River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1908-07-30

of it. While bearing the sorrows of
the community he shared equally their
joys. He broke up several funerals.
but never a feast He promoted the
right kind of festivity. He came to
increase our joys and diminish our
sorrows, and he knows as no other
does how to make our very sorrows
channels of joy. We are not surprised,
therefore, to find him at a marriage
feast mingling with the people and
showing forth the glory of his social
nature.
2. We See the Glory of His Power.
1t was quietly displayed; no out
ward show. He simply willed and
it was done. "The conscious water
saw it's Lord and blushed." Such is
the glory of Christ's power to-day. 1t
displays itself, not in the tempest, the
earthquake or the fire, but in the
still small voice. The great powers
of nature are invisible and inaudible.
We wonder at laundering Niagara,
and yet the vital forces of the forest
draw up much more water than pours
over Niagara falls. The quiet work
ing of nature that lifts the cloud and
distills the rain, giving life and beauty
to meadow, field and flower, displays
the true glory of God. The heavens
declare his glory by quietly shining,
and the armament showeth his handi-
work without making ado over 1t.
8. We See the Glory of His Sympathy.
Sympathy with the embarrassed
and perplexed. Here was a family
with more guests than they expected,
and their supplies ran short. The Lord
comes just in time to relieve their en-
barrassment. 1t suggests to us that
Christ is ever sympathetic with the
little worries and perplexities OF
life. 1t is easier to bear great
calamity than these little irritations.
Stanley said that he did not fear the
lions and tigers of the African forest
as much as the "jiggers" and the ants.
They killed more men than the saw
ages.
4. We See the Glory of His Method.
The worlds method is to give the
best wine first and keep the worst for
the last We see that in the expe-
rience Of the drunkard. He has a
time of jollity and what he calls hap
piness for few years, but the end is
delirium tremens, death; the good
wine first, the bad last. How forcibly
this was illustrated In the life OF
Landseer, the great animal painter
a man before whose works of genius
people in the art galleries of Europe
stand to-day in rapt admiration. Near
to close of his life he went around
from place to place with swollen nose
and bleared eyes, the pity of friends
and the scorn of enemies. Byron
gave the worlds version when he
wrote:
"My days are in the yellow leaf;
The flower the fruit of life 10 gone:
The worm the canker and the grief
Are mine alone"
Beau Drummer put it in not
quite so poetical a form, when, after
he had danced with princesses and
frittered away his life, he pointed to
a dog lying in the sun, and said: Il
wish l was that dog" These men
of the world had the good wine first
and the bitter dregs last. Christ may
require of us self-denial, toll, struggle,
patience. There may come into our
lives sickness and death. We may
have truly hard time of it; but, de-
pend upon it, the good time will come
to the Christian, and these severe ex-
periences will make the coming glory
all the brighter. In what striking con.
trast with the sentiments Of Byron
and Brummel is the experience OF
Paul: Il have fought good fight,
| have finished my course, l have
kept the faith; henceforth there is
laid up for me a crown of righteous
ness" The "henceforth" is the Chris
tian's good wine. His life may be a
battle to fight, race to run, charge
to keep; but victory will crown the
battle; the prize is at the end of the
race, and the well done" from the
Masters lips will make us glad that
we kept the charge committed to us.