The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-03-04

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4 they must have had enough for half th'
guests. One gallon Of wine will do; Ger
tainly five gallons will be enough; Ger
tainly ten. he gives them thirty gal
Ions, forty, and fifty, and one hundred
of the very best wine.
II is Just like Him, doing everything
on the largest and most generous scale
Does Christ, our creator, 60 forth tC
make leaves, He makes them by the
whole forest full notChed like the fern
or silvered like the aspen; or broad like
the palm, thickets in the tropics, Oregon
forests. Does He 60 forth to make flow
ers, He makes plenty of them; they flame
from the hedge, they hang from the top
Of the grapevine in blossoms, they roll
in the blue wave of the violets, they toss
their white surf into the spiral-enough
for every child's hand flower, enough
to make for every brow chaplet, enough
with beauty to cover up the ghastliness
of all the graves. Does He go forth to
createawater; He pours it out, not by the
Cupful, but by a rivulet, lakeful, an
oCeanful, pouring it out until the earth is
full enough, and with which to wash.
Does Jesus, our Lord, provide redemp-
tionP 1t is not little salvation for this
one, little for that and the other; but
enough for all. "Whosoever will, let
him come" Each man has an oceanful
for himself Promises for every ccndi-
ton and circumstance, young and old.
Pardon for all, mercy for all, heaven for
all, not merely Cupful, butone hundred
gallons. Aye, the tears of godly repen-
tance are all gathered up into Gods bot
tle and some day, standing before the
throne, we will lift our cup of delight
and ask that it be filled with the wine of
heaven; and Jesus, from that bottle of
tears, will begin TO pour in the cup, and
we will cry, "Stop, Jesus, we do not want
to drink our own tears;" and Jesus will
say, "Know ye not that the tears of earth
are the wine of heavenp" Sorrow may
endure for night, but joy Cometh in
the morning.
remark further, Jesus does not shad-
ow the joys Of others with His own sor
rows. He might have sat down in that
wedding and said; IL have so much trou-
BILE, so much poverty, 80 much perseCu-
ton, and the cross is coming, | shall not
rejoice, and the gloom of my face and of
my sorrows shall be cast over this group
and they shall mourn."s Not 30 said
Jesus. He said: "Here are two persons
starting out in married life; let it be
joyful occasion; l will hide my OWE sor.
rows; will kindle their Joy" There
are not many 80 wise as that know q
household where there are many little
children, where for two years the piano
has been kept shut because of trouble in
the house. Alas, for the folly. Parents
saying, "We will have no Christmas tree
this year, because there has been trou-
BILE in the house. Hush that laughing
up stairel How can there be any Joy
when there has been 30 much troublep"
And so they make everything consist
emily doleful, and send their sons and chill
dren to ruin with the gloom they throw
around them.
On, my dear friends, do you not know
those children will have enough trouble
oftheir own after while? Be glad they
cannot appreciate all yours. Keep back
the cup of bitterness from your daught.
er's lips. When your head is down in
the grass of Greenwood, poverty may
come to her, betrayal to her, bereave.
ment to her. Keep back the SORROWS as
long as you can. Do you not know that
son may, after awhile, have his heart
brokenP Stand between him and dan
ger. You may not fight his battles long;
fight them while You may. Throw not
the chill of your dependency over his
soul; rather be like Jesus, who came to
the wedding, hiding His own grief
and kindling the joys of others. So
have the sun, on dark day, trying, amid |
clouds, black, ragged and portentious;
but after awhile the sun, with golden |
pry, heaved back the darkness, and the |
sun laughed to the lake and the lake to |
the sun, and from horizon to horizon,
underneath the saffron sky, the water
was all turned into wine.
learn from this miracle that Christ is
not impatient with the luxuries of life.
1t was not necessary they should have
that wine. Hundreds of people have
been married without any wine We do
not read that any of the other provis.
ons fell short When Christ made the
wine it was not a necessity, but posi-.
tive luxury. l do not believe he wants
ls to eat Graham bread and sleep on
hard mattresses unless we like them the
best. think, if circumstances admit,
We have right to the luxuries of dress,
md of diet and of residence. There is
40 more religion in an old coat than in
new one. We can serve God drawn
~ golden-plated harness as certainly as
when we 60 afoot. Jesus Christ will
lwell with us under a frescoed ceiling as
veil as under thstched roof and when
'ou can get wine made out of water, YOU
nay drink as much as you can.
What is the difference between a Chi.
lese mud hovel and Brooklyn house2
Y hat is the difference between the bear.
kins of Russian boor and the outfit of
n American gentleman? No difference
xcept which the Gospel OF Christ, di-
ectly or indirectly, has caused. When
|hrist shall have vanquished all the !
7orld, suppose every house will be
lansion, and every garment robe, and
very horse an arch .necked cOurser, and
very carriage shining chariot, and ev-
ry man King, and every woman
lueen, and the whole earth Paradise;
ne gl0Ties of the natural world harmon. =
ling with the glories of the material
orld, until The very bells Of the horses I
lall jingle the praises of the Lord.
| learn, further, from the miracle, that
hrist had no impatience with festal Joy; ?
herwise He would not have accepted t
10 invitation to that wedding. He Ger. 4