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mgs, we remember who hath said, “ I am the vine, ye 
are the brandies; lie that abideth in me, and I in him, 
the same bringeth forth much fruit.” And with yet 
deeper emotion we recall to mind the sacramental supper, 
and who it was that “ took the cup and blessed it, saying, 
Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the New 
Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of 
sins.” 
Thus consecrated, it is painful to think how often it 
lias been made the subject of unhallowed lays, and the 
occasion, alas! of unhallowed deeds. Perhaps of all 
the blessings which a bountiful Providence has showered 
on his creatures “ richly to enjoy,” none has been more 
perverted than this. True, it was given “to make glad 
the heart of man;” but from the abuse of it, how often 
do its grapes prove “ grapes of gall, its clusters bitter ! ” 
“ Look not upon the wine when it is red,” says the 
wisest of men,—“ when it giveth its colour in the cup, 
when it movetli itself aright: at the last it bitetli like a 
serpent and stingeth like an adder.” 
But though it has been made the theme of many a 
lawless song, it has also been mentioned in many pas¬ 
sages of great beauty, which we need not blush to quote. 
We must, however, now return to the early cultiva¬ 
tion of this tree. Like most other choice fruits, the 
i. 
