The Russellville Democrat., 1890-01-02
THE MARRIAGE AT CANA.
Christ's Miracle of Turning Water
 Into Wine.
Sermon by Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage De- liFered Upon the Historic Spot Tho Lessons of the Mar
 riAge Feast

visited by Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage in the Holy Land, and the following dis course was on his programme for de- livery there, founded on the text:
 Thou hast kept the good wine untf now John l., l0.
 Standing not far off from the demol- ished town of what was once called Cana of Galilee, I bethink myself of our Lords first manhood miracle, which has been the astonishment of the ages. My visit last week to that place makes vivid in my mind that beautiful occurrence in Christ's ministry. My text brings us to wedding in that village. It is a we'd ding in common life, two plain people having pledged each other, hand and heart and their friends having come in for reorganization. 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 a plain mothers love, she is missed as much as though she were Princess. It seems hard, after the par ents have sheltered her for eighteen years, that in few short months her affections should have been carried of by another; but mother remembers how ii 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.
 We'll, 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 have come who were not invited, or more in- yitations 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- rassing to a housekeeper than a seant supply. Jesus sees the embarrassment and He comes up immediately to relieve it. He secs 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 frst-rate wine.
 I will not now be diverted to the aues- tion 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 and says: Why, this is really better than any thing we have hadl Thou has kept the good wine until now" Beautiful mira cle! 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 uneon seious 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: q can not be bothered with this household deficiency of wine. Itis 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 close calculation? Is it hard work for you to carry on things decently and re- specially? 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 parlor! Pray in the kitchenl Let there be no room in all your house unconsecrated by the voice of prayer. If you have 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, 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: ''Yes, you seem very poor"
 He says: ''I 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 starye, when trust Him, and then do the best can?" 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- certain your guests, and manage your home economies There are hundreds of women, weak, and nervous, and ex- hausted with the cares of housekeeping. l commend you to the Lord Jesus Christ as the best adviser and the most efl- cient aid-the Lord Jesus who per formed His first miracle to relieve housekeeper.
 Learn also from this miracle that Christ does things in abundance. think a small supply of wine would have made up for the deficiency. l 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 giyas them thirty gall Ions, and forty gallons and fifty gall Ions, and seventy gallons, and one hun dred gallons, and one hundred and thirty gallons of the very best vine.
 1t is just like Him, doing every thing on the largest and mos4 generous scale Does Christ our creator, go forth to make leaves? He makes them by the whole forest full; notched like the fern, or silyered like the aspen, or broad like the palm; thickets in the tropics, Ore gon forests. Does He go forth to make flowers? He makes plenty of them; they flame from the hedge, they hang from the tnn nf Inc n.ra ra..iu u1 ir. Ll.--