"The great law of whose life was self-sacrifice," he pursued. "If one of
his brethren or sisters had been a drunkard, can you think of him
filling up his own cup with wine and drinking it, as they sat side by
side at the same table?"

"I should be shocked at imagining anything so presumptuous, not to call
it blasphemous," she said. "We can only go by the plain words of
Scripture, which tell us that He turned water into wine, and that He
drank wine Himself. I am not afraid of going by the plain words of
Scripture."

"But we have only fragments of His history," replied Mr. Warden, "and
only a few verses of His teachings. Would you say that Paul had more of
the spirit of self-sacrifice than Christ? Yet he said, 'It is good
neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor anything whereby thy
brother stumbleth.' And again, 'If meat make my brother to offend, I
will eat no flesh while the world standeth.' If the servant spoke so,
what do you think the Master would have answered if any one had asked
Him, 'Lord, what shall I do to save my brother from drunkenness?' It
will be a self-denial to you; people will wonder at it, and talk about
you; yet I say, if you would truly follow your Lord and Saviour, there
is no choice for you. You can save a soul for whom Christ died; and is
it possible that you can refuse to do it?"

"I thought," said Mrs. Bolton, "that you would expostulate with her, and
warn her as her pastor; and I cannot but believe that, now I have made
it known to you, you are responsible for her--at least more responsible
than I am. You must use your influence with her; and if she is deaf to
reason, we have done all we could."