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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
The w riter asks upon whose lips are these groans and sighs most frequently found. The answer is, habitual users of strong drink, who find in th is practice th e pro ducing cause. The law of cause and effect is also th e law of the harvest. Whatsoever a man or nation soweth th a t must also be reaped. Artificial appetites of every so rt are to be discouraged as useless if no t positively harm ful. F requ en t repetition of temperance lessons is necessary since inculcation means to “ tread in w ith th e heel.” P rohibitions are as necessary as exhortations in educa tion. ; “Thou sh a lt” and “ thou sh alt no t” are both found in the law. While avoiding th e erro rs of negative teach ing, we must beware of following th e line of least resist ance lest a distorted view of life should be the result. The young are d estitu te of discretion and experience. In th e ir craving for novelty and adventure, they will tak e any risk w ithout regard to th e dangers incurred. The p aren t and teacher is both guardian and guide. Such prescribed lessons as these present the opportunity of warning and instruction. . , COMMENTS FROM THE COMMENTARIES This vivid picture of drunkenness leaves its sinfulness and its w ider consequences out of sight, and fixes atten tion on th e sorry spectacle which a man makes of him self in body and m ind when he “ puts an enemy into his mouth to steal away his b rain s.’’ D isgust and ridicule are both ex pressed. The w riter would w arn his “son” by impressing th e ugliness and ludicrousness of drunkenness. The a rg u m ent is legitim ate, though not of th e highest.—Alexander Maclaren. Who h a th woe? Who h a th sorrow ?—The sharp touch of the sa tirist reproduces th e actual in articu late utterances of drunkenness.— Speakers Commentary. Sorrowful though t and sorrowful, complaint over th e ex hausted purse, th e neglected work, the anticipated re proaches, th e dim inishing streng th .— Delitsch. Who h a th contentions? Who h a th complainings?— D rinking makes a man quarrelsom e; a t ano ther stage th e d runk ard is querulous, finding fau lt in a maudlin way w ith all men and w ith his fate in general. A fit of silly blubber ing often follows.—Amos R. Wells. Who has wounds w ithou t cause—When he “ sobers off” and looks a t his bruised body, th e d runk ard cannot remem ber how he came by his wounds.— Peloubets Notes. Who h a th redness of eyes—Who is it whose eyes have th a t horrible inflamed, lack-lustre look, which is th e exact opposite of th e ligh t and clearness and sparkle proper to the eye?— Expositors Bible. V. 30. Theirs who set la te a t th e wine, Who tu rn in to ta ste m ixed w ine—Delitsch. The condition th a t has ju st been described is th e resu lt of lingering over th e drink, spending hours in tippling, de voting tim e and though t to tasting various brand s and sam ples, becoming a connoisseur of strong beverages, allow ing th e subject to occupy an appreciable proportion of ones time.— Expositors Bible. V. 31. hook n o t upon th e w ine when it is red— “Look no t,” is safe policy in regard to many of th e snares for young lives th a t abound in our modern society. It is not a t all needful to “see life” or to know th e secrets of wicked ness, in o rder to be wise and good. “Simple concerning evil” is a happier sta te th a n to have eaten of th e tree of knowledge.— Andrew Maclaren. When it sp ark leth in th e cup—As it showeth its gleam in th e cup.—Delitsch. V. 31. G lideth down w ith ease.—Delitsch. Goeth down smoothly.— Luther.
T h at one may not fall under th is common sin of d runken ness the poet w arns ag ain st th e attractio n which th e wine presents to the sigh t and to th e sense of ta ste : one m ust not perm it himself to be caught a prisoner by th is entice ment, bu t m ust m aintain his freedom ag ain st it.—Delitsch. V. 32. A t la st it b ite th like a serpent—W hat seemed so delightful and innocent becomes lik e . a venemous reptile tak en into th e bosom, whose bite sets th e veins on fire. Imm orality is linked w ith drunkenness, as effect w ith cause. All self-respect goes when th e b rain is controlled by the deadly poison. Lust and license possess th e being.— H. A. Ironsides. V. 33. S trange Women—One evil resu lt of it is th a t it rouses into perilous activity th e do rm an t passions; even pure men and women under th is potent influence become impure. The eyes which are excited w ith w ine will tu rn readily to loose and degraded women.— Expositors Bible. Perverse things— The eye of th e d runk ard is h aun ted by strang e visions; his m outh u tte rs perverse words.— Perowne. His speech is let loose so th a t it w anders insanely.— Peloubets Notes. V. 34. In th e m id st of th e sea—upon th e top of a m ast <—A strong figure to denote th e u tte r recklessness of danger which excess of d rink induces.— Cambridge Bible. V. 35. They have stricken me—The d ru n k a rd ’s soliloquy on aw aking from his sodden slumber. He finds his face smeared w ith blood, his clothes to rn , his pockets empty, his body stiff w ith bruises. “Thieves and ruffians must have beaten me in se n sib le /’ th e sot m utters. “ S trange th a t I did not know it.” They have b eaten me— “They” have b rough t him to his w retched state. The d runk ard blames everybody b u t him self, y et he alone is responsible.—Amost R. Wells. When shall I aw ake?— This he u tte rs as th e swimming sensation in th e head and th e unsteady stagg er in his step, rem ind him th a t he is not quite himself. And then__is it possible? Yes, his next rem ark is: I will seek it again— I will go and get ano ther drink. His m iserable m ind having persuaded him th a t all th e mischief came from some other cause th a n him self ,and had nothing to do w ith the one degrading hab it which really produced it, he proposes a t once to seek th e very agent which is his undoing, to heal his intoxication by getting d runk again.— Expositors Bible. BESS “Woe,” “sorrow ,” “contentions,” “ babbling,” “wounds,” “redness of eyes,”—w hat an undesirable sextet! It is un true, or even uncharitable, to say th a t anyone who would in any way contend for or favor th a t which produces such things m ust be possessed of a distorted DEVOTIONAL brain and a wicked h eart? These six COMMENT things all flow from th e wine cup (Prov. John A. H ubbard 23:29, 30). P roh ib it intoxicants, and thereby cu t off a most fru itfu l source of trouble, as has abundantly been dem onstrated in th is country. Where th e re is one clamoring for th e repeal or modification of th e eighteenth amendment, th e re is a score of others—wives, mothers, children and d rink ers them selves— who bless th e day of its enactment, so really have th eir woes, sorrows, contentions and wounds been lessened or done away with. T h at will be a glad day for th is poor, burdened world when th e title of th is lesson— “World-wide P roh ib ition ”— becomes a reality. There are also o ther form s of intemperance from which people are suffering. Second only to intoxicants in its evil
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