Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1889-12-27
A MARRIAGE FEAST.
THE REV. DR.. TALMAGE breaches
NEAR CANA, IN GALlLEE.
Christ's First Manhood Miracle - "The
Unconscious water Saw ITS God, and
Blushed"-R Religion and Happiness
Go Hand in Hand.

VII y NiiITidEe fehSt, liikillS lOT ms leNJ
John ii, 10: Thou hast kept the good wine
until now He said:
Standing not far OFF from the demolished
town Of what was once called Cana of Cali
leo | bethink myself of our Lords first man
hood miracle which has been the astonsl-
mant of the ages. My visit last week 10 that
place makes vivid in my mind that beautiful
occurrence in ChriSts ministry Ny text
brings US to "A wedding in that village II is
wedding in common life, two plain people
having pledged each other, hand and heart,
and their friends having come in for cougrat-
ulntion. The joy is not the less because there
is no pretensiou. In each otncr they find all
the future they want. The daisy in the cup
on the table may mean As much as score of
artistic garlands fresh from the dollhouse.
When daughter goes off from home with
nothing but a plain fathers blessing and
plain mothers love, she is missed as much as
though she princess. 1t seems hard,
after the parents have sheltered her for
eighteen years, that in few short months
her affections should have been carried off
Ivy another; but mother remembers how it
was in her own case when she was young,
and 50 She braces up until the wedding has
passed. and the bonqueters are gone and she
has a good cry all alone.
"Well we are today at the wedding in
been invited. It is evident that there are
more people there than were expected. Either
some people have come who were not invited
or more invitations have been sent out than
it was supposed would be accepted. OF
course, there is not enough supply of wine
y on know that there is nothing more embar-
RAISING to n housekeeper than scant supply.
Jesus secs the embarrassment, and he comes
up Immediately to relieve it. He sees stand
ing six water pots. He orders the servants
to fill them with water, then waves his hand
over the water, and Immediately it is wine
real wine Taste of it, and see for yourselves;
no logwood in it, no strychnine in it, but first
rate wine. l will not now be diverted to the
question so often discussed in my own coun-
try, whether it is right to drink wine. l am
describing the scene as it was. When God
makes wine he makes the very best wine,
and one hundred and thirty gallons of it
standing around in these water pots; wine so
good that the ruler Of the feast tastes it anc
says: "Why, this is really better than any.
thing we have had Thou hast kept the good
wine until now Beautiful miraclel A prize
was offcred to the person who should write
the best essay about the miracle in Cana.
Long manuscripts were presented in the COM
petition, but poet won the prize by just
this one linc descriptive of the miracle:
WHAT THE MIRACLE TEACHES
We learn from this miracle, in the first
place, that Christ has sympathy with house
keepers. You might have thought that Jesus
would have said: 81 cannot be bothered with
this household deficiency of wine. 1t is not
for me, Lord of heaven and earth to become
caterer to this feast. l have vaster things
than this to attend to-" Not so said Jesus
The wine gave out, and Jesus, by miraculous
power, came to the rescue Does there ever
come Il scant supply in your household'
Have You to make u very close calculation?
Is it hard wor!; for you to carry on things
decently and respectfully If so, don't sit
down and cry. Don't go out and fret; but
60 to him who stood in the house in Cana of
Galhlee, Pray in the parlor. Pray in the
Kitchen Let there be 10 room in all your
house unronsecrated by the voice of prayer.
If you have a microscope, put under it one
drop of water, and see the insects floating
about; and when you see that God makes
them aad cares for them, and feeds them
come to the conclusion that he will take care
of you and feed you, oh, We of little faith.
a boy asked if he might sweep the snow
from the steps of a house. The lady of the
household said: YES You seem very poorn
He says: Il am very poor" She says
Don't you sometimes get discouraged, and
iCSl ti'HN N'pi ID 6OAilS W itO gOu oltii We.
The lad looked up in the womans face and
SAID: DO you think God will let me starve
when ] trust him, and then do the best l
can" Enough theology for older people
Trust in God, and do the best you can.
Amidst all the WOrliments OF housekeeping
80 TO him; he viii help you control your
temper, and supervise your domestics and
entertain your guests, aud manage your
home economies. There are hundreds of wo-
men weak, and nervous, and exhausted with
the cares Of housekeeping. | commend you
to the Lord Jesus Christ as the best adviser
and the most efficient aid--the Lord Jesus
who performed his first miracle to relieve a
hOusekeeper.
learn also from this miracle that Christ
does things in abundance, | think small
supply Of wine would have made up for The
deficiency. | think certainly they must have
had enough for half OF the guests. One gal
Ion OF wine will do; certainly i've gallons
will be enough; certainly ten. Bat jesus
goes on, and he gives them thirty gallons
and forty gallons and fifty gallons, and sew
enty gallons, and one hundred gallons, and
one hundred and thirty gallons Of the very
best wine
THE CREATORS GENEROSITY.
1t is just Ike him! Doing everything on
the largest and most generous scale. Does
Iii ISL DOI creator. 20 lOFLN 10 uldhS lcAN'Si
he makes them by the whole forest full;
notched like the fern, or siIyere1 like the
aspen or broad like the palm; thickets in the
tropics, Oregon forests Does he 60 forth to
make flowers, he makes plenty of them; they
flame from the hedge, they hang from the
top of the grapevine in blossoms, they roll in
tho blue wave Of the vioiets, they toss their
white surf into the sprRa enough for every
childs hand a flower, enough to make Tor
every brow a chaplet, enough with beauty to
cover up the ghastlineSs OF all the graves.
Does he so forth to create water he pouls it
out, not by the cupful but by a river fun, q
lake full, an ocean full pouring it out unit!
ali the earth has enough to drink and enough
with which to wash,
Does Jesus, our Lord, provide redemption,
it is not a little salvation for this one, a little
for that, and a little for tae other; but
enough for all-"Whosoever will, let him
come" Each man an ocean full for himself
Promises for the young, promises tor the old