News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1890-01-02
MARRIAGE FEAST IN CANA.
Rev. Dr.. Talmage on Our lords
First Manhood Miracle.
A Sermon by the American Minister Near
the Historic Town in Galilee-Christ's
Sympathy with the Housekeeper, and

the Historic Town in Galilee-Christ's
Sympathy with the Housekeeper, and
the Lesson of Great Wedding Miracle.
NEAR CANA, Dec. %, 1889. Rev. T. De
Witt Talmage, d. D., preached here today
on "A Marriage Feast" taking for his text
John il. 10: ''Thou hast kept the good wine
until now.'' He said:
Standing not far off from the demolished
town of what was once called Cana of Cali
lee, / bethink myself of our Lords first man
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
occurrence in Christs ministry. My text
brings us to wedding in that village. 1t is
a wedding in common life, two plain people
having pledged each other, hand and heart,
and their friends having come in for con-
graduation. 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 inyit-
ed, 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 en-
barrassing to a housekeeper than scant
supply. Jesus sees the embarrassment, and
he comes up Immediately to relieve it. He
sees standing six water pots. He orders the
his hand over the water and Immediately it
is wine-real wine. Taste of it and see for
yourselves; no logwOOd in it, no strychnine
in it, but first rate wine. | will not now be
diverted to the question so often discussed in
my own country, whether it Is right to drink
wine. am describing the scene as it was
When God makes wine he makes the very
best wine; and one hundred and thirty gal
Ions 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 anything we have had! Thou
hast kept the good wine until now" Beau
tiful miracle!
The unconscious water saw its God, and
blushed.
We learn from this miracle, in the frs
place, that Christ has sympathy with house
keepers. Does there ever come scant sup
ply in your household? Have you to make Il
very close calculation? Is it hard work for
you to carry on things decently and respect
ably? If so, don't sit down and cry. Don't
go out and fret, but go to Him who stood III
the house in Cana of Galilee. Pray in the
parlOr! Pray in the kitchen! Let there be
no room in all your house uncOnsecrated to
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. Trust
in God and do the best you can. Amid 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 exhausted 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 housekeeper.
L.
tioh? 1t is not little salvation for this one,
a little for that, and a little for the other;
but enough for all-"whosoeyer 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 the
blind, for the halt, for the outcast, for the
abandoned. Pardon for all, comfort for all,
cupful of Gospel supply, but $50 gallons.
Ay. the tears of godly repentance are all
gathered up into Gods bottle, and some day,
before the throne, we will lift our
cup of delight and ask that it be filed with
the wine of heaven; and Jesus. from that
bottle of tears, will begiu to pour in the cup,
and we will cry "StOp, Jesus, we do not
want to drink our own tearsr' and Jesus
viii say: "Know We not that the tears of
earth are the wine of heavenT Sorrow may
endure, but joy cometh in the morning,
l remark further, Jesus does not shadow
the Joys Oh OtneFs Will his own RfleTS. lie
might have sat down In that wedding and
said: 81 have so much trouble, so much
poverty, so much persecution, and the cross
IS coming; | shall not rejoice, and the gloom
Of my face and of my sorrows shall be cast
over all this group" So said not Jesus. He
said to himself: ''Here are two persons
starting out in married life, Let it be iQy-
full occasion, ! win hide my own griefs. |
will kindle their joy There are many not
20 wise as that, | know q household where
here are many little children, where for two
years the musical instrument has been kept
shut because there has been trouble in the
louse. las for the folly! Parents are say
ng; eve will have no Christmas tree this
coming holiday because there has been
trouble in the house. Hush that laughing up
rtairsi How aan thara hn any inv Nvb.,,s thor.n
las been so much trouble?r And so they
make everything consistently doleful, and
send their sons and daughters to ruin with
he gloom they throw around them,
Oh, my dear friends, do you not know
hose children will have trouble enough of
heir own after while2 Be glad they can
lot appreciate all yours. Keep back the cup
w hen your head is down in the grass of the
omb, poverty may come to her, betrayal to
ler, bereavement to her. Keep back the sor-
rows as long as you can. DO you not know
hat son may. after a while, have his heart
broken? Stand between him and all harm.
You may not fight his battles long; fight them
while you may, Throw not the chill of your
own despondency over his soul; rather be
ike Jesus, who came to the wedding hiding
lis own grief and kinding the joys of 9TH
ers. So have seen the sun. on a dark day,
struggling amid clouds, black, ragged and
hut after awhile the sun, with
golden pry, heaved back the hlackneSs, and
he sun laughed to the lake, and the lake
aughed to the sun, and from horizon to
horizon, under the saffron sky, the water
vas all turned into wine,
| learn from this miracle that Christ is not
with the luXuries of life. 1t was
lot necessary that they should have that
vine. Hundreds of people have been married
without any wine. We do not read that any
IF the other provisions fell short, When
Christ made the wine it was not necessity,
out positive luxury, ] do not believe that
le wants us to eat hard bread and sleep on
lard mattresses, unless we like them the best.
think. If circumstances will allow, we have
right to the luXuries of dress, the ltxuries
# diet and the luXuries of residence. There
s no more religion in an old coat than in
new one, We can serve God drawn by gold
IN plated harness us certainly as when we 90
a-foot. Jesus Christ will dwell with us under
4 fine ceiling as well as under matched roof;
md when you can get VINE made out of
water, drink as much of it as you can,
What is the difference between q Chinese
mud hoYel and an American home? What
Is the difference between the rough bear skins
At the Russian bOor and the outfit of an
American gentleman? No difference, except
hat which the gospel of Christ, directly or
has caused. When Christ shall
have yanquished all the world, | suppose
every house will be q mansion and every gar
ment robe, and every horse an arch-necked
courser, and every carriage glittering We
licle, and every man king, and every wom-
an queen, and the whole earth a paradise;
tho ulprins of no natural world hap i2inu
with the glories of the material world. until
The very bells of the horses shall Jingle the
praises of the Lord,
/ learn, further, from this miracle that
Christ has no Impotence with festal joy,
otherwise he would not have accepted the
invitation to that wedding. He certainly
" ould not have done that which increased
,he hilarity. There may have been many in
hat room who were happy, but there was not
one of them that did so much for the joy of
-he wedding party as Christ himself. He was
-he 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.
l think the children of God have more
right to laugh than any other peop'e, and to
,lap 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. Religion does not frost
-he flowers.
What is Christianity? take it to be simply
I proclamation from the throne of God of
for all the ensaved: and if
man accepts the terms of that proclamation,
and becomes free, has he not a right to be
merry? Suppose a father has an elegant
mansion and large grounds. To whom will
he give the first privileges of these grounds?
He would say: 1.-The first privileges in all the
grounds, and all of NV house, shall be for my
own children" And yet men try to make us
believe that Gods children are in the limits,
md the chief refreshments and enjoyments