Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-23
"a MIRACLE
sxt for Talmage's Sermon
ar Its Original Scene.
TER is STILL MADE INTO WINE,
Throughout the Lives Of Those Who Have
Faith in the Messiah.
A METAPHOR WITH LASTING MEANING
ESPECIAL 10 THr DIsrAzoH.


Standing not far of from the demolished
town OF what was once called Cana of Cali.
lee, bethink myself of our Lords first
manhood miracle, which has been the aston,
ishment of the ages. Ny visit last week to
that place makes vivid in my mind that
beautiful occurrence in Christ's ministry.
Ny text brings us to wedding in that vii
lage 1t is a wedding in common life, two
plain people having pledged each
other, hand and heart, and
their friends having come in for
congratulation. The joy is not the
less because there is no pretension. In each
other they find all the future they want.
The daisy in the cup on the table may mean
as much as a score of artistic garlands fresh
from the hothouse. When a daughter goes
of from home with nothing but plain
fathers blessing and plain mothers love,
she is missed as much as though she were a
princess. It seems hard, after the parents
have sheltered her for Is years, that in afew
short months her affections should have been
carried of by another; but mother remem-
bers how it was in her own case when she
was young; and so she braces up until the
wedding has passed, and the banqueters are
gone, and she has good cry all alone.
CARRIED BACK TO THAT SCENE
Well, we are to-day at the wedding in
Cana of Galilee. Jesus and his mother
have been invited. 1t 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 ac-
cepted. OF course there is not enough sup
ply of wine. You know that there is moth
ing more embarrassing to a housekeeper
than q scant supply. Jesus sees the en-
barrassment and He comes up Immediately
TO relieve it. He sees standing six water
pots. He orders the servants to NIL 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. I will not now be diverted
to the question SO often discussed
in my own country, whether
1t Is right to drink wine. 1 am describing
the scene as it was. When God makes wine
he makes the very best vine; and 130 gal
Ions of it standing around in these water
pots-Wine so good that the ruler of the feast
tastes it and saws: "Why, this is really bet
ter than anything we have hadl ThoH hast
kept the good wine until now." Beautiful
miracIei A prize was offered to the person
who should write the best essay about the
miracle in Cana. Long manuscripts were
presented in the competition, but poet won
the prize by just this one line descriptive of
the miracle:
The unconscious water saw its God, and
blushed
We learn from this miracle, in the first
place, that Christ has sympathy with house.
keepers. You might have thought Jesus
would have said: 'I cannot be bothered
with this household deficiency of wine. 1t
Is not for me, Lord of heaven, of earth, to
become caterer to this feast. have vaster
things than this to attend to-"
PRAYER AND PROVISIONS.
Not so said Jesus. The wine gave out,
and Jesus by miraculous power, came to
the rescue. Does there ever come a scant
supply in their household? Have you to
make a very close calculation? Is it hard
work for you to carry on things decently
and respectfully? If SO, don't sit down and
cry. Don't go out and fret; but go to Him
who stood in the house in Cana of Galilee.
Pray in the psrlorl Pray in the kltchenI
Let there be no room in all your house un-
consecrated by the voice of prayer. If you
have microscope, put under it one drop of
water, and see the insects floating about;
and when you see that God makes them and
cares Tor them, and feeds them, come to the
conclusion that he will take care of you and
feed you, oh, We of little faithI
A boy asked if he might sweep the snow
from the steps Of house. The lady of the
household said. ''Yes; you seem very poor"
He says: 81 am very poor" She says:
Don't you sometimes get discouraged, and
feel that God is going to let you starve?"
The lad looked up in the woman's face and
said: do you think God will let me
Starve when gtrust Him, and then do the
best I can?" Enough theology for older
peoplel Trust in God and do the best you
can. Amid all the worriments OF house
keeping, 60 to Him; he will help you con-
troll temper, and supervise your domestics,
and entertain your guests, and manage your
home economies. There are hundreds of
women weak, and nervous, and exhausted
with the cares of housekeeping. I COM
mend you to the Lord Jesus Christ as the
best adviser and most efficient aid-the
Lord Jesus who performedIHis first miracle
to relieve housekeeper.
NOT A GRUDGING GIVER.
1 learn also from this miracle that Christ
does things in abundance. I think a small
supply of wine would have made up for the
deficiency. I think certainly they must
have had enough for half OF the guests. One
gallon of wine wili do; certainly five gal
Ions viii be enough; certainly ten. But
Jesus goes on, and he gives them thirty
gallons, and forty gallons, and fifty gallons,
and seventy gallons, and one hundred gal
Ions, and one hundred and thirty gallons of
the Eery best wine.
1t is just like Him, doing everything on
the largest and most generous scale. Does
Christ, our creator, go forth to make leaves?
He makes them by the whole forest full;
notched like fern, or silvered like the aspen,
or broad like the palm; thickets in the trop-
les, Oregon forests. Does He 90 forth to
make flowers? He makes plenty of them;
they fame 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 serf into the spiraa-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 60 forth to make water?
He pours it out, not by the cupful, but by
river full, lake full, an ocean full, pour
ing il out until all the earth has enough to
drink, and enough with which TO wash.
Does Jesus, our Lord, provide redemp-
tion? 1t is not little salvation for this
one, little for that, and little for the
other; but enough for all-"WhosoeVer
will, let him come" Each man an ocean
full for himself
PROMISES AND PARDON.
Promises for the young, promises for the
old, promises for the lOwly, promises for the
blind, for the halt, for the outcast, for the
abandoned. Pardon for all. comfort for all,
mercy for all, heaven for all; not merely q
cupful of gospel supply, but 1SO gallons.
Az, the tears Of godly repentance are all
gathered up into Gods bottle, and some day,
standing before the throne, we will LIT our