Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1890-01-04

A MARRIAGE FEAST
The Sermon by DR.. Talmage
Preached Near Cana
in Galilee.
One OF Christ's Astonishing Mir
acIes in That Vicinity
Recalled.
Tie was at a Wedding and Caused
Water TO Turn Into Wine So
That There Might BE
Plenty for All.
Jesus at a Wedding.

kept the good wine until now" He
said:
Standing not far off from the demol-
of Galilee, l 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
q wedding in that village. 1t 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 congratulation. The Joy is not the
less because there is no %pretention. 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 dollhouse.
When q daughter goes of from home
with nothing but a plain fathers bless
ing and a 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 a few short months her
affections should have been carried of
by another; but mother remembers how
Il was in her own case When she was
young, and so she braces up until the
wedding has passed. and the b~anqueters
are gone, and she has a good cry all
alone.
NNA11 xuA - tn1nu at tho UFA1hln ~
In Cana of Galilee. Jesus and his
mother have been invited. IL is evil
dent that there are more people there
than were expected Either some peo-
ple have 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 q h~ousekeeper
than a scant supply. Jesus sees the
embarrassment, and he ome up i'm
mediately TO relieve il. He sees stand
ing six water pots. He orders the SER
want to fill them with water, then
waves his hand over the water, and i'm
mediately it is wine-real wine. Taste
of it, and see for yourselves; no leg
wood in it, no strychnine in 1T, but first
rate wine. | will not now be diverted
to the question So often discussed in my
W country, whether il is right TO
drink wine. | am describing the seem
as it was. When God makes wine He
makes the very best wine; and 100 gal
Ions of 1t standing around in these
water pots-wine so good that the ruler
of the feast lasts il 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 competition, but
q 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
frst place, that Christ has sympathy
with housekeepers. You might have
thought that Jesus would have said:
81 cannot be bothered with this house
hold 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-" 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 your household? Have you
to make q very close calculation? Is 1t
hard work for you TO carry OF things de-
Gently and respectfully? IL 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 kitchen! Let there be no
room in all your house unconsecrated
by the voice of prayer. If you have a
microscope put under it n drop of wa
ter, 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 IL he might sweep the
snow from the steps of a house. The
lady Of the household said: 'sYes; you
seem very, poor" He says; II am
sometimes get discouraged, and feel
that God is going to let you s~tarve?"
The lad looked up in the woman's face
and said: do you think God will let
me starve when i trust him, and then
do the best l car? Enough theology
for the older people! Trust in God and
do the best you can. Amidst all the
worriments Of housekeeping, go to him,
he will help you control your temper,
and supervise your domestics, and
entertain your guests, and 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 efficient
aid-the Lord Jesus who performed his
first miracle TO relieve q housekeeper.
Ilcarn also from this miracle that
Chr1st does things in abundance. I
think Q small supply of wine would
have inside up for the deficiency. /
think certainly they must have had
enough for half the guests. One gall
Ion OF wine will do; certainly Ave gall
Ions will be enough; certainly ten. But
Jesus goes on, and he gives them thirty
gallons, and forty gallons, and hfty gal
Ions, and seventy gallons. and 100 gal
Ions, and $50 gallons Of the very best
wine.
tits Just like him. doing everything
ON the largest and most generous scale.
Does Christ our croator, 60 forth TO
.@ake leaves? He makes them By the