The Opelousas courier., 1890-02-15
TALMAGE'S. TRIP.
FHE BROOKLYN DIYINrs srGpAY
SEEING ON.

- - 60
TEXT: "Thou hest kept the good 1Viine
until noW."-John H., 10.
Standing not far off from the demolished
town of what was once called Cana of Cali
lee, | bethink myself of our Lords first mar.
hood miracle, which has been the astonish-
ment OF the ages. My visit last week to that
place makes vivid in my mind that beautiful
occurrences In Christ's ministry. My text
brings us to a wedding in that village. It is
q wedding in common life, two plain people
having pledged each other, hand and heart,
and their friends having come in for
generalization. The joy is not the
less because there is no pretension.
In; each; other they find all the future they
want. II daisy in the cup ON the table may
mean as much as a score Of artistic garlands
fresh from the dollhouse. When a daughter
goes off from home with nothing but a plain
fathers blessing and a plain mothers love,
she IS missed as much as though she were a
frlneess. 1t seems hard, after the parents
have sheltered her fof eighteen years, that in
a few short months her affections shohld have
been carried off by another; but mother re-
members how it was in her own case when
she was young, and so she braces mp until the
wedding has passed, and the banqueters are
gone, and she has a good cry all alone.
Well, we are to-day at the wedding in
Cana of Galilee. Jesus and His mother
have been invited. It is evident that there
are more people there than were expected.
Either some people nave 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, You know that there is nothing
more embarrassing to a housekeepet than a
scant supply. Jesus sees the embarrass-
ments and He comes up Immediately to re.
lieve it. He sees standing six water pots.
He orders the servants to fill them with wa
ter; then waves His hand over the water,
and Immediately it is wine-reaI 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. I 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 p~ots-wine
so good that the ruler of the feast tastes it
and says: "Why, this is really better than
anything we have had! Thou hast kept the
good wine until now" Beautiful miracle! A
prize was offered to the person who should
write the best essay about the miracle in Cana.
Long manuscripts were presented in the conf
petition, but the 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 mighthave thought that Jesus
would have said: II cannot be bothered with
this household deficienc~ of wine. It is not
for me, Lord Of heaven, of earth, to become
caterer to this feast. | have vaster things
than this to attend to-" Not SO said Jesus.
TIL wine gave out, and Jesus, by miraculous
power, came to the rescue. Does there ever
come scant supply in your household? Have
you to make a very close calculation?
Fc II hoIrl ror1 for xro,, r nm -e-v ~, 4l.,-,
sa.ecently and respectfully? If SO, don't sit
dghgn and cry. Don't go out and fret; but
go 20 Him who stood in the house in
Cana Of Galilee. Pray in the parlor! Pray
in the kitchen? Let there be no room in all
your house unconsecrated by the voice of
prayer. If you have a microscope, put under
1t n drop of water, and see the insects
floating about; and when you see that God
makes them, and cares for them, and feeds
them, come to the conclusion that He will
take care of you and feed you, Oh, ye of little
faith.
A boy asked if he might sweep the snow
from the steps of a house. The lady of the
household said: Eyes; you seem very poor"
He says: Il am very poor" She says:
feel that God is going to Ia, you ~staryeY'
The lad looked up in the woVan's face and
said: "Do you think God will let me starve
when I trust Him, and then do the best I cans
! Enough theology fSAsolder people! Trust
in God and do the bestyou can. Amidst all the
worriments of housekeeping, go to Him; He
will help you control your temper, and super
wise 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. ] commend you to the Lord
Jesus Christ as the best adviser and most
efficient aid-the Lord Jesus who performed
His first miracle to relieve a h~ousekeeper.
learn also from this miracle that Christ
does things in abundance. l think a small
supply of wine would nave made up for the
deficiency. Think certainly they must have
had enough for half of the guests. One gal
lon of wine will do; certainly five gallons
viii be enough; certainly ten. But 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.
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 tire fern, or silvered like the aspen, or
EEbroad like the palm; thickets IN the tropics,
Oregon forests. Does He go forth to make
saowersP He makes plenty of them; they
fame from the hedge, they hang from the
IDR UI UL0 grapevine ALI OlOoSOLAci bhCy AShAlL
| the blue wave of the ~yiolets, they toss theil
| white surf into the spirRa-enough for every
child's hand a flower, enough to make fol
| every brow q chaplet, enough with beauty &c
cover up the ghastliness Of all the graves
Does He go forth to create water? He pour:
itout, not by the cupful, but by o river full
q lake full, an ocean full, pouring it out I'm
til all the earth has enough to drink, anc
enough with which to wash.
Does Jesus, our Lord, provide redemption
1t is not a little salvation for this one, a littlt
| for that, and o little for the other; but
enough for all-"Whosoever will, let him
come" Each man an ocean full for himself
Promises for the young, promises for the
Old, promises for the lowly, promises for tht
abandoned. Pardon for all, comfort for all
mercy for all, heaven for all; not merely g
cupful of gospel supply, but one hundred
and thirtX,galIons. Az, the tears of godlJ
repsss1s are all gathered up into Godi
bottle, and some day, standing before ths
throne, we will lift our cup OF delight and asl
that it be filed with the wine of heaven; anc
Jesus, from that bottle of tears, will begin Il
pour in the cup, and we will cry: stop
Jesus, we do not want to drink our own
tearsF' and Jesus will say: Know We no
that the tears of earth are the wine o
heavenp' Sorrow may endure, but joy com
eth in the morning.
l remark further, Jesus does not SHADOW
the joys Of others with His W griefs. Ell
might have sat down in that wedding an
said: II have SO much trouble, SO mucl
poverty, SO much persecution, and the eros
is coming; I shall not rejoice, and the gloon
of Ny face and Of My sorrows shall be cas-
over all this group So said not Jesus. FL
said to Himself: seHere are two person
starting out in married life. Let it be a JOY
full occasion. / will hide My own griefs.
will kindIe their joy There are many no
SO wise as that. ! know a Household
where there are many little chi
dren, where for two years the mu
steal instrument has been kept shut becaus
there has been trouble in the house. Ala