Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1878-09-04
A Right Delay.

That miracle in Cana is significant of
much. Among other things it is significant
of right delay. As another has suggested.
it is miracle that as yet there had been no
miracle. There is nothing more wonderful
about the life of Christ than the sublime
leisure of it. For thirty years he had lived
in the world, and this is the first instance of
his supernatural power.
1t is mark of the divine working that
it consumes time. There is no haste in
Deity. God waits for consummation. With
him thousand years are as one day. There
is the slow procession of the geologic ages
before the earth is fit for man. There is
the long want and woe and ignorance before
the fulness of the time strikes and Christ
comes. Now, since Christ has suffered
eighteen hundred years and more have gone.
and Christianity is still militant, not tri-
umphant.
This mark of the divine is stamped upon
the life of Christ. Jesus waits. From a
singular and silent seclusion of thirty years
that life bursts into the brief ministry. But
though brief, it is ministry strong with the
unwasted forces of all those thirty years.
and so it is ministry of power, perpetuating
itself in an accumuating influence
God waits; but that which issues from
the waiting lasts.
"Whatever contradicts the divine plan
must pay the price of haste; that price is
brief duration. All that is done before the
hour is come decays fast. All precocous
things ripened before their time wither be-
fore their time"
The life of Christ in this respect of wait
ing is both lesson and rebuke to our
feverishness Precocity is at once our great
desire and our great curse. Life is mighty
forcing process. Things get large quickly,
but too often they get rotten, or at best, hol-
low. Seeming to be, not being-display,
not dense and honest substance-giding not
gold-this is too much the way of it, Miss
Society cannot wait to gather a substantial
womanhood, either as to strength of body
or mental culture. So she hutters swiftly
through multitudinous studies slipping pos
sibly a little knowledge here and there, gets
spangled over with few accomplishments.
aud comes out-perhaps pretty thing, but
simply worthless for the duties of the sacred
womanhood confronting her. Young Mr.
Eager, with his fortune to make, cannot
think of any old fogy way of honest and
continuous days works, of intelligent econ
omy, of slow and solid accumulation. He
must speculate a fortune at once, or must
oeiIe rlchtS ny soii'e lucky venture. lie VIII
conquer wealth by dash of his pen.
Thus everywhere is this reckless haste
rampant; aud the haste leads to decay.
Divorces, defalcations, business and political
corruptions-these are the crops we gather
But Christ did not hasten. He could bide
his time. For thirty years the little world
of Nazareth was world large enough for
him. Doing the fathers business well in
Nazareth, he did the fathers business
thoroughly and lastingly as the teacher aud
the Saviour of the world The beginning
of miracles did not take place until the time
of manhood brought with it the work of
manhood. In the presence of this glory of
delay, which this beginning of miracles
maniiests, we should let the fever of our
life cool and bid our hearts grow patient.
1t is better to be true and thorough than to
be fast Christian Union.