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have gathered around his lurking place, sword in hand, and are attempting to cut off this paw; which is so busily and powerfully engaged in the work of destruction: Already several of the muscles and sinews have been severed, and the monster begins to feel the loss of blood. The entire amputation will weaken and cripple him still more. But

let no man think that the battle will then be over. He will wake up with the power that desperation gives; and must be met and overcome by the power that religion gives.

Sources of poverty.

Thirdly; the discussion of this subject shows us how groundless are most of the complaints made in our country, about hard times, the impossibility of paying debts, supporting families, and contributing to benevolent objects. Most of the men, who thus complain, are the very persons, who are expending every year nearly double what is necesary, for unnecessary and highly injurious articles of diet. They can hardly make out a meal, unless three or four varieties of food, and a quantum of the strongest tea, or coffee, are before them. Clogged as they are by this needless extra expense, and incapacitated as they are for the vigorous prosecution of business, by excess in eating, it is no wonder that they find it difficult to keep their expenditures within their income. But let them only adopt those rules of diet, for themselves and families, which experience and the best physicians point out, as most calculated to promote health and happiness, and they would find their temporal concerns most astonishingly blessed. Instead of complaining of the hard times, and the difficulty of supporting their families, they would be continually praising God for casting their lot in a part of the world, where their facilities for obtaining the comforts, and even luxuries of life, are unexampled; and where by honest industry and economy alone, they can not only do this, but obtain a surplus. fot meeting in a liberal manner, the various calls, which learning, benevolence, and religion make upon their chari

MEANS FOR BENEFICENCE.

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ty: and besides this, have something left as a reserve for =future exigences.

I am aware, indeed, that it requires the spirit of a martyr, for any individual at the present day, to adopt, and carry through, such a system. Public opinion will ridicule his zeal on this subject as fanaticism, if he be not regarded as deranged; and his conscientious simplicity of living, will be branded as narrow minded parsimony: and he will be in danger of being cast out, with his family, from respectable and even religious society. His best friends will affectionately urge him not to starve himself and his family, and try to make him believe, that his children will be despised for the peculiarities of their father; and that as soon as they are out of the reach of his excesive restrictions, they will give the rein to all their desires, and become dissolute. Unless a man, therefore, is prepared to meet all these difficulties, (and nothing but strong religious principle, and daily prayer, can prepare him,) he had better not make the attempt. Alas, how few there are, who aspire to the honor of this martyrdom! But it will not be always thus.

Means for Benevolent Efforts.

Fourthly; the discussion of this subject shows us from whence the means are to be derived, for civilizing and Christianizing the world.

They are to result from the prevalence of temperance. In the first place, this will furnish men for the work. When children shall be brought up according to strict temperance, and shall persevere in the same course through life, there will be little more complaint about debilitated constitutions and feeble health: nor will acute diseases but seldom cut down suddenly the most vigorous and useful of men: But they will live until natural decay shall remove them; that is, at a medium, until seventy years old. Certainly this will add twenty or thirty years to the present term of life: and it will add more than this, to the period of usefulness: because we need not make so much allowance, as we now

do, for sickness and premature debility. The same number of men, therefore, under the reign of temperance, will do much more in the mighty work of renovating the world, than they can do, under the influence of the present habits of society.

Is this all imagination? Or does the language of prophecy teach us the same? Speaking of the latter days, Isaiah says there shall be no more thence, an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days; for the child shall die a hundred years old but the sinner, being a hundred years old, shall be accursed. And they shall build houses and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. Certainly this passage describes an important addition to the term of life in latter times: in this world too, because sinners are here spoken of. And if we seek for natural causes to account for such a result, how exactly does temperance answer the requisite conditions.

The same prophet says also, of the Jerusalem, in which the righteous shall dwell in rillenial times, that the inhabitant shalt not say I am sick. And to produce such a wonderful and most desirable consummation, what else is needed, but the universal practice, of universal temperance!

But the progress of temperance, in respect both to drink and food, paves the way for the progress of true piety. Hence temperance will be the means of qualifying many more young men to be ministers and missionaries. And since its general prevalence will render unnecessary many branches of business, now extensively pursued, more and more youth can be spared for the benevolent work of carrying civilization and science to their ignorant and benighted fellow men.

Money for the work.

Temperance will also furnish the pecuniary means for

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this work. Our benevolent societies now find it extremely difficult to procure money enough to carry forward their operations on a very limited scale. But were only their present contributors to adopt the principles of temperance, they might enable these societies to enlarge the sphere of their labors in an astonishing ratio. Admitting that the 800,000 professing Christians in the United States, constitute these contributors, or are equivalent to them as to number, and the following estimate must be regarded as very moderate.

The pecuniary expense of ardent spirit in this country, cannot be but less than one hundred millions of dollars annually. Divided equally upon our thirteen millions of inhabitants, it will give eight dollars to each individual. Suppose that professors of religion expend only one third as much as the average sum for this article; and the 800,000 would, by total abstinence, save $2,136,000.

Suppose each of these individuals, by reducing the quantity of his solid food one half, could save ten dollars per annum. The whole amount saved would be $8,000,000. To this ought to be added at least $4,000,000 more, for the unnecessary dishes, and sweet-meats, cakes, fruits, &c. with which friends and parties are regaled.

Tobacco, cigars, and snuff, at one pound for each individual, (about the quantity consumed in England) and at twenty cents per pound, amount to 160,000 dollars.*

Tea, at one pound for each person, at one dollar per pound, $800,000. Coffee, at two pounds each, and thirty cents per pound, $480,000.

The whole amount is not far from fifteen millions; or thirty times more than the income of the charitable and benevolent societies in the United States in 1829. To this might be added, could it be estimated, a large sum, saved by the influence of temperance, from the ordinary expenses of sickness. Another large amount also, for the addi

* See Journal of Health, p. 27.

tion to life, resulting from the same cause; and the consequent ability to enlarge the pecuniary stock above the present standard. Nor should it be forgotten, that a speedy and natural consequence of rigid temperance, would be, to lead to an immense reduction of those extravagances in dress, furniture, and equipage, which even exceed the excess of Christians in eating and drinking. All these items must more than double the amount mentioned above; which the thorough practice of temperance would set at liberty, for the service of the Lord.

This, then, is the enormous annual tax, which Christians in this country pay, for feeding the maw of intemperance. Let this monster be starved, and all this might go to hasten forward the conversion, civilization, and salvation of the world. Oh, it is a matter of joy, that such vast resources can be poured so easily into the streams of benevolencemaking healthier, happier, and richer, those who give; and imparting peace, and joy, and eternal blessedness, to those who receive! And if the present comparatively small number of professing christians in our land, could do so much, what might the great mass of the inhabitants accomplish, were they too, to become temperate and devotedly pious? One hundred millious annually, they could have at their command, by total abstinence from ardent spirit: another hundred by temperance in eating; twenty or thirty, by abandoning hurtful narcotics; and more than double the whole of these items, by a reasonable reduction of evtravagancies in dress, furniture, and equipage? Carry your thoughts farther; and suppose these principles of temperance to prevail among all Christian nations; and surely you have the means in your hands for the complete renovation of this wretched world. Yet all this, may Christians hope to see, in millenial times. And who knows, but the temperance movement in our land, is the grand, instrument, which God means to employ, to bring about such mighty and glorious results!

If there be any approximation to truth in these principles

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