[Illustration]
Know you not that they which run a race run all, but one receiveth the
prize? So run, that you may obtain. And every man that striveth for
the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a
corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.”
Here the good results of self control and temperate habits are set
forth. The various games instituted among the ancient Greeks in
honor of their gods, are presented before us by the apostle Paul to
illustrate the spiritual warfare and its reward. Those who were to
participate in these games were trained by the most severe discipline.
Every indulgence that would tend to weaken the physical powers was
forbidden. Luxurious food and wine were prohibited, in order to promote
physical vigor, fortitude, and firmness.
To win the prize for which they strove,--a chaplet of perishable
flowers, bestowed amid the applause of the multitude,--was considered
the highest honor. If so much could be endured, so much self-denial
practised, in the hope of gaining so worthless a prize, which only
one at best could obtain, how much greater should be the sacrifice,
how much greater should be the sacrifice, how much more willing the
self-denial, for an incorruptible crown, and for everlasting life!
[Illustration: _Daniel and His Fellows Refusing the King’s Meat_]
There is work for us to do--stern, earnest work. All our habits,
tastes, and inclinations must be educated in harmony with the laws of
life and health. By this means we may secure the very best physical
conditions, and have mental clearness to discern between the evil and
the good.
In order rightly to understand the subject of temperance, we must
consider it from a Bible standpoint; and nowhere can we find a more
comprehensive and forcible illustration of true temperance and its
attendant blessings, than is afforded by the history of the prophet
Daniel and his Hebrew associates in the court of Babylon.
When these youth were selected to be educated in the “learning and the
tongue of the Chaldeans,” that they might “stand in the king’s palace,”
there was appointed them a daily allowance from the king’s table, both
of food and wine. “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not
defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine
which he drank.”
The food appointed them would include meats pronounced unclean by
the law of Moses. They requested the officer who had them in charge
to give them a more simple fare; but he hesitated, fearing that
such rigid abstinence as they proposed would affect their personal
appearance unfavorably, and bring himself into disfavor with the king.
Daniel pleaded for a ten days’ trial. This was granted, and at the
expiration of that time these youth were found to be far more healthy
in appearance than those who had partaken of the king’s dainties.
Hence the simple pulse and water which they at first requested, was
thereafter the food of Daniel and his companions.
It was not their own pride or ambition that brought these young men
into the king’s court,--into the companionship of those who neither
knew nor feared the true God. They were captives in a strange land, and
Infinite Wisdom had placed them there. At this trial of their loyalty,
they considered their position, with its dangers and difficulties, and
then in the fear of God made their decision. Even at the risk of the
king’s displeasure, they would be true to the religion of their fathers.
They obeyed the divine law, both physical and moral, and the blessing
of God gave them strength and comeliness and intellectual power.
These youth had received a right education in early life, and now, when
separated from home influences and sacred associations, they honored
the instructors of their childhood. With their habits of self-denial
were coupled earnestness of purpose, diligence, and steadfastness. They
were not actuated by pride or unworthy ambition; but sought to acquit
themselves creditably, for the honor of their down-trodden people, and
for His glory whose servants they were.
When the ability and acquirements of these youth were tested by the
king at the end of the three years of training, none were found like
unto Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Their keen apprehension,
their choice and exact language, their extensive and varied knowledge,
testified to the unimpaired strength and vigor of their mental powers.
Therefore they stood before the king. “And in all matters of wisdom and
understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times
better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his
realm.”
God always honors the right. The most promising youth from all the
lands subdued by the great conqueror had been gathered at Babylon, yet
amid them all, the Hebrew captives were without a rival. The erect
form, the firm, elastic step, the fair countenance, the undimmed
senses, the untainted breath,--all were so many certificates of good
habits,--insignia of the nobility with which nature honors those who
are obedient to her laws.
The history of Daniel and his companions has been recorded on the pages
of the inspired word, for the benefit of the youth of all succeeding
ages. What men have done, men may do. Did those youthful Hebrews stand
firm amid great temptations, and bear a noble testimony in favor of
true temperance?--the youth of to-day may bear a similar testimony.
The lesson here presented is one which we would do well to ponder. Our
danger is not from scarcity, but from abundance. We are constantly
tempted to excess. Those who would preserve their powers unimpaired
for the service of God, must observe strict temperance in the use of
His bounties, as well as total abstinence from every injurious or
debasing indulgence.
The rising generation are surrounded by allurements calculated to tempt
the appetite. Especially in our large cities, every form of indulgence
is made easy and inviting. Those who, like Daniel, refuse to defile
themselves, will reap the reward of their temperate habits. With their
greater physical stamina and increased power of endurance, they have a
bank of deposit on which to draw in case of emergency.
Right physical habits promote mental superiority. Intellectual power,
physical strength, and longevity depend upon immutable laws. There
is no happen-so, no chance, about this matter. Nature’s God will not
interfere to preserve men from the consequences of violating nature’s
laws. There is much sterling truth in the adage, “Every man is the
architect of his own fortune.” While parents are responsible for the
stamp of character, as well as for the education and training, of their
sons and daughters, it is still true that our position and usefulness
in the world depend, to a great degree, upon our own course of action.
Daniel and his companions enjoyed the benefits of correct training
and education in early life, but these advantages alone would not
have made them what they were. The time came when they must act for
themselves,--when their future depended upon their own course. Then
they decided to be true to the lessons given them in childhood. The
fear of God, which is the beginning of wisdom, was the foundation of
their greatness. His Spirit strengthened every true purpose, every
noble resolution.
Intemperance has cursed the world almost from its infancy. Noah’s son
was so debased by the excessive use of wine, that he lost all sense of
propriety, and the curse which followed his sin has never been lifted
from his descendants.
Nadab and Abihu were men in holy office; but by the use of wine, their
minds became so clouded that they could not distinguish between sacred
and common things. By the offering of “strange fire” they disregarded
God’s command, and were slain by His judgments.
Alexander found it much easier to subdue kingdoms than to rule his
own spirit. After conquering nations, this so-called great man fell,
through the indulgence of appetite--a victim of intemperance.
Notwithstanding thousands of years of experience and progress, the same
dark blot which stained the pages of history, remains to disfigure
our modern civilization. Drunkenness, with all its woes, is found
everywhere we go. In spite of the noble efforts of temperance workers,
the evil has gained ground. License laws have been enacted, but legal
regulation has not stayed its progress, except in comparatively limited
territory. Efforts have been made to establish institutions where the
victims of intemperance might receive help to overcome their terrible
appetite. This is a noble work, but how much wiser, how much more
effective, would have been the removal of the cause of all this woe!
Considering only the financial aspect of this question, what folly it
is to tolerate a business that is making paupers by the thousand! The
laws of the land legalize the trade of making drunkards, and then at
great expense, provide institutions for converting them again into
sober men! Can our legislators furnish no better solution of the liquor
question?
So long as the sale of liquor is sanctioned by law, the victims of
appetite can receive but little benefit through inebriate asylums.
They cannot remain there always; they must again take their place
in society. The appetite for intoxicating drinks, though it may be
subdued, is not wholly destroyed, and when temptation assails them, as
it must on every hand, they too often fall an easy prey.
What can be done to press back this inflowing tide of evil? Let laws
be enacted and rigidly enforced prohibiting the sale and use of ardent
spirits. Let every effort be made to encourage the inebriate’s return
to temperance and virtue. But even more than this is needed to banish
the curse of inebriety from our land. Let the appetite for intoxicating
liquors be removed, and the demand for them is at an end.
Only men of strict temperance and integrity should be admitted to our
legislative halls, or chosen to preside in our courts of justice.
Property, reputation, and even life itself, are insecure when left to
the judgment of men who are intemperate and immoral. How many innocent
persons have been condemned to death, how many more have been robbed
of all their earthly possessions, by the injustice of drinking jurors,
lawyers, witnesses, and even judges!
There is need now of men like Daniel, to do and dare. A pure heart and
a strong, fearless hand are wanted in the world to-day. God designed
that man should be constantly improving,--daily reaching a higher point
in the scale of excellence. He will help us, if we help ourselves. It
is the duty of every Christian to see that his example and influence
are on the side of reform. Let ministers of the gospel lift up their
voices like a trumpet, and show the people their transgression, and
the house of Israel their sins. The youth need to be instructed. Our
hope of happiness in two worlds depends upon our improvement of one.
We should be guarded at every point against the first approach to
intemperance. If we would preserve our children from evil, we must give
them a right example, and then teach them to make God their fear, their
wisdom, and their strength.
The use of intoxicating liquor dethrones reason, and hardens the heart
against every pure and holy influence. The inanimate rocks will sooner
listen to the appeals of truth and justice, than will that man whose
sensibilities are paralyzed by intemperance. Those who venture to
enter the forbidden path are gradually and unconsciously led on, until
they become demoralized, corrupted, and maddened. And while Christians
are asleep, this evil is gaining more strength and making fresh
victims. If the moral sensibilities of Christians were aroused upon the
subject of temperance in _all things_, and they realized that the final
destiny of every one depends upon the habits he forms, they could by
their example, help those who are weak in self-control to resist the
cravings of appetite.
We witness great struggles in our country to put down intemperance; but
it is a hard matter to overcome and chain a full-grown lion. If half
the efforts that have been put forth to stay this giant evil, had been
directed toward enlightening parents in regard to their responsibility
in forming the habits and character of their children, a thousand-fold
more good might have resulted. The unnatural appetite for spirituous
liquors is often created at home, in many cases at the tables of the
very ones who are most zealous to lead out in the temperance work. We
bid all workers Godspeed; but we invite them to look more deeply into
the cause of the evil they war against, and to be more thorough and
consistent in reform.
Through the intemperance begun at home, the digestive organs first
become weakened, and soon ordinary food does not satisfy the appetite.
Unhealthful conditions are established, and there is a craving for more
stimulating food. Tea and coffee produce an immediate effect. Under
the influence of these poisons the nervous system is excited, and in
some cases, for the time being, the intellect seems to be invigorated,
the imagination more vivid.
Because these stimulants produce such agreeable results, many conclude
that they really need them; but there is always a reaction. The nervous
system has borrowed power from its future resources, for present use,
and all this temporary invigoration is followed by corresponding
depression. The suddenness of the relief obtained from tea and
coffee, is an evidence that what seems to be strength is only nervous
excitement, and consequently must be an injury to the system.
The appetite thus educated continually to crave something stronger,
demands an increase of the agreeable excitement. Its demands become
more frequent, and more difficult to control. The more debilitated the
system and the less able to do without unnatural stimulus, the more the
desire for these things increases, until the will is overborne, and
there seems to be no power to deny the unnatural craving.
When there has been a departure from the right path, it is difficult to
return. Barriers have been broken down, safeguards removed. One step in
the wrong direction prepares the way for another. The least deviation
from right principles will lead to separation from God, and may end
in destruction. What we do once, we more readily do again; and to go
forward in a certain path, be it right or wrong, is more easy than
to start. To corrupt our ways before God requires no effort; but to
ingraft habits of righteousness and truth upon the character takes time
and patient endeavor.
Many who would hesitate to place liquor to a neighbor’s lips, will
engage in the raising of hops, and thus lend their influence against
the temperance cause. I cannot see how, in the light of the law of God,
Christians can conscientiously engage in the raising of hops or the
manufacture of wine and cider for the market.
I have often heard people say, “Oh! this is only sweet cider. It is
perfectly harmless, and even healthful.” Several quarts, perhaps
gallons, are carried home. For a short time it is sweet; then
fermentation begins. The sharp taste makes it all the more acceptable
to many palates, and the lover of sweet wine and cider is loath to
admit that his favorite beverage ever becomes hard and sour.
Intoxication is just as really produced by wine and cider as by
stronger drinks, and it is the worst kind of inebriation. The passions
are more perverse; the transformation of character is greater, more
determined, and obstinate. A few quarts of cider or wine may awaken
a taste for stronger drinks, and in many cases those who have become
confirmed drunkards have thus laid the foundation of the drinking habit.
For persons who have inherited an appetite for stimulants, it is by no
means safe to have wine or cider in the house; for Satan is continually
soliciting them to indulge. If they yield to his temptations, they
do not know where to stop; appetite clamors for indulgence, and is
gratified to their ruin. The brain is clouded; reason no longer holds
the reins, but lays them on the neck of lust. Licentiousness abounds,
and vices of almost every type are practiced as the result of indulging
the appetite for wine and cider. It is impossible for one who loves
these stimulants, and accustoms himself to their use, to grow in grace.
He becomes gross and sensual; the animal passions control the higher
powers of the mind, and virtue is not cherished.
Moderate drinking is the school in which men are receiving an education
for the drunkard’s career. So gradually does Satan lead away from the
strongholds of temperance, so insidiously do wine and cider exert their
influence upon the taste, that the highway to drunkenness is entered
upon all unsuspectingly. The taste for stimulants is cultivated;
the nervous system is disordered; Satan keeps the mind in a fever
of unrest, and the poor victim, imagining himself perfectly secure,
goes on and on, until every barrier is broken down, every principle
sacrificed. The strongest resolutions are undermined, and eternal
interests are too weak to keep the debased appetite under the control
of reason. Some are never really drunk, but are always under the
influence of mild intoxicants. They are feverish, unstable in mind, not
really delirious, but as truly unbalanced; for the nobler powers of the
mind are perverted.
Wherever we go, we encounter the tobacco devotee, enfeebling both
mind and body by his darling indulgence. Have men a right to deprive
their Maker and the world of the service which is their due? Tobacco
is a slow; insidious poison. Its effects are more difficult to erase
from the system than are those of liquor. It binds the victim in even
stronger bands of slavery than does the intoxicating cup. It is a
disgusting habit, defiling to the user, and very annoying to others. We
rarely pass through a crowd, but men will puff their poisoned breath in
our faces. It is unpleasant, if not dangerous, to remain in a railway
car or in a room where the atmosphere is impregnated with the fumes of
liquor and tobacco. Is it honorable thus to contaminate the air which
others must breath?
What power can the tobacco devotee have to stay the progress of
intemperance? There must be a revolution upon the subject of tobacco
before the ax will be laid at the root of the tree. Tea, coffee, and
tobacco, as well as alcoholic drinks, are different degrees in the
scale of artificial stimulants.
The effect of tea and coffee, as heretofore shown, tends in the same
direction as that of wine and cider, liquor and tobacco.
Tea is a stimulant, and to a certain extent produces intoxication. It
gradually impairs the energy of body and mind. Its first effect is
exhilarating, because it quickens the motions of the living machinery;
and the tea drinker thinks that it is doing him great service. But this
is a mistake. When its influence is gone, the unnatural force abates,
and the result is languor and debility corresponding to the artificial
vivacity imparted. The second effect of tea drinking is headache,
wakefulness, palpitation of the heart, indigestion, trembling, and many
other evils.
Coffee is a hurtful indulgence. It temporarily excites the mind to
unwonted action, but the after-effect is exhaustion, prostration,
paralysis of the mental, moral, and physical powers. The mind becomes
enervated, and unless through determined effort the habit is overcome,
the activity of the brain is permanently lessened.
All these nerve irritants are wearing away the life forces, and the
restlessness caused by shattered nerves, the impatience, the mental
feebleness, become warring elements, antagonizing to spiritual
progress. Then should not those who advocate temperance and reform be
awake to counteract the evils of these injurious drinks? In some cases
it is as difficult to break up the tea-and-coffee habit as it is for
the inebriate to discontinue the use of liquor. The money expended for
tea and coffee is worse than wasted. They do the user only harm, and
that continually. Those who use tea, coffee, opium, and alcohol, may
sometimes live to old age, but this fact is no argument in favor of the
use of these stimulants. What these persons might have accomplished,
but failed to, because of their intemperate habits, the great day of
God alone will reveal.
Those who resort to tea and coffee for stimulation to labor, will
feel the evil effects of this course in trembling nerves and lack of
self-control. Tired nerves need rest and quiet. Nature needs time to
recuperate her exhausted energies. But if her forces are goaded on by
the use of stimulants, there is, whenever this process is repeated, a
lessening of real force. For a time, more may be accomplished under the
unnatural stimulus, but gradually it becomes more difficult to rouse
the energies to the desired point, and at last exhausted nature can no
longer respond.
The habit of drinking coffee and tea is a greater evil than is
often suspected. Many who have accustomed themselves to the use of
stimulating drinks, suffer from headache and nervous prostration, and
lose much time on account of sickness. They imagine they cannot live
without the stimulus, and are ignorant of its effect upon the health.
What makes it more dangerous is, that its evil effects are so often
attributed to other causes.
Through the use of stimulants, the whole system suffers. The nerves
are unbalanced, the liver is morbid in its action, the quality and
circulation of the blood are affected, and the skin becomes inactive
and sallow. The mind, too, is injured. The immediate influence of these
stimulants is to excite the brain to undue activity, only to leave it
weaker and less capable of exertion. The after-effect is prostration,
not only mental and physical, but moral. As a result we see nervous
men and women, of unsound judgment and unbalanced mind. They often
manifest a hasty, impatient, accusing spirit, viewing the faults of
others as through a magnifying glass, and utterly unable to discern
their own defects.
When these tea and coffee users meet together for social entertainment,
the effects of their pernicious habit are manifest. All partake freely
of the favorite beverages, and as the stimulating influence is felt,
their tongues are loosened, and they begin the wicked work of talking
against others. Their words are not few or well chosen. The tidbits
of gossip are passed around, too often the poison of scandal as well.
These thoughtless gossipers forget that they have a witness. An unseen
Watcher is writing their words in the books of heaven. All these
unkind criticisms, these exaggerated reports, these envious feelings,
expressed under the excitement of the cup of tea, Jesus registers as
against Himself. “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of
these my brethren, ye have done it unto Me.”
We are already suffering because of the wrong habits of our fathers,
and yet how many take a course in every way worse than theirs! Opium,
tea, coffee, tobacco, and liquor are rapidly extinguishing the spark
of vitality still left in the race. Every year millions of gallons of
intoxicating liquors are drank, and millions of dollars are spent for
tobacco. And the slaves of appetite, while constantly spending their
earnings in sensual indulgence, rob their children of food and clothing
and the advantages of education. There can never be a right state of
society while these evils exist.
[Illustration: _Tea Table Gossips_]
When the appetite for spirituous liquor is indulged, the man
voluntarily places to his lips the draught which debases below the
level of the brute, him who was made in the image of God. Reason is
paralyzed, the intellect is benumbed, the animal passion is excited,
and then follow crimes of the most debasing character. How can the user
of rum and tobacco give to God an undivided heart?--It is impossible.
Neither can he love his neighbor as himself. The darling indulgence
engrosses all his affections. To gratify his craving for strong drink,
he sells reason and self-control. He places to his lips that which
stupefies the brain, paralyzes the intellect, and makes him a shame and
a curse to his family, and a terror to all around him. If men would
become temperate in all things, if they would touch not, taste not,
handle not, tea, coffee, tobacco, wines, opium, and alcoholic drinks,
reason would take the reins of government in her own hands, and hold
the appetite and passions under control.
Through appetite, Satan controls the mind and the whole being.
Thousands who might have lived have passed to the grave, physical,
mental, and moral wrecks, because they sacrificed all their powers
to the indulgence of appetite. The necessity for the men of this
generation to call to their aid the power of the will, strengthened
by the grace of God, in order to withstand the temptations of Satan,
and resist the least indulgence of perverted appetite, is far greater
than it was several generations ago. But the present generation have
less power of self-control than had those who lived then. Those who
indulged in these stimulants transmitted their depraved appetites and
passions to their children, and greater moral power is now required to
resist intemperance in all its forms. The only perfectly safe course
is to stand firm, observing strict temperance in all things, and never
venturing into the path of danger.
I feel an intense interest that fathers and mothers should realize the
solemn obligations that are resting upon them at this time. We are
bringing up children who will be controlled by the power of Satan or
by that of Christ. The only way in which any can be secure against the
power of intemperance, is to abstain wholly from wine, beer, and strong
drinks. We must teach our children that in order to be manly, they
must let these things alone. God has shown us what constitutes true
manliness. It is he that overcometh who will be honored, and whose name
will not be blotted out of the book of life.
When the Lord would raise up Samson as a deliverer of His people, He
enjoined upon the mother correct habits of life before the birth of her
child. And the same prohibition was to be imposed, from the first, upon
the child; for he was to be consecrated to God as a Nazarite from his
birth.
The angel of God appeared to the wife of Manoah, and informed her that
she should have a son; and in view of this, he gave her the important
directions: “Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor
strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing.”
God had important work for the promised child of Manoah to do, and it
was to secure for him the qualifications necessary for this work, that
the habits of both the mother and the child were to be so carefully
regulated. “Neither let her drink wine nor strong drink,” was the
angel’s instruction for the wife of Manoah, “nor eat any unclean thing:
all that I commanded her let her observe.” The child will be affected
for good or evil by the habits of the mother. She must herself be
controlled by principle, and must practice temperance and self-denial,
if she would seek the welfare of her child.
In the New Testament we find a no less impressive example of the
importance of temperate habits.
John the Baptist was a reformer. To him was committed a great work
for the people of his time. And in preparation for that work, all his
habits were carefully regulated, even from his birth. The angel Gabriel
was sent from heaven to instruct the parents of John in the principles
of health reform. He “shall drink neither wine nor strong drink,” said
the heavenly messenger; “and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost.”
John separated himself from his friends, and from the luxuries of
life, dwelling alone in the wilderness, and subsisting on a purely
vegetable diet. The simplicity of his dress--a garment woven of camel’s
hair--was a rebuke to the extravagance and display of the people of his
generation, especially of the Jewish priests. His diet also, of locusts
and wild honey, was a rebuke to the gluttony that everywhere prevailed.
[Illustration: _1 Samuel Presented to Eli_
_2 Samson and the Gate of Gaza_
_3 John the Baptist in the Wilderness_]
The work of John was foretold by the prophet Malachi: “Behold, I will
send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful
day of the Lord; and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the
children, and the heart of the children to their fathers.” John the
Baptist went forth in the spirit and power of Elijah, to prepare the
way of the Lord, and to turn the people to the wisdom of the just. He
was a representative of those living in the last days, to whom God
has entrusted sacred truths to present before the people, to prepare
the way for the second coming of Christ. And the same principles of
temperance which John practiced should be observed by those who in our
day are to warn the world of the coming of the Son of man.
God has made man in His own image, and He expects man to preserve
unimpaired the powers that have been imparted to him for the Creator’s
service. Then should we not heed His admonitions, and seek to preserve
every power in the best condition to serve him? The very best we can
give to God is feeble enough.
Why is there so much misery in the world to-day? Is it because God
loves to see His creatures suffer?--O no! it is because men become
weakened by immoral practices. We mourn over Adam’s transgression, and
seem to think that our first parents showed great weakness in yielding
to temptation; but if Adam’s transgression were the only evil we had to
meet, the condition of the world would be much better than it is. There
has been a succession of falls since Adam’s day.
Indulgence in spirituous liquors is causing great wretchedness in the
world. Though liquor drinkers are told again and again that they are
shortening their life, they still go on in transgression. Why not cease
to break the laws of God? Why not seek to preserve themselves in a
condition of health? This is what God requires of them. If Christians
would bring all their appetites and passions under the control of
enlightened conscience, feeling it a duty they owe to God and to their
neighbor to obey the laws which govern life and health, they would have
the blessing of physical and mental vigor; they would have moral power
to engage in the warfare against Satan; and in the name of Him who
conquered in their behalf, they might be more than conquerors on their
own account.
All around us are the victims of depraved appetite, and what are you
going to do for them? Can you not, by your example, help them to place
their feet in the path of temperance? Can you have a sense of the
temptations that are coming upon the youth who are growing up around
us, and not seek to warn and save them? Who will stand on the Lord’s
side? Who will help to press back this tide of immorality, of woe,
and wretchedness, that is filling the world? We entreat of you to
turn your attention to the work of overcoming. Those who shall at last
have a right to the tree of life, will be those who have kept God’s
commandments.
It is not an easy matter to overcome the appetite for narcotics and
stimulants. But in the name of Christ this great victory can be gained.
His love for the fallen race was so great that He made an infinite
sacrifice to reach them in their degradation and through His divine
power finally elevate them to His throne. But it rests with man whether
Christ shall accomplish for him that which He is fully able to do. God
cannot work against man’s will to save him from Satan’s artifices. Man
must put forth his human power to resist and conquer at any cost; he
must be a co-worker with Christ. Then, through the victory that it is
his privilege to gain by the all-powerful name of Jesus, he may become
an heir of God, and a partaker with Christ of His glory. No drunkard
can inherit the kingdom of God; but “to him that overcometh will I
grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set
down with My Father in His throne.”