Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-01-02
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
The Marriage at Cana Of Galilee
and Its Lessons.
Innocent Festivity No Sin-The Miracle at
the Marriage Feast Typical of
the BOunteousness of
Christ's Love.

AN " OHO lIOly Lduu spent d WEEK II
Cana of Galilee and vicinity, and the
following discourse was down on hi:
programme for delivery there, his tex
being:
Thou hast kept the good wine until now
John T., 10.
Standing not far off from the demol
ished town of what was once called Cana
of Galilee, bethink myself of our Lord,
first manhood miracle, which has beer
the establishment of the ages. Ny visit
last week to that place makes vivid il
my mind that beautiful occurrence in
Christ's ministry. My text brings US L
a wedding in that village. 1t is a wed
ding 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 garland, fresh from the hot
house. When a daughter goes off from
home with nothing but a plain fathers
blessing and plain mothers love, she
is missed as much as though she were a
Princess. 1t seems hard, after the par
ents have sheltered her for eighteen
years, that in few short months her
affections should have been carried off
by another; but mother remembers 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.
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 in
vitations 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 embar-
RAISING to a housekeeper than a scant
supply. Jesus sees the embarrassment
and He comes up Immediately to relieve
it. He sees standing 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 yourself;
no logwOod in it, no strychnine in it,
but firSt-rate wine.
will not now be diverted to the ques-
ton so often discussed in my own coun-
try-whether it is right to drink wine.
j 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 and says:
'Why, this is really better than any
thing we have hadl Thou has kept the
good wine until now" Beautiful mira
Gle! 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
a poet won the prize by just this one
line descriptive of the miracle.
The uncon scious water saw its God and
blushed.
We learn from this miracle, in the
first place, that Christ has sympathy
with housekeepers. You might have
thought that Jesus would have said: Il
can not be bothered with this household
deficiency of wine. tits 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.
The wine gave out, and Jesus, by mirac-
ulous power, came to the rescue. Does
there ever come scant supply in your
household? Have you to make very
oil a1o 10 L 3 h,
you to carry on things decently and re-
specially? 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
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 micro
scope, put under it one 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, We of little
faith!
A boy asked if he might sweep the
snow from the steps of house. The
lady of the household said: Eyes, 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 trust Him, and then
do the best l camp" Enough theology
for older people. Trust in God and do
the best you can. Amidst all the worri-
ments of housekeeping go to Him; He
will help you to control your temper,
and supervise your domestics, and en-
terrain your guests, aSd manage your
home economies. There are hundreds
of women, weak, and. nervous, and ex-
hausted with the cares of housekeeping.
commend you to the Lord Jesus Christ
as the best adviser and the most eff
cient aid-the Lord Jesus who per-
formed His first miracle to relieve a
hOusekeeper.
Learn also from this miracle that
Christ does things in abundance. l |
think small supply of wine would have |
made up for the deficiency. 1 think |
certainly they must have had enough !
for half of the guests. One gallon of
wine will do; certainly five gallons will |
be enough; certainly ten. But Jesus |
goes on, and He gives them thirty gal !
Ions, and forty gallons, and fifty gal
Ions, and seventy gallons, and one hun
dred gallons, and one hundred and |
thirty gallons of the very best wine.
1t is just like Him, doing every thing |
on the largest and most generous scale. I
Does Christ, our creator, go forth to /
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