families, and nations. It is true that we are not under the same law as far as our civil rule is concerned ; but that, on the contrary, men receive licence from the government to carry on this soul-ruining trade ; nay, more, that it has got so deeply interwoven into the habits and customs of society, as greatly to palliate the evil in our own eyes, but will this satisfy an accusing conscience, when the Lord cometh to make inquisition for blood, and every man's work shall be tried as if by fire. Who shall be able to stand that terrible inquisition, but he that hath clean hands and a pure heart ? I know. Sir, that none shall be able to stand on that day, but those who have been washed in the Blood of the Lamb, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit of God ; but who can con- template without horror the fearful amount of guilt that will rest upon the head of those who have been fnstrumental, by their traffic, in sending so many souls into eternity unprepared to meet their God, unless they have repented and forsaken this course. Now if we ex- cept the false teachers who send their deluded votaries to hell with a lie in their right hand— whore shall we find any other body of men, of any other trad< ofession, or calling, thai has ruined so / 20 many boilios and souls as the inanufuctnrt'is and venders of Hlroiig drinks have done ? How diflferont their condition fvvm that of the Apostli' Paul, who could say : — I am clear from the blood of all men ! One would suppose that any man ()rofessing to be o followor of the Lord Jesus Christ would shun such a dangerous path, as the watchful mariner would shun the rocks and shoals that lie athwart his course ; but it is a lamentable fact, that this is not the case — why ? Because as 1 have already said, the drinking usages of society have got so inter- woven into all its frame-work, that for the Church to interfere with the manufacture and sale of rtrong drink, even in its worst aspect, is to raise the cry of "a heresy that will ruin the Church"—" an innovation on Christian liberty"— "You are wise above what is written," and interfering with the standing of the Church. But, Sir, I hold it to be neither unscriptural nor contrary to the standard of our Church. I hold it to be in accordance with the word of God, which says — "Abhor that which is evil— follow peace with all men and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. — Take heed, says St. Paul, " lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling-block to them that are weak, and through thy knowledge the weak brother perish." Could we find language more pointed in answer to the'charge of interfiiring with Christian liberty. I hold it to be the Church's duty to take cognizance of every thing whereby her members are brought into temptation. I cannot see how it is possible that any truly good man, if at all enlightened on this subject, can continue in such a course ; I fear. Sir, that, as professing Christians we are yet but very imper- fectly acquainted with the amount of responsibility that attaches to us ae followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. What says the Apostle James—" Pure religion and imdefiled be- fore God is to visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." Will any man be bold enough to say that the sale of strong drink is not in its effects directly opposed to that precept ? Is there any thing on the face of the earth that has made so many widows and fatherless children as this nas done, and that, too, within the pale of the visible church. Ah, sir, I fear the church has a terrible account to render for her de- linquency in this respect. In our Lord's prayer^ we pray, « Thy king- dom come— Thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven." Is the sale of intoxicating drinks not directly opposed to the coming of the kingdom of Christ m the l-eart, in the church, and in the world ? Anv person acquainted with the horrors of this trade, and^the misery 1 ] 21 that it has caused upon the earth, can Hcnrceiy conceive it posaihie how any man can be found to advocate sucli a cause, far less to advocuie it on the ground of its being in accordance with God's holy word. The whole spirit of the Gospel is love ; the whole tendency of this we have clearly shown to be evil. These, sir, are the views v^e hold regarding the tralfic ; but let us not be misapprehended, we do not say that a man cannot drink with- out sinning, — we never held any such doctrine, although we do say that on the ground of expediency there is a loud call on all who love the Lord Jesus to set a good example before the world, and to lift their testimony against the besetting sin of the age, and the plague spot of thcjChristian church. Neither do we say that a man cannot be engaged in the sale of it without sin. It is the indiscriminate sale to every man who will buy — the trade as it is now generally carried or., that vvc condemn. How it might be carried on without danger is not for me to say. There is, however, one safe course that I would rcconimetid, and that is, for every man to wash his hands en- tirely of any connection with it, except for purposes of necessity and mercy, and these would be found to be v^ry few. There is only one other view of the case thai I would wish to bring before thi» Court, and that is one of expediency. Let us see how it elTects our situation as a church. The Presbyterian church of Can- ada is in its infancy, and struggling, as it were, for existence; the church is entirely dependent on voluntary support, and in many pla- ces the congregation are said to be too poor to supj)ort a miiiister. Well, sir, tell me if there is any congregation that does not spond more in intoxicating drinks than would support the Gospel efficiently in the midst of them. If there are any, I believe there are very few. Again, sir, you havt an infant college, on whom the report of the Committee says that the future prospects of the church, under God, almost entirely depend, and Uiat it is necessary to its very existence, that a large sum be raised every year for its support. In this report I fully concur, and feel deeply impressed with its importance, and I think the question migiit be fairly put to every member of the Church — do you love the Lord Jesus Christ sincerely ? if you do, will you not deny yourself some portion of your wonted indulgences, especially such of them as tend to evil, for the sake of supporting the college to train up young men for the work of the Lord, and enable the church to supply the destitute portions of Canada with a preached Gospel. I feel assured, sir, that were men calmly, and without prejudice, to examine this question as in the sight of God — and view the ruin and desolation which the traffic carries in ■ 22 la train, instead of looking fur argumentd to prove tnat it is not ex- presHly forbidden by any particular atatute in the word of God, their search would be to find out whether it was in accordance with the spirit of the Gospel, and whether there were any express command that bound them to follow 8uch a dangerous course. With these remarks, sir, I close my obscn^ations. I have to return this Court my sincere thanks for the patience and attention with which they have listened to my feeble attempt to defend our position, and may the Lord give light to come to a right decision in this matter. . :J ex- heir the and urn vith ion, thia «»