“In these two verses, the author of Proverbs has more than nullified all the good things he said in his earlier chapters, and which I have quoted in List A. I am quite sure that where they have prevented the drinking of one glass of wine or strong drink, these passages have led to the drinking of one thousand. And this is a mild statement of the case.
“[Eccl. 9 : 7]: ‘Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.’
“[Song of Sol. 1 : 2]: ‘Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth; for thy love is better than wine.’
“From this we gather that, next to love wine is the best thing in the world. This is the opinion of most bacchanalian experts, I believe. Solomon seems to have had much experience.
“[Song of Sol. 5 : 1]: ‘I have drunk my wine with my milk; eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O believers.’
“Is this the earliest mention of milk punch?
“[Song of Sol. 8 : 2]: ‘I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate.’ Metaphorical, undoubtedly.
“[Isa. 1 : 22]: ‘Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water.’
“Have your wine full strength, as much as you would have your silver unalloyed, is the admonition of God’s prophet.
“[Isa. 24 : 7]: ‘The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth; all the merry-hearted do sigh.’