Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-08-04

Gaiilean hills. in the chorus OF which
Christ's. words may be blending. we
believe II. Thank God, Christ's FIRST
miracle was performed for a bride and
not for a widow. ut a banquet and not
by bieri
Rejoice though storms assail thee. rejoice
when skies are bright.
Rejoice though round thy pathway Is
spread the gloom OF night.
II the good hope be In thee that all at
last Is we'll.
Then let thy happy spirit with joyful tid-
ings swell.
Where Christ's Ministry began.
Christ's ministry opens in q scene OF
human festivities. 1t does more than
that. Christ came to Cana of Galilee
to prove that the most important place
riage altar. Marriage" wrote DIR.
Taylor. us the mother of the world
and precious kingdoms and fills cities
and churches and heaven itself. Like
a useful bee, 1t builds a house and
gathers sweetness from every flower,
and labors and unites into societies and
republics, and sends out colonies, aud
feeds the worlds with delicacies, and
Obeys the king, and exercises many viz
tues. and promotes the interest OF man
kind, and is that state OF good to which
God hath designed the present consti-
tuition OF the world" That is. the right
kind OF marriage does all this. There.
fore, rs marriage is so important in
Gods sight and mans, it Is very essen
tial. oh, young people, that you ask
Jesus Christ to your weddings when
you are about to be married. Yet the
strange fact remains that the last be-
ing in the universe some of us would
ever think Of inviting to our weddings
is Jesus Christ.
We treat Christ a great deal as some
OF us have treated our best earthly
friends when giving a reception or q
party. We take the calling list OF our
wives and grown daughters and sons,
and we bunch them together with the
names OF our personal friends, both
business and social. Then when the
night OF the entertainment comes
around we say to ourselves, why is
not Mr.. So-and-so hereT' Then we go
to our wife and say: my dear, Mr..
So-and-so Is not here. Did you invite
him" She looks at the list OF guests
and answers: mo, husband. We for
got to put that name down." TOO
bad, too badv' you say. Yes, it is too
bad. But, though il is too bad, this
fact remains incontrovertible. You did
not neglect to invite that very wealthy
man to your daughters wedding.
Why? Because you expected him to
give her n present. You did not for
get to invite that prominent statesman
and social queen. Why? Because you
expected them TO give that wedding
prominence in the newspaper. But you
did neglect to invite that old time
friend who has been true to you for
many, many years. Thus we often
neglect to invite to our weddings
Christ. who is our best OF all friends.
Too Late to Ask Advice.
Not only do the young people often
neglect to ask Christ TO the wedding,
but they very often neglect to talk to
him and consult with him before they
engage themselves for life. They treat
Christ In reference to the coming ell
gagement a great deal as did a young
lady many years ago her New England
pastor. She came TO DIR. Pelpin and
said: Pastor, I want TO talk TO you.
am in doubt whether / should marry
Mr.. So-and-so. 1 want your advice"
With that the kindly old minister look.
ed at her and said: 'Well, my girl
when is the wedding to take place
Next week Tuesday," "Oh, no." she
answered. mot next Tuesday bat
Rext Thursday" So some people come
to Christ TO talk about their coming
marital plans when they have made uI
their minds to marry whether God
wants them to marry or no. These
young girls will talk about their wed
ding plans with other girls. They will
talk about them To people who are al
most strangers. But they will not talk
about them to Christ, who is more In.
terested ia that coming wedding than
any other being In the universe. not
excepting the bridegroom himself.
Young folk about to enter into the
nuptial state, will you not ask Christ
to your wedding? VIII you not talk
to him before the engagement ring is
slipped over the slender finger OF the
lett hand2 VIII you not by Chrlst's
help avoid the awful lifetime mistakes
Of wrong marital entangiements? Death
Itself Is preferable TO a wedding cere-
mony where Christ is not present to
make the hearts and spirits one as tho
law binds together the physical twain
as one. Some time ago the quick ring
OF my telephone called me to the Emer-
geney hospital 'Come quickly" came
the call. "a man Is dying and wants
70 see you" There 1 found n young
man, by the name OF Robert Duff, who
had been caught In the live wires OF
an electric plant. He was burned so
badly that his lower limbs were al
ready dead bis mind was as clear as
Is yours or mine. He was talking to
his fancee, sweet girl, who sat weep
Ing by his side. Within a few hours
his body was q corpse in her arms.
Oh, that was sad. But IL was not
nearly so sad as II that young man had
lived and they had been married in
body, but not in spirit Better the dead
body OF the loved one in your arms
A-@A- SAC NOta SOipSc VI Qcuu love,
holding together a man and a woman
by law and not In spirit ChrIst's pres
ence at Cana OF Galilee is a divine
suggestion teaching that over every
marriage altar should be divine ben
ediction. Talk TO your Saviour about
whom you are to marry and then in
vite Christ to your wedding. and you
will make no marital mistakes.
A Lesson From the Miracle.
Another lesson OF the miracle Is that
nothing is too small or too insignificant
TO do IL by that act you are going to
make your fellow men happier. This
changing OF water into wine was not
done to heal the sick. or to raise the
dead, or to cast out the devils" which
to the number of n legion were tortur-
ing the poor maniac amid the Gadarene
tombs. 1t was done simply and pure
ly to relieve the embarrassment OF O
host and hostess whose supply of wine
for the marriage feast had run out. II
was done to alleviate one OF those little
d0noaSfio frouhIaq with which moot ~