Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1890-01-09

| ~ JOY WAcIc tueIe mas Deeu SO mucl
trouble?' And SO they make every.
their sons and daughters to ruin will
the gloom they throw around them.
Oh, my dear friends, do you not know
those children will have trouble enough
OF their own after while? Be glat
they cannot appreciate all yours. Kee,
back the cup of bitterness from you!
daughters lips. When your head il
down in the grass of the tomb, povert,
may come to her, betrayal to her, be
reavement to her. Keep back the sor
rows as long as you can. Do you no
know that son may, after a while, have
his heart broken? Stand between hin
and all harm. You may not fight hi.
battles long; fight them while you may
Throwinot the chillIof your own despond.
ency over his soul; rather be like Jesus
who came to the wedding hiding His owl
grief and kindling the joys of others.
SO have seen the sun, on dark day
struggling amidst clouds, black.ragged
and portentous, but after a while the
sun, with golden pry, heaved back the
blackness; and the sun laughed to the
lake. and the lake laughed to the sun,
and from horizon to horizon, under the
saffron sky, the water was all turned
into wine.
l learn from this miracle that Christ
is not impatient with the Injuries OF
life. 1t was not necessary that they
should have that wine. Hundreds OF
people have been married without any
wine. We do not read that any of the
other provisions fell short. When
Christ made the wine it was not neces-
sity, but positive luxury. l do not be-
lieve that He wants US to eat hard bread
and sleep on hard mattresses, unless we
like them best. think, if circumstances
will allow, We have right to the lux
uries of dress, the luxuries of diet, and
the Injuries of residence. There is no
more religion in an old coat than in u
new one. We can serve God drawn by
golden plated Harness as certainly as
when We go a-foot. Jesus Christ will
dwell with us under fine ceiling as
we'll as under matched roof; and when
you get wine made out of water, drink
as much as you can.
What is the difference between a
Chinese mud howell and an American
homer. What is the difference between
the rough bear skins of the Russian boor
and the outfit of an American gentle
man? No difference, except that which
thS oosPCi VI SuIlSt,
rectly, has caused. When Christ shall
pose every house will be mansion, and
every horse an arch necked courser, and
every carriage glittering vehicle, and
every man king, and every woman a
queen, and the whole earth a paradise;
the glories of the natural world har-
monizing with the glories of the ma
terial world, until the very bells of the
horses shall jingle the praises of the
Lord.
l learn, further, from this miracle,
that Christ has no impotence with festal
JOY, otherwise He would not have ac-
copied the invitation to that wedding.
He certainly would not have done that
which increased the hilarity. There
may have been many in that room who
were happy, but there was not one of
them that did SO much for the joy of the
party as Christ Himself. He
was the chief of the banqueters. When
the wine gave out, He supplied it; and
so, take it, He will not deny Us the
joys that are positively festal.
think the children of God have more
right to laugh than any other people,
and to clap their hands as loudly. There
is not single joy denied them that is
given to any other people. Christianity
does not clip the wings of the soul. Re-
ligion does not frost the flowers. What
is Christianity? take it to be simply a
proclamation from the throne of God of
for all the enslaved; and
if a man accepts the terms of that proc
and becomes free, has he not
a right to be merry? Suppose q father
has an elegant mansion and large
grounds. To whom will he give the
first privilege of these grounds? Will
he say: My children, you must not
walk through these paths, or sit down
under these trees, or pluck this fruit.
These are for outsiders. They may walk
in them" No father would say anything
like that. He would say: The first
privileges in all the grounds, and all of
my house, shall be for my own chill
dren." And yet men try to make us be-
lieve that Gods children are on the
limits, and the chief refreshments and
enjoyments of life are for outsiders, and
not for his own children. 1t is stark
There is no innocent. beverage
too rich for Gods child to drink; there
is no robe too costly for him to wear;
here is no hilarity too great for him to
indulge in, and no house too splendid
for him to live in. He has right to the
Joys of earth; he shall have a right to
he joys of Heaven. Though tribula-
ion, and trial, and hardship may come
into him, let him rejoice. Rejoice in
he Lord, We righteous, and again say,
rejoice"
I remark again that Christ comes to
Is in the hour of our extremity. He
Knew the wine was giving out before
here was any embarrassment or morti-
ication. Why did He not perform the
MIRACLE sooner? Why wait until it was
III gone, and no help could come from
my source, and then come in and per-
orm the miracle. This is Christ's way;
md when He did come in, at the hour |
# extremity, He made first rate wine, SO |
hat they cried out: Thou hast kept |
he good wine until now." Jesus in the |
lour of extremity! He seems to prefer |
hat hour.
In a Christian home in Poland great |!
poverty had come, and on the week day |
he man was obliged to move out of the |
louse with his whole family. That |
light he knelt with his family and |
'rayed to God. While they were kneel-
ng in prayer there was tap on the !
Tindow pane. They opened the win
ow, and there was a raven that the
amily had fed and trained, and it had
n its bill ring all set with precious
tones, which was found out to be a
ing belonging to the royal family. 1t
'as taken up to the Kings residence,
nd for the honesty of the man in bring
ng it back he had q house given to him,
nd a garden and a farm. Who was it
hat sent the raven tapping on the win
ow? The same God that sent the
wen to feed Elijah by the brook
herith. Christ in the hour of ex-
,emity!
Yous mourned over your sins. You
ould not find the way out. You sat
own and said: God will not be mer-
iful. He has cast me off" but in that,
ne darkest hour of your history, light
roke from the throne, and Jesus said:
wanderer, come home. 1 have seen
II thy sorrows. In this, the hour of
,y extremity, I offer thee pardon and
verlasting life!"
Trouble came. You were almost torn
, pieces by that trouble. You braced
ourself up against it. You said: Il will
e stole, and will not care; but be-
're you had got through making the