Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-23

Of my face and Of ,hy sorrows shall be cas-
over all this group" So said not Jesus
He said to himself: Here are two person
starting out in married life. Let il be joy
ful occasion. I will hide my own griefs.
will kindle their joy." There are many no
SO wise as that. 1 know household wher'
there are many little children, where for TIVE
years the musical instrument has been KEEP
shut because there has been trouble in thu
house. Alas for the follyl Parents saying
"We will have no Christmas holiday be
cause there has been trouble in the house
Hush that laughing upstairsl
NO NEED TO BORROW TROUBLE.
'How can there be any Joy when thert
has been so much trouble?" And SO they
make everything consistently dsleful, anC
send their sons and daughters to ruin witt
the gloom they throw around them.
On, my dear friends, do you not know
those children will have trouble enough o.
their own after while z, Be glad they can
not appreciate all yours. Keep back thu
cup of bitterness from your daughters lips
When your head is down in the grass of thu
tomb, poverty may come to her. betrayal tt
her, bereavement TO her. Keep back th'
sorrows as long as you can. Do you mo-
know that son may. after a while, have hi
heart broken? Stand between him and al
harm. You may not fight his battles long
| fight them while you may. Throw not the
chill of your own despondency over hi
soul; rather be like Jesus, who came to the
wedding hiding his own grief and kindline
the joys of others. So have seen the sun
on dark day, struggling amid clouds
black, ragged and portentous, but after q
while the sun, with golden pry, hesved
back the blackness; and the sun laughed tc
IL IL ! ii. IL l. 4 ~
and from horizon to horizon, under the
saffron sky, the water was ali turned into
wine.
/ learn from this miracle that Christ is
not impatient with the luxuries of life. II
was not necessary that they should have
that wine. Hundreds of people have been
married without any wine. We do not read
that any of the other provisions fell short.
When Christ made the wine it was not q
necessity, but positive luxury. 1 do not
believe that he wants us to eat hard bread
and sleep on hard mattresses, unless we like
them the best.
CHRISTIAN RIGHT TO LUxURIEs.
think, if circumstances will allow, we
have the right to the luxuries of dress, the
luxuries of diet and the luxuries of resi-
dence. There is no more religion in an old
coat than in a new one. We can serve God
drawn by golden plated harness as certainly
as when we go a-foot. Jesus Christ will
dwell with us under q fine ceiling as well as
under thatched roof; and when you can
get wine made out of water, drink as much
of it as you can.
What is the difference between q Chinese
mud hovel and an American home? What
is the difference between the rough bear
skins Of the Russian boor and the outfit of
an American gentleman? No difference,
except that which the gospel of Christ, di-
rectly or indirectly, has caused. When
Christ shall have vanquished all the world
1 suppose every house will be a mansion,
and every garment a robe, and every horse
an arch-necked courser, and every carriage
a glittering vehicle, and every man a king,
and every woman a queen, and the whole
earth paradise; the glories of the natural
world harmonizing with the glories of the
material world, until the very bells of the
horses shall Jingle the praises of the Lord.
I, learn, further, from this miracle, that
Christ has no impatience with festal joy,
otherwise be would not have accepted the
invitation to that wedding. He certainly
would not have done that which increased
the hilarity. There may have been many in
that room who were happy, but there was
not one of them that did so much for the ioy
of the wedding party ds Christ Himself. He
was the chief of the banqueters. When the
wine gave out. he supplied it; and So I take
it, He will no. deny us the joys that are
positively festal.
THE FIRsTsAND INHERENT RIGHT.
I think the children Of God have more
right to laugh than any other people, and
to clap their hands as loudly. There is not
a single Joy denied them that is given to
any other people. Christianity doe not clip
the wings of the soul. Religion doess not
frost the flowers. What is Christianity?
1 take it to be simply proclamation from
the throne of God of emancipation for all
the enslaved; and if a man accepts the
terms OF that proclamation, and become
free, has he not right to be merry? Sup
pose father has an elegant mansion and
large grounds. To whom will he give the
first privilege of these grounds? Will he
say: my children, you must not walk
these trees, or pluck this fruit. These are
for outsiders. They may walk in them"
No father would say anything like
that. He would say: "The first privileges
in all the grounds, and all of my house,
shall be for my own children" And yet
men try to make us believe that Gods chill
dren are on the limits, and the chief refresh
ments and enjoyments of life are for outsid-
ers, and not for His, own children. It is
stark atheism. There is no innocent bever-
age too rich for Gods child to drink; there
is no robe too costly for him to wear; there
is no hilarity too great for him to indulge
in, and no house too splendid for him to
live in. He has right to the joys of earth;
he shall have right to the joys of heaven.
Though tribula.ion, and trial, and hardship
may come unto him, let him rejoice. Re
joice in the Lord, ye righteous, and again
say, rejoice"
JUST WHEN HE IS MOST NEEDED.
I remark again that Christ comes to US in
the hour of our extremity. He knew the
wine was giving out before there was any
embarrassment or modification. Why did
he not perform the miracle sooner? Why
wait until it was all gone, and no help
could come from any source, and then come
in and perform the miracle? This is Christ's
way; and when He did come in, at the hour
of extremity, He made frst-rate wine, so that
they cried out: Thou hast kept the good
wine until now." Jesus in the hour Of ex-
tremityl He seems to prefer that hour.
In Christian home in Poland great pow
man was obliged to move out of the house
with his whole family. That night be knelt
with his family and prayed to God. While
they were kneeling in prayer there was a
tap on the window pane. They opened the
window, and there was a raven that the
family had fed and trained, and it had in
its bill ring all set with precious stones,
which was found out to be ring beloncinr