The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1900-08-09
THE MARRIAGE FEAST
Joyous Features Of the Christian
Religion Clearly Presented.
DR.. Tasmage Invites the Whole
World to Join In Its Holy
Merrime n nt--The Wedding
in Cana.

copyright, 1900, by Louis Klopsch.l
Washington,
A remarkable illustration of the
ubiquity of English-speaking people
is furnished by the requests that have
reached DR.. Talmage in northern Eu-
rope for a sermon in out-of-the-way
places where he did not expect to find
a single person who could understand
him. There, as here, he presents re-
ligion as festivity and invites all the
world to come as guests and join in
its holy merriment; text, John H., 10:
''Thou hast kept the good wine until
now"
This chapter invites us to a marriage
celebration. 1t is a wedding in COM
mon 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 pretension. In each
other they find all the future they
want. The daisy in the cup on the
table may mean as much as score of
artistic garlands fresh from the hot
house. When daughter goes off from
blessing and plain mothers love, she
is missed as much as though she were
princess. 1t seems hard, after the
parents have sheltered her for Is years,
that in a few short months her af-
| fections should have been carried off
by another, but mother remembers
how it was in her own case when she
was young, and so she braces up un
til the wedding has passed and the
banqueters are gone, and she has cry
| all alone.
Well, we are to-day at the wedding
| in Cana of Galilee. Jesus and His
| mother have been invited. 1t is evi-
dent that there are more people there
than were expected. Either some peo-
pie have come who were not invited
| or more invitations have been sent out
than it was supposed would be ac-
cepted. Of course there is not q suffi-
cient supply of wine. You know that
there is nothing more embarrassing to
a housekeeper than a scant supply.
Jesus sees the embarrassment, and he
comes up Immediately to relieve it. He
sees standing six water pots. He Or
ders the servants to fill them with
water, then He waves His hand over
the water, and Immediately it is wine
/ real wine. Taste of it and see for your.
selves. 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 de-
scribipg the scene as it was. When God
makes wine, He makes the very best
wine, and 100 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 bet
ter 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 poet won the
prize by just this one line descriptive
of the miracle: 1.-THE conscious water
saw its God and blushed."
We learn from this miracle, in the
first place, that Christ has ympathy
with housekeepers. You might have
thought that Jesus would have said:
II cannot be bothered with this house
hold deficiency of wine. 1t is not for
me, Lord of Heaven and 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 very close calcula-
J ton? 1t is hard work for you to carry
on things decently and respectfully
J If so, don't sit down and cry. Don't &c
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 your house
unconsecrated by the voice of prayer
, If you have a microscope, put under il
| one drop of water and see the insects
! floating about, and when you see that
God makes them and cares for then
! and feeds them come to the conclusion
that He will take care of you and feeG
you.
. I learn also from this miracle that
Christ does things in abundance.
. think a small supply of wine woult
! have made up for the deficiency.
think, certainly, they must have hat
enough for half the guests. One gal
lon of wine will do; certainly five gal
: Ions will be enough; certainly ten. Bu
t Jesus goes on, and He gives them 81
= gallons and 40 gallons and so gallons
l and 20 gallons and 100 gallons and 13
8 gallons of the very best wine. 1t j
S just like Him-doing every thing on tn
: largest and most generous scale. Doe
: Christ, our Creator, go forth to maxi
a loaves? He makes them by the Who'll
: forest full; notched like the fern or sill
0 vered like the aspen or broad like tn
palm; thickets in the tropics, Orego,
forests. Does He 60 forth to max
flowers? He makes plenty of them
. they flame from the hedge, they ham
3 from the top of the grapevine in bios
SONS. they roll IN the bics wave Of tb