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often, (as the evangelist says, "after the manner of the purifying of the Jews,") stood within or near the house. The servants were commanded by the Saviour to fill them with water; and they filled them (by his direction, no doubt) to the brim, leaving no ground for suspicion of any admixture. Without pronouncing any words of charm or incantation, Christ simply told the servants to draw, and to present the draught to him who presided at the table, usually some friend of the parties. He had, officially, a deep interest in the proceedings, and, on this occasion, unwittingly gave the strongest testimony to the perfection of the miracle.

The evangelist adds the following words to this account: "This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory, and his disciples believed on him."

There is useful instruction to be derived from the simple act of this bridegroom and bride at Cana, in calling Christ to their wedding, and from his presence there.

I. AS CHRIST BEGAN HIS MIRACLES AT A WEDDING, WE MAY INFER THAT HE, AND HIS RELIGION, ARE FRIENDLY TO HUMAN HAPPINESS.

It cannot be supposed that it was by mere accident that the Saviour began his miracles at a wedding, rather than at the grave of Lazarus, or the gates of Nain. His brief sojourn on earth, after he had entered on his ministry, was only three years and a half. Now, considering what an eventful life that was to be, constituting the New Testament history, forming the basis for the opinions and feelings of all coming generations with regard to him, it was, no doubt, viewed, by infinite wisdom, as of the first importance that all his public acts should be arranged with regard to the best effect upon the great end for which he came into the world. Thus, though his daily life seems wholly unpremeditated, his great works accidental, depending only on his happening to meet this or that object of compassion, we must suppose that all was planned beforehand, and that it was the suggestion of divine wisdom and goodness that he should begin his miracles at a scene which, more than any other, interests every one, of whatever time or nation. The Saviour takes his place by the side of a bridegroom and bride, and at their wedding, in their presence, and for their happiness, he first manifests forth his glory; and his disciples, who had thus far believed through the testimony of John the Baptist, now receive him and testify of him as the Christ, from their own knowledge. He could have produced this effect on them and others, by casting out a devil, or destroying a herd of swine, or by curing the palsy, or opening a grave. "How great is his wisdom, and how great is his beauty." He goes to a wedding; he meets the human race, whom he came to bless, first of all, at a nuptial ceremony. He mingles his sympathies with their joys, before he mourns with them in their sorrows. He thus tells them that he has not come to look on the dark side of their condition alone, but to take a just view of it; to rejoice with them that rejoice, as well as to weep with them that weep, recognizing the truth, that there is much in this world to make us happy, and nothing more so than the love of kindred hearts, united in those bonds which the benevolent Creator constituted in Paradise. He has come to deliver us from hell, and he wishes us to know that there is a heaven. We are subject to miseries innumerable and great, our danger is fearful, our liability to eternal sorrow is alarming; but other things also are true, - that God loves us with a benevolent and compassionate love, seeks our perfect happiness, and would restore us to that which our first parents lost by the fall; and not only would he make us happy hereafter; he wishes us to know that the ways of wisdom, here, are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace; that religion is not only consistent with present happiness, but eminently promotes it; that Christ and religion do not frown upon human joys, but, on the contrary, purify them, hallow them, impart a zest to them, and give with them that richest and sweetest ingredient, a sense of God's approbation and love.

So that if any are tempted to look upon religion as an enemy to innocent pleasure, and feel that to be followers of Christ is to take the veil; that to enter the Christian church is to shake hands at the door with every innocent mirth; that putting on the new man is to put on stiffness and austerity; that being converted is being made unfit for social life; and that religion means the surrendering of every thing and gaining nothing, they may see their error corrected by this testimony of Christ our Saviour, in favor of human happiness, in his being present at a wedding, and in his beginning the work for which he came from heaven by contributing to the hilarity of a wedding feast. So far from being unfriendly to human happiness, religion alone warrants and enables us to be perfectly happy in this world. The church of Christ is spoken of in the Bible as the only portion of the human race that have claims to perfect happiness. Christians are represented, by this same figure of marriage, as raised to the height of earthly happiness, in being the bride of Christ. Is this an austere, melancholy creature, that comes floating by us on the wings of fancy, to whom are addressed such words as these: "All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces whereby they have made thee glad;" "The king's daughter is all glorious within; her clothing is of wrought gold"? Though spiritual things, it might be said, are designated by these metaphors, which describe the church of God in its holiness and happiness, yet if such effects, pictured by such images of beauty, can be the result of religious joy, surely religion is eminently favorable to the highest bliss.

But religion, it is said, forbids us to frequent playhouses, and frowns on dancing between the sexes. There is a great mistake here. Religion is not responsible for making these things obnoxious. Must a man or woman be a Christian in order to feel disapprobation of waltzing? Do none but church members think that such a thing is unsuitable? Do we need to be converted before we can disapprove of things which the devotees of Juggernaut's temple, and before his blood-stained car, practise; are Christians only blessed with the light of nature, to disallow things which the light of nature surely condemns ? Were we to argue against theatres, we would not, or we need not, quote one passage of the Bible; for wise and good men and women, out of the Christian church, are among the very best authorities as to the pernicious effect of playacting; and with regard to novels, (not, simply, works of imagination,) pernicious, not for the imagination in them, but for exaggerated, false views of things, and for the bad effect, even when they are true, of dwelling too much upon fictitious scenes, if one were to preach against

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