A Strong Adversary of the Gospel
A Strong Adversary of the Gospel.—A Methodist bishop, Dr. Foss, is credited with this statement concerning strong drink: “As a Christian minister, I oppose drink because it opposes me. The work I try to do, it undoes. It is an obstacle to the spread of the Gospel; nay, it is an obstacle which assails the Gospel, and whose complete success would drive the Gospel from the earth.” This is certainly true, for it is one of Satan’s very delusive weapons, and perhaps his most destructive one. “It biteth like a serpent,” and the serpent was his first medium in the introduction of sin and death into the world. But there is another sinister principle behind the strong-drink evil, which gives it impetus and its wonderful influence; and that is the “love of money,” which is “a root of all kinds of evil.” It is doubtful if there is a man in the world who believes that the indulgence or the traffic of strong drink is right. It is the business of liquor-making and liquor-dealing that puts the tempter in the way of those who are susceptible to its influence, and the “love of money” is the sole incentive to engaging in the business.