to do evil learning to do well, and coming into right relationship
with God through Christ. Some friends are much alarmed lest this
should lead to self-righteousness. There is no danger of that. The
danger lies all the other way. To leave Christians drinking whisky
and smoking tobacco in that region, would be to preach forgiveness
of sin through Christ to men who were still going on in the
practice of what their conscience told them was sin, and all must
admit that this would never do. The condition of things in that
region is such that I have no hesitation in saying that a man, to
be honest in obeying God by refraining from what is wrong, must
throw up his connexion with these three things, tobacco, whisky,
opium.

'In _that region_. It will be noticed that I have carefully
confined my remarks to the state of things in _that region_. _That
region_ is peculiar in producing within its own bounds almost all
that is necessary for life and luxury even. It is peculiar too in
having just exactly as many inhabitants as it can support, no more,
no less. When the population increases too much it overflows into
Manchuria. When the population is less than the full complement, it
is instantly replenished by fresh arrivals from the South. The
production of tobacco, whisky, and opium, not only reduces a large
proportion of the inhabitants from comfort to misery, but also
reduces sensibly the number of inhabitants. But for these three
things many more men could find a living within the bounds of the
district Is not that little district an epitome of the world? Is
what is true of that district not true of the whole world? Opium is
a bad thing anywhere and everywhere. About that there need be no
debate. Whisky and tobacco reduce the comforts and the number of
the population there--is their effect not the same on the world in
general? Is it not true that but for tobacco and whisky there would
be food and clothes for a much larger population? And if so, do not
tobacco and whisky take the bread out of men's mouths and the
clothes off their backs? And if so, has not every smoker and
drinker a part in this sin? Christians pray, "_Give us this day our
daily bread._" Does not consistency require them to desist from
defeating this prayer by smoking and drinking, and