dressed the reason and consciences of men, and that he had been very successful in his preaching in Asia. He well knew that Paul was in the right and he was in the wrong. Demetrius no doubt knew full well that most men were governed more by self-interest and passion, than by reason and moral principle. He well knew that his only hope in opposing Paul and the good effect of his preaching, was in exciting their passions, and thereby "stir up the people and make an uproar" among the Ephesians. Here again Col. Gibbens may see his own likeness. "As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man."

Col. Gibbens knows full well that the, license law commends itself to "every man's conscience in the sight of God;" that it was a just and righteous law, and designed for the public good as a whole, notwithstanding it might endanger his craft. He knew that the legislature was in the right, and he in the wrong, and his only hope was in exciting the passions of the dealers and drinkers of ardent spirit, and thereby make an "uproar " among the people. But Col. Gibbens cannot give any better account of his conduct in this case, than Demetrius could. And the town-clerk said, "We are in danger to be called in question for this day's uproar, there being no cause whereby we may give an account of this concourse. And when he had thus spoken he dismissed the assembly."

Col. Gibbens has indirectly said, that the legislature, in passing the law, has assumed power that did not belong to it; that the law is rather an "arbitrary and despotic act," than a law based upon republican principles; that the legislature has unwarrantably infringed upon the inherent, home-bred, fireside, just, natural, essential, unalienable, indefeasible, political and constitutional rights of the people of the state. After this he says, "A tame submission to usurpation but invites and deserves its consequent curse." If it was true that the legislature had deprived us of any of our natural rights, I would lay

down my pen, and never write or speak another word in favor of the license law. But I deny that there is a word of truth in the assertion. Col. Gibbens reminds me of Balak, the son of Zippor, who sent his princes unto Balaam, the son of Beor, to come and curse Israel for him. The first time that Balak sent to Balaam, he would not start because God forbid him to go.

"And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people; for they are blessed. And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honorable than they. And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me; for I will promote thee unto very great honor, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me; come, therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people. And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or

more.

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Notwithstanding Balak offered his burnt-offering to Baal, he did not hear nor help him. "And he (Balaam) took up his parable, and said, Balak the King of Moab, hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel. How shall I curse whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied? For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him; lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.'

I consider Col. Gibbens the Balak, the other men that signed the Report as his servants or princes, the writers of" An Appeal," &c., the Balaam, the dealers in and drinkers of ardent spirits the Moabites, and the authors and advocates and friends of the license law, the children of Israel. And I also consider, judging from what is before me, that Col. Gibbens is as "sincere a friend" to the " temperance" cause, as was Balak to the

cause of Israel. He has no more of a natural right to traffic in spirituous liquors, than Balak had to curse Israel, or offer burnt offerings to Baal. Col. Gibbens prays as heartily that the license law may be repealed, as Balak did that Israel might be cursed. And as Balak was willing to make a great sacrifice of his wealth to have his object accomplished, even so is Col. Gibbens and the other dealers in spirituous liquors.

The temperance cause is the cause of truth and righteousness, of humanity and coinpassion, of Christ and of God; and it must and will prevail, and triumph over all opposition, as the children of Israel did in taking possession of the promised land. "For the ear of the Lord is not heavy that it cannot hear, nor his arm shortened that it cannot save. For all his promises are made in Christ, and they are all yea and amen to the glory of the Father." "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but his word shall not pass away till all things be fulfilled."

I challenge Col. Gibbens to fairly prove that the legislature, in enacting the license law, has deprived any man, in the least degree, of any right that God ever gave him directly or indirectly. And every good gift and every perfect gift is from him, the "Father of Lights." The legislature not only had the right to pass the law, but they were bound by every moral obligation to do it. The public good demanded such a law, and in giving it to us the legislature has done its duty, and no more than its duty; and every man in Massachusetts is bound by every moral obligation to submit to and obey the law to a tittle. Col. Gibbens has no more of a natural and moral right to oppose and disobey, or attempt the repeal of the license law, than Balak king of Moab had to oppose and prevent the children of Israel, if possible, from taking possession of his land, and all the land of Canaan, which was given unto them by the promise of God to Abraham, six hundred and eighty-five years before. The time had come that God had fixed upon when Balak should give up his land to Israel, and he had not the

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least right to oppose them, and send unto Balaam to come to him and curse and defy Israel. As Balak assumed a right that God never gave to him, in opposing Israel, even so Col. Gibbens has assumed a right that he has no just claim to, in opposing the license law of last April, or prevent its being carried into full effect.

"Hezekiah king of Judah did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father did. He removed the high places and brake the images, and cut down the graves, and brake in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made; for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it. And he called it Nahushtan. He trusted in the Lord God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. For he clove to the Lord, and departed not from hallowing him, but kept his commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses."

From the above portion of scripture, it is clear and evident, that Hezekiah had a full and perfect right to remove the high places, and break the images, and cut down the graves," and thereby destroy idolatry in the land. But Hezekiah had no more right to do this, than the legislature had to enact the license law, and repeal all other laws upon this subject, that had been enacted by former legislatures.

Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, and king of Judah, did all in his power, the former part of his reign, to establish idolatry throughout the whole empire. But the latter part of his reign, he destroyed the work of his own hands, and did all in his power to suppress idolatry, and bring back the people from serving idols and worshipping them, to the worship of the God of Abraham.

Manasseh had no more right to do the least thing to establish idolatry, than he had to fill Jerusalem with innocent blood. But he had as good a natural right to do both, as Col. Gibbens and others have to traffic in ardent spirits and fill the land with it, that men may "drink

Lord, and in Je

and be drunken." But Manassch had a full and perfect right to take "away the strange gods, and the idols out of the house of the Lord, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the rusalem, and cast them out of the city. And he repaired the altar of the Lord, and sacrificed thereon peace-offering and thank-offering, and commanded Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel." And no man can have the least reason to doubt for one moment, that Manasseh had not a full and perfect right, to do all that is said in these two verses that he did do. Let Col. Gibbens prove to us if he can that the Legislature of Massachusetts had not as good a natural and moral right to enact the license law, as Manasseh had to take "away the strange gods and the idols out of the house of the Lord," and command "Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel.” If he does not, let him be forever mute, and never say again that he thinks the law an impolitic, unreasonable and arbitrary act."

The legislature has as good a natural and moral right to enact the license law of last April, as Nehemiah had to prohibit the men of Judah and the men of Tyre, from bringing their different kinds of merchandize into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day.

"In those days saw I in Judah some treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals. There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the Sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the Sabbath day? Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the Sabbath. And it came to pass,