misery which follow in the train of ardent spirit, and you will be ready to ask, can the regions of eternal death send forth anything more deadly? Wherever it goes the same cry may be heard--lamentation and mourning and woe; and whatever things are pure, or lovely, or venerable, or of good report, fall before it. These are the effects--and I need not say more upon this point. Can any man deny that "the ox is wont to push with the horns ?" 2d. Hath this been testified to the owner? or are the makers and retailers aware of its effects? The effects are manifest, and they have eyes, ears, and understandings as well as others. They know whatever profit they make is at the expense of human life or comfort; and that the tide which is swelled by their unhallowed merchandize sweeps ten thousands yearly to temporal and eternal ruin. But this is not all. The attention of the public has of late been strongly turned to this subject. The minds of men have been enlightened and their responsibility pressed home upon them. The subject has been presented to them in a new light, and men cannot but see the absurdity of reprobating the tempted while the tempter is honored-of blaming drunkards and holding in reputation those whose business it is to make drunkards. But are the makers of ardent spirit aware of its effects? Look at the neighborhood of a distillery--an influence goes forth from that spot which reaches miles around-a kind of constraining influence, that brings in the poor, and wretched, and thirsty, and vicious. Those who have money bring it-those who have none bring corn-those who have neither bring household furniture-those who have nothing bring themselves and pay in labor. Now the inaker knows all these men, and knows their temperament, and probably knows their families. He can calculate effects; and he sends them off, one to die by the way, another to abuse his family, and others just ready for any deed of wickedness. Will he say that he is not responsible, and, like Cain, ask, "" am I my brother's keeper ?" He knew what might be the result, and for a mere pittance of gain, was willing to risk it. Whether this man should abuse his family, or that man die by the way, so his purpose was answered, he did not care. The ox was wont to push with his horn and he knew it; and for a little paltry gain he let him loose; and God will support his law in all its extent, by holding him responsible for all the consequences. But a common excuse is, that very little of our manufacture is used in the neighborhood-we send it off." Are its effects any less deadly? In this way you avoid seeing the effects, and poison strangers instead of neighbors. What would you say to a man who traded in clothes, infected with the small pox or cholera morbus, and who should say by way of apology--that he sent them off-he did not sell any in the neighborhood. Good man! he is willing to send disease and death all abroad! but he is too kind hearted to expose his neighbors. Would you not say to him, you may send them off, but you cannot send off the responsibility. The eye of God goes with them, and all the misery which they cause will be charged to you. So say we to the man who sends his spirit off. "But if I do not make it, somebody else will." What sin or crime cannot be excused in this way? There is a market for slaves, and if I do not go to the coast of Africa and steal them somebody else will. If I do not rob or cheat that man, somebody else will. Is it a privilege to bear the responsibility of sending abroad pestilence, and misery, and death? "Our cause is going down," said Judas, "and a price is set upon the head of our master, and if I do not betray him somebody else will. And why may not I as well pocket the money as another?" If you consider it a privilege to pocket the wages of unrighteousness, do so. But do not pretend to be the friend of God or man, while you count it a privilege to insult the one and ruin the other. This is the most common excuse for retailing. "I wish it were banished from the earth. But then what can I do?" what can you do? You can keep one man clear; you can wash your hands of this wretched business. And if you are unwilling to do that, very little reliance can be placed on your good wishes. He that is unjust in the least, is unjust also in much. I can hardly conceive anything more inconsistent with every generous feeling, every noble principle, than retailing ardent spirit at the present day. The days of ignorance on this subject have passed by, every man acts with his eyes open. Look at the shop and company of the retailer. His principal furniture is a barrel, two or three bottles, and a half a dozen glasses. He has a few other things just for a show, brooms, earthern-ware, tobacco, &c. The inventory is soon made. I say he has a few other things--for even he is ashamed to appear as a dealer in spirits only. His shop needs no sign--every drunkard knows it as it were by instinct. And even the blind might discover it by infallible tokens, and the company is a combination of all the shameless and abandoned. And there stands the retailer in the midst of dissipation, and human nature, in its last stages of earthly wretchedness, in all its degraded forms and filthy appearances, surrounding him. And his whole business is to kindle strife, to encourage profanity, to excite every evil passion, to destroy all salutary fears, to remove every restraint, and to produce a recklessness, that regards neither God or man-and how often in the providence of God is he given over to drink his own poison, and to become the most wretched of this wretched company. Who can behold an instance of this kind without feeling that God is just to him. "He sunk down into the pit which he made, in the net which he hid is his own foot taken." To the same point is the following, from the Christian Examiner: "Every man will admit that its effect upon society must be an important element, in estimating the character of any occupation. To prove an employment or profession lucrative to those engaged in it, is not enough to justify it. On the contrary, the very existence of social order depends upon the practical recognition of the doctrine, that no man has a right to elevate himself upon the ruin of his fellow men, either by destroying their morals, or trampling upon their rights.-Consequently, if it can clearly be made out, that any trade is directly, or indirectly an injury to the community, then that trade is wrong, and ought to be abandoned. This is a plain principle, one we every day admit and act upon, one which we can easily illustrate. Suppose, for instance, the plague to be raging at Smyrna, to such an extent that merchants find it almost impossible to hire crews to navigate their vessels to that port; and that, in consequence of this there is an im mense rise upon the goods usually imported from that place. Suppose an individual tempted by this state of the market to great exertions, to succeed at last in sending a ship to the infected country, and in getting for her a cargo; suppose that ship to be entering our harbor, to be coming directly up to the wharf, bearing the pestilence in her hold, ready to spread desolation through the city. What, in this case should we do? Let her come? No. We should send her into quarantine. We should purify her; if need be, we should scuttle and sink her. But the owner of the ship complains. We are destroying his property; taking away his profits; robbing him of a fortune. What would be our answer to him? Would it not be this? True we are destroying your property, we are putting an end to this speculation of yours; but it is because you have no right to live at the expense of the lives of others; you have no right to get gold by any process, which brings desolation and death upon your fellow-citizens." "Again, suppose an individual should set up a gambling house in one of the most public of our streets; and hold out every inducement to the inhabitants to visit it; should entice our young men into it and ruin them; or, suppose another individual should make it his business to promote licentiousness and debauchery, to minister to the worst appetites and passions of man. Both these individuals might make mouey by these establishments. If they were broken up, they might be reduced to poverty. Still they would be broken up; and why? Because no man has a right to live by destroying the morals of his fellow men. In cases like these, the principle we have laid down, is fully recognised and constantly acted upon. Indeed, it is too selfevident to need even thus much illustration. It is that upon which the whole of social happiness directly depends. Without it man would be preying upon man, and the only law would be the will of the strongest and most unprincipled. We repeat, then, if any trade is shown to be injurious to society, it is shown to be wrong.' 66 Belfast. |