Connecticut western news., 1900-07-05
JOY AT THE WEDDING
THE MIRACLE OF CANA REV. DR. TAIL
 MAGE'S THEME.

THE MIRACLE OF CANA REV. DR. TAIL
 MAGE'S THEME.
 Lesson of Changing the Water Into {, Wine - Christ Teaches That We
 With Our Own Griefs.
 WAsHINaToN, July IA remarkable illustration of the ubiQuity of English speaking people Is furnished by the re quests that have reached pr. Talmage in northern Europe for a sermon in out of the way places where he did not ex- pect to find a single person who could understand him. There, as here, he presents religion as festivity and in- vites all the world to come as guests and join in it's holy merriment; text, John ii, 10, Thou hast kept the good wine until now"
 This chapter invites us to a marriage celebration. 1t is wedding in coln- 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 ta- ble may mean as much as a score of artistic garlands fresh from the hot house. When a daughter goes off from home with nothing but a plain fathers blessing and plain mothers love, she is missed as much as though she were a princess. 1t seems hard, after the parents have sheltered her for IS years, that in a few short months her affec- tions should have been carried off by another, but mother remembers how 1t was in her own case when she was young. and so she braces up until the wedding has passed and the banquet CTS are gone, and she has a cry all alone.
 We'll, we are today at the wedding in Cana of Galilee. Jesus and his mother have been invited. It Is evident that there are more people there than were expected. Either some people have come who were not invited or more in- vitations have been sent out than 1t was supposed would be accepted. Of course there Is not sufficient supply of wine. You know that there Is noth- ing more embarrassing to housekeep- CT than a scant supply. Jesus sees the embarrassment, and he comes up inn mediately to relieve 1t. He sees stand ing six water pots. He orders the servants to fill them with water; then he waves his hand over the water, and immediately 1t Is wine-real wine. Taste of 1t and see for yourselves; no logwood in it, no strychnine in 1t, but first rate wine. I will not now be d. verted to the question so often discuss ed in my own country whether 1t is the scene as 1t was. When God makes wine. he makes the very best wine, and 130 gallons of 1t standing around in these water pots-wine so good that the ruler of the feast tastes 1t and says: "Why, this is really better than anything we have had! Thou hast kept the good wine until now" Beau tiful 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: ''The conscious water saw It's God and blushed.''
 The Best Adviser.
 We learn from this miracle, in the first place, that Christ has sympathy with housekeepers. You might have thought that Jesus would have said: "I cannot be bothered with this house hold deficiency of wine. It Is not for me. Lord of heaven and of earth, to be come caterer to this feast. I have vast CT 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 calculation? Is 1t hard work for you to carry on things decently and respectfully? If so, don't sit down and cry. Don't go 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 all your house unconsecrated by the voice of prayer. If you have a microscope. 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.
 A boy asked if he might sweep the snow from the steps of a house. The lady of the household said, Yes; you seem very poor" He says, q am very poor" She says, Don't you some times get discouraged and feel that God Is going to let you starve| The lad looked up in the woman's face and said, Do you think God will let me starve when I trust him and then do the best l camp Enough theology for older people! Trust in God and do the best you can. Amid all the worri- ments 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 wo- men weak and nervous and exhausted with the care of housekeeping. I com mend 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 a house. keeper.
 learn also from this miracle that Christ does things in abundance. think a small supply of wine would have made up for the deficiency. think certainly they must have had enough for half the guests. One gal Ion of wine will do; certainly five gal Ions will be enough; certainly ten. But Jesus goes on, and he gives them 30 gallons and 40 gallons and 50 gallons and 70 gallons and 100 gallons and 130 gallons of the very best wine. It Is just like him-doing everything on the