Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-07-06

N~N NVVotes 80 much poverty. SO
much persecution. and the cross Is
coming. | shall not rejoice. aud the
gloom or my face and of my SORROWS
snail be cast over all this group" So
said not Jesus. He said TO himself.
Here are two persons starting out In
married life. Let il be a joyful occa.
sion. VIII hide my own griefs.
VIII kindle their joy" There are many
not so wise as that. l know a house
hold where there are many little chill.
dren. where for two years the musical
instrument has been kept shut because
there has been trouble in the house.
Alas for the folly. Parents saving,
we WIZ have no Christmas tree this
coming holiday. because there has been
trouble i'm the house, Hush that laugh.
Ing up stairs. How can there be any
JOY when there has been SO much trou-
bleT And SO they make everything
consistently doleful and send their sons
and daughters to ruin with the gloom
they throw around them.
Keep hack Sorrow.
Oh. my dear friends. do you not
Know those children will have trouble
enough or their own after awhileg Sc
glad they cannot appreciate all yours.
Keep back the cup of bitterness from
your daughters lips. When your head
is down in the grass Of the tomb. pow
erty may come TO her, betrayal 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 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 dependency over his soul.
Rather be like Jesus. who came to the
wedding hiding his own grief and kin
ding the joys of others So | have
seen the sun on a dark day struggling
amid clouds. black. ragged and porten-
tous, but after awhile the sun, with
golden pry. heavcd 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.
learn from this 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 n re-
cesSity, but positive luxury. / do
not believe that he wants us TO eat
hard bread and sleep on hard mattress
es unless we like them the best. l
think, If circumstances will allow, we
have right to the luxurics of dress.
the luXuries Of diet and the luxuries of
residence. There is no more religion
in an old coat than i'm new one. We
can serve God drawn 10y golden plated
harness as certainly as when we go
afoot. Jesus Christ will dwell with US
under fine ceiling as well as under a
matched roof
What is the difference between n
Chinese mud howell and an American
home? What is the difference between
the rough bearskins OF the Russian
boor and the outfit OF an American gen
uemau? No difference except that
which the gospel OF Christ. directly or
indirectly. has caused. When Christ
shall have vanquished all the world.
suppose every house will be a mansion.
and every garment a robe. and every
horse an arch necked courSer. and ev-
cry carriage n slittering vehicle. and
every man a king. and every woman
queen. and the whole earth n paradise.
the glorics or the natural world har-
with the glorics OF the ma
terial world until the very bells OF the
horses shall Jingle the praises OF the
Lord.
Religion Is Joyful
| learn. further. from this miracle
that Christ has no impaticnce with fcs-
tai joy; otherwise he would not have
accepted the invitation TO that we'd
ding. He certainly would not have
done that which increased the hilar-
ity. There may have been many Ia
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 banqueters. When the wine gave
out. he supplied II. and SO. take il. lie
will not deny us the joys that are posi-
lively festal.
l think the children OF God have
more right to laugh than any other
people and TO clap their hands as loud
ly. There is not single JOY denied
them that is given TO any other people
does not clip the wings OF
the soul. Religion does not frost the
flowers. What is Christianity? take
IL TO be simply n proclamation for all
the enslaved, and IL man accepts the
terms OF that proclamation and be-
comes free has he not n right 10 be
merry? Suppose a father has an Gle
CANT mansion and large grounds. To
whom Will he give the first privilege OF
these grounds? VIII he say: My chill
dren. you must not walk through these
paths or sit down under these trees or
pluck this fruit. These are for outsld-
ers. They may walk In them" No
father would say anything like that.
He would say, "rhe first privileges I'm
all the grounds and all OF my house
shall be for my own children" And
yet men try TO make us believe 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 atheism.
There is no innocent beverage too rich
for Gods child 20 drink; there is no
robe too costly for him to wear; there
is no hilarity too great for him to in
dulSe 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
the joys OF heaven. Though tribula-
ton and trial and hardship may come
unto him. let him rejoice. Rejoice in
the Lord, ye righteous. and again | say
rejoicer'
In the Hour of Extremity.
L remark. again, that Christ comes
to us In the hour of our extremity. He
knew the wine was giving out before
there was any embarrassment or NOR
uhcation. Why did he not perform
the miracle sooner? Why wait until
II was all gone and no help could come
from any cnnroa or,A tl,o.. na..s.a