"Thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink" (Deut. xiv, 26). "Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. Let him drink and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more" (Prov. xxxi, 6,7). "Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake" (1 Tim. v, 23). "Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart, for God now accepteth thy works" (Eccles. ix, 7). "Corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maids" (Zech. ix, 17). "They shall plant vineyards and drink the wine thereof" (Amos ix, 14). "Wine that maketh glad the heart of man" (Ps. civ, 15). "Wine which cheereth God and man" (Jud. ix, 13). "In the holy place shalt thou cause the strong wine to be poured unto the Lord for a drink offering" (Num. xxviii, 7). Will that wing of the Prohibition army which accepts the Bible as its guide inscribe these texts upon its banner? As a reward for the Jews keeping the judgments of the Lord he was to bless their wine (Deut. vii, 13). Liberal giving to the Lord was to be rewarded with an abundance of wine. "Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase: so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine" (Prov. iii, 9, 10). One of the most direful calamities was a wine famine. "Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.... The drink offering is cut off from the house of the Lord; the priests, the Lord's ministers, mourn.... Gird yourselves and lament, ye priests howl, ye ministers of the altar; come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God; for ... the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God" (Joel i, 5, 9, 13). God's especial favorites had a weakness for wine. When he drowned the world's inhabitants he saved Noah, knowing that as soon as the waters subsided he would plant a vineyard, make wine, and become intoxicated. When Sodom was destroyed the only righteous man he found was that foul drunkard, Lot. When David made his celebrated feast in honor of the Lord he gave to every man and woman a flagon of wine. He kept some for himself and so merry did his heart become that he "danced before the Lord with all his might." Thus joyously sings Solomon: "I have drunk my wine with my milk [milk punch]; eat, O friends! drink, yea, drink abundantly." In the morning he sings another song: "Open to me ... my love ... for my head is filled with dew." How many a wayward fellow like Solomon has risen from the gutter, sorrowfully wended his way home, and serenaded his sleeping spouse with that same melody! When Solomon erected his temple to God he gave to his laborers "twenty thousand baths [nearly 175,000 gallons] of wine" (2 Chron. ii, 10).