The Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the earth who are living in this time of peril and corruption. Ministers of the gospel have departed from the Lord, and those who profess the name of Christ are guilty of not holding aloft the banner of truth. Ministers are afraid to be open prohibitionists, and they hold their peace concerning the curse of drink, fearing lest their salaries should be diminished or their congregations offended. They fear lest, if they should speak forth Bible truth with power and clearness showing the line of distinction between the sacred and the common, they would lose their popularity; for there are large numbers who are enrolled as church members who are receiving a revenue, either directly or indirectly, from the drink traffic. These people are not ignorant of the sin that they are committing. No one needs to be informed that the drink traffic is one that entails upon its victims, misery, shame, degradation, and death, with the eternal ruin of their souls. Those who reap a revenue, either directly or indirectly, from this traffic, are putting into the till the money which has come through the loss of souls of men. They know that the drink appetite lowers man to a condition below that of the brute creation. Have these church-goers a conscience? Have they not lost from their hearts all love of humanity? Has not the love of gain so paralyzed their senses that, like Nadab and Abihu, they have no remembrance of the "Thus saith the Lord"? His anger is not only kindled against winebibbers, but against him who opens the door of temptation to the poor, wretched creatures who have lost their moral power, and have destroyed their God-given manhood. His anger is kindled against those who seek to make their disreputable business attractive, and who use every possible enticement to lure souls into their saloons, in order that they may rob them of their money; for liquor dealers give no equivalent, but only that which works a curse upon the victim of the drink habit, and spreads misery and crime in his household and neighborhood.

Herren går i rette med folkene, som lever i denne farlige, fordærvede tid. Evangeliske forkyndere er afveget fra Herren og de, der bekender Kristi navn, gør sig skyldige i ikke al holde sandhedens fane højt. Præster er bange for åbent at erklære sig for spiritusforbud og de tier om drikkeriets forbandelse af frygt for at få mindre i gage eller at støde forsamlingen. De er ængstelige for at miste deres popularitet, hvis de skulle forkynde Bibelens sandhed stærk og tydeligt, og trække grænsen mellem det hellige og det almindelige, for der står adskillige indtegnet som menighedsmedlemmer, der enten direkte eller indirekte har en indtægt fra handelen med stærke drikke. Disse mennesker er ikke uvidende om den synd, de begår. Ingen behøver at informeres om, at handelen med stærke drikke er noget, der påfører sit offer elendighed, skam, nedværdigelse og død med evig fortabelse. De; der direkte eller indirekte erhverver en indtægt ved denne handel, kommer penge i deres skuffe, som er tjent på mennesker, der måtte bøde med deres sjæl. Den drikfældighed forringer mennesket til en tilstand under den dyriske skabning. Har disse kirkegængere en samvittighed? Har de ikke mistet kærligheden i deres hjerter for hele menneskeheden? Er det ikke kærligheden til vinding der således har lammet deres fornuft, at ligesom Nadab og Abihu, så de ingen hukommelse har af et “Så siger Herren?” Hans vrede er ikke kun antændt imod drankeren, men imod ham der åbner fristelsens dør til de stakkels, ulykkelige skabninger der har mistet deres moralske kraft, og har ødelagt deres gud-givne manddom. Hans vrede er antændt imod disse der søger at gøre deres berygtede forretninger tiltrækkende, og der bruger enhver mulig tillokkelse til at lokke sjæle ind i deres beværtninger, for at de kan røve deres penge fra dem; de penge han modtager yder intet passende vederlag, men virker kun som en forbandelse på offeret af drikkevanen, og spreder sorg og kriminalitet i hans husstand og nabolag.