St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1900-08-04

create water? He pours it out, not by
the cupful, but by river full, lake
full, an ocean full; pouring it out until
all the earth has enough to drink, and
enough with which to wash.
Does Jesus provide redemption? II
is not little salvation for this one, a
little for that and little for the other
but enough for all. "Whosoever will,
let him come" Each man an ocean full
for himself. Promises for the young
Sxomises for the old, promises for the
lDwly, promises for the blind, for the
halt, for the outcast, for the aban-
'doned. Pardon for all, mercy for all
Heaven for all. Not merely a cupful
Of Gospel supply, but 100 gallons. Aye
the tears of Cody repentance are gath.
cred up into Gods bottle, and someday
standing before the throne, we will lift
our cup of delight and ask that it be
filled with the wine of Heaven, and
Jesus, from that bottle of tears, will
begin to pour in the cup, and we will
cry: stop. Jesus! We do not want
to drink our own tears!" And Jesus
will say: know ye not that the tears
of earth are the wine of Heaven" Sor.
row may endure for a night, but JOY
cometh in the morning.
l remark, further, Jesus does not
shadow the joys of others with His
own griefs. He might have sat down in
that wedding and said: Il have SO
much trouble, so much poverty, SO
much prosecution, and the cross is com.
ing. i 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 a joyful occasion. Twill
hide my own griefs. l will kindle their
joy" There are many not so wise as
that. / knew household where there
are many little children, where for two
years the musical instrument has been
kept shut because there has been trou-
BILE in the house. Alas for the folly!
Parents saying: 1--WE will have no
Christmas tree this coming holiday be-
cause there has been trouble in the
house. Hush that laughing upstairs!
How can there be any joy when there
has been so much trouble?" And SO
they make everything consistently
doleful ard send their sons and daugh-
tiers to ruin with the gloom they throw
around them.
Oh, my dear friends. dc you not
know those children will have trouble
enough of their own after awhile
Be glad they cannot appreciate all
yours. Keep back the cup Of bitter
ness from your daughters lips. When
your head Is down in the grass of the
tomb, poverty may come to her, be-
trayal to her, bereavement to her.
Keep back the sorrows as long as you
can. Do you not know that that son
may after awhile have his heart brok-
en-? 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 like Jesus,
who came to the wedding hiding His
own grief and kindling the joys of
others. So have seen the sun on a
dark day, struggling amidst clouds,
black, ragged and portentous. but
after awhile 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 the miracle that Christ
is not impatient with the luxuries 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 ne
Hessity, but a positive luxury. do
not believe that He wants us to eat
bread and sleep on hard mattresses
unless we like them the best. think,
il circumstances will allow, we have =
right to the luxuries of dress, the lux
uries of diet and the Iuxuries of resi-
dence. There is no more religion in
an old coat than in a new one. We can
serve God drawn by golden plated har-
ness as certainly as when we go
afoot. Jesus Christ will dwell with us
under fine ceiling as well as under .
thatcned roof.
What is the difference between a
Chinese mud hovel and an American
home? What is the difference be-
tween the rough bear skins of the Rus
sian boor and the outfit of an Ameri-
can gentleman? No difference, ex-
cept that which the Gospel of Christ,
directly or indirectly, has caused.
When Christ shall have vanquished all
the world, suppose every house will
be q mansion and every garment .
robe 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 harmonizing with the
glories of the material world until the
very bells of the horses shall jingle the
praises of the Lord.
Ilearn, further, from this miracle that
Christ has no impatieDce with festal
Joy; otherwise he would not have ac-
cepted 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 wedding party as Christ
himself. He was the chief of the BAN
aueters. When the wine gave out, He
supplied 1t, and SO, take it, He will
not deny us the joys that are positive
" festal.
I think the children of God have
more right to laugh than any other
people, and TO clap their hands as
loudly. There il not a single joy de-
MED them that is given to any other
people. Christianity does not clip the
wings of the soul. Religion does not
frst the flowers. What is Christian
ity? 1 take it to be simply procla-
nation from the throne of God of eman-
cipation for all the enslaved. and If a
man accepts the terms of that procla-
nation and becomes free has he not y
right to be merry? Suppose father
has an elegant mansion and large
n -