The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1878-04-19
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and present what they drew out to the
governor of the feast
When he had tasted the water that was
made wine and knew not whence it was
without hesitancy he expressed his opin-
ion as to its quality, and, though he
knew not whence it was-but the serv.
ants which drew the water (not the lrinc
but the water) knew-he pronounced il
good, better than what they had prev.
ously used, John ID. These are the facts
and the first then to be especially noted
is, that the servants poured in water and
drew out water and bare to the governor
of the feast" ~ho tasted and found il
good uine. As, Naaman WAS healed in
doing that he was commanded to do. and
as those sent to "the Pool of Sloan
were healed as they uent. So the water
in the servants hands became trine as il
reached the lips of him to whom it was
ordered to be given, and he pronounced
it god. But whether it possessed pouer
to make men drunk must depend on
what the ruler of the feast called good
Ifhe was ';lcinebibber" he would re
gard one kind of wine good, but, if like
7TmOthy, teetstaller, quite di6eren
kind of extract from grapes would be
denominated good wine,' while
those who Knocked at Peters converts on
the day of Pentecost, would probably say
that neW Vine alone was good. How may
We learn what was the special quality OF
the wine which the Savior made at Cana
of Galilee? In Isaiah 65, s, we have
another instance of God making wine.
1t reads thus, "The new wine is in the
cluster and one saith destroy it not for a
blessing is in it" Now this like that
made at Cana, was good" for blessing
is in it. But, can blessing attend
that wine which "biteth like a serpent
and stingeth like an adder" And dare
mortal man accuse Jesus Christ of max
ing such beverage out of harmless
water at a feast ofjoy and gladness?
No, this would not have been the wine
which God claims as his own. In Hosea
e: 8, 81 we have an instance of such
claim. Rebuking the Jews, God affirms
@ye have taken my corn and my toias.'
not that which causes men to rage or to
mock, but Terosh, the fruit of the vine
The unfermented juice of the grape
Thus the wine of the old Testament
and that ofthe new were alike such that
God could claim them as his own, but
He never does claim that as his, which
causes drunkenness,neuer; upon that kind
of a0ine He pronounces curse as a cause
of Sorrolc, temptation and sin. But such
was not the ,Uine at Cana of Galilee. All
that we know of the Lord Jesus Christ
forbids such supposition, especially in
the absence of all evidence to the con-
trary. A second item to be examined
is - Pauls prescription to Timothy,
n: 5, 23).
Evidently Timothy was absolutely alb
stemious. A genuine Teetotaller, from
child he had known the Holy Scrip
lures which were able to make him wise
unto Salvation" And then Paul also
afirms, are "all given by inspiration Of
God". And in these identical scriptures
he had these words Look, not upon the
VINE when it is red, when it giveth It's
color in the cup, when it moyeth itseli
Alright" Now in the face ofsuch acom-
mand to abstain, Timothy would neither
touch taste nor handle "the unclean
thing" as beverage. But as Paul could
point to the fact, that Notwithstanding
this emphatic reto, wine was commanded
to be given "to him that was ready to
perish" he could appropriately say
drink Iistle tcine, for thy stomachs sake
and often infrmities" Had he had no
infrmities there had been no prescrip-
ton given. And even then 1t is guarded
by the phrase of only a little even at the
most. And what fxedness of teetotal
principles we here find, where nothing
short of an inspired apostles direction
could induce this man to take even a
little Cine This too in the face of the fact
that we have no proof that the wine pre-
scribed was the fermented juice of the
crap.
There still remains one other instance
in which wine is made to act conspic-
ious part in the inspired records. Wine
is one of the elements which the Savior
used when he instituted the Lords Sup
per, although the duty of remembering
the crucifed kingdom in the use of
sacramental wine can constitute no argu-
ment in favor of wine as a beverage. be
the peculiar qualities of the wine what
they may. Still it becomes matter Of
special importance to learn, if learn We
can, what the character of that Sacra
mental rile was, since duty requires
that we follow the masters example in
this as in all else.
This much we know with reasonable
certainty, that the elements used on that
occasion were part of those prepared
for the passover, and, inasmuch as the
Savior was especially pronounced as to
His purpose to fulfill all righteousness
down to @the last jot and little" of What-
er the law demanded we may rest as
sured that all that the law demanded in
this direction, was complied with And,
as these requirements are still in our
hands, we may readily know what
preparations in this regard we're to be
made. In Ex- IL chapter, and else,chere
we learn among other specifications that
leayen in every form was to be banished
from "all their houses" and expressly.
the words are, "ye shall eat nothing
leavened," which would include both
meat and drink. Wine and even strong
drink, were used sin offerings made by
fire unto the Lord"
But this did not conflict with the con-
mand to put away all things containing
leaven. Since those offerings were to be
nOt eoteTa, but consumed on the altar.
But if fermented wine were used would
not this conflict directly with the law
forbidding leayen, since fermentation in
the products of the field, and fermen-
tation in the products Of the vineyard, is
precisely the same process? In both cases
corn and grapes are leavened, or fer
mented. And yet all leaven was to be
banished from the passover "feast" Do
we not here find probability, at least,
that all food and drink, containing fer
were avoided Since both the
'Paschal feast and the Lords Supper
were religious institutions the elements
used in them, form no argument for
similar elements being used to an entire
ly different end such as wine as a bey-
arooa pt,f ipourn,,oh ou ~, o,1r 1av