youth is the right time to become pious. To make the saying right you must put it thus: Youth is the right time to be joyous, and youth is the right time to be pious. Both should go together. The right time to graft a tree is not when it is become old and the limbs are already dying. Grafts very rarely do well on an old stump of a tree. The right time to graft a tree is when it is young; then it may grow lustily, and become a tree rooted in the soil, strong and healthy. In your infancy the spiritual man was engrafted in you by the Holy Ghost through baptism. Should you tear out those grafts and throw them away? Or should you suffer them to die from neglect? Foster those good grafts that from year to year they may grow stronger and become a tree able to withstand the storms of life. In youth walk in the footprints of your youthful Savior, then you will be prepared in old age to walk in the footprints of your patiently suffering and triumphantly victorious Savior. "Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord." Ps. 119, 1. Amen. 8 II. SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. And there were set there And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there. And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. six water-pots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them, fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was, (but the servants which drew the water knew,) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, and saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him. John 2, 1-11. now. When God, after the six days work of creation, "saw every thing that he had made, it was very good," but sin entered into the world, spoiled the creation of God, and now the world is a vale of tears and full of evil. Yet the creatures of God have not become evil in themselves. Man only became a sinner, other creatures became subject to vanity, but there is no sin in them, as St. Paul writes: "Every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer." 1 Tim. 4, 5. In these words St. Paul does not contradict Moses who says that God cursed the earth; for God did not in its own nature make that evil which before He had made good, but to man and on account of man the earth is cursed. Though the creature is no more so precious as it was before the fall, yet the greater evil is that man does no more receive the creature with thanksgiving, does not regard it according to the Word of God and does not sanctify it by prayer. This is one of the greatest evils under the sun, that man does not regard the works, doings and ordinances of God according to His Word; for if man receives and uses the creatures of God according to God's Word, then that which was cursed on account of sin again becomes to him. a blessing which brings true and genuine joy. An evil of evils it surely is, if man does not look at things right, as he ought to. If I, a minister of the Gospel, look at my office through the spectacles of the flesh, or the old Adam, I can see nothing in it but labor and trouble and humiliation; but if I look at my calling according to the Word of God, in the light of God's promises, then it is, as it were, surrounded by a halo; then it shows in colors which make it something desirable and lovely, and if I could always and only regard it in this light I would truly be a happy man. Similar it is in all things. If a man would look at everything in the light of God's Word, and would receive it with thanksgiving, that would heighten every joy, lighten every burden, sweeten every cross and, notwithstanding its multitude of evils, to that man this earth would be half a paradise. So it is also with the holy estate of matrimony. With many unhappy husbands and wives the chief fault is that they do not look at the estate of wedlock in the right way. If husband and wife do not see their estate in the light of God's Word, but have regard only of their own wishes and notions, the result is that they overlook the blessings which they enjoy, and see only the evils; yea, often regard that a curse which in fact is a blessing, and so they make themselves unhappy, when they might live contented and happy. If all husbands and wives would say with Joshua 24, 15: "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord," serve Him in all things, serve Him in days good and evil, serve Him according to His Word, this must surely bring true and lasting happiness to every house; for godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." 1 Tim. 4, 8. Diligently therefore should we give heed to the words of Mary, saying: "WHATSOEVER HE SAITH UNTO YOU, DO IT," AS AN EARNEST EXHORTATION TO THOSE WHO ENTER AND THOSE WHO LIVE IN WEDLOCK. I. So enter the estate of matrimony that you can cheerfully invite Jesus to your wedding. II. So live in wedlock that Jesus can sit at your fireside. I. Among the many subjects for a discourse which this Gospel offers let me to-day speak from the words of Mary to the servants: "Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it." She directed the servants to do, whatever Jesus would tell them, no matter how strange it might appear. What Jesus says we are to do, however useless and unreasonable it may appear. This rule holds good in all things. He is the Lord, we are the servants. It is for Him to command and for us to obey. What has Jesus to say to those who intend to enter the estate of wedlock? We read here: "And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there. And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage." This couple evidently regarded the day of their marriage an important day and they made it a festive occasion.. None should think lightly of marriage; all, both the married and the unmarried, should count it a sacred state. Getting married on mountain tops, on bridges, on railroad trains, or in other fantastic situations, is not in keeping with the sacredness of wedlock. Marriages should always be performed in a solemn manner as a solemn matter. God Himself has highly honored wedlock, as we know from His Word. Before the institution of matrimony God took counsel with Himself, similar as He had done before the creation of man. God Himself brought the woman to man; God Himself pronounced the blessing upon them, and added: "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife." And all this God did before the fall, in paradise, when man was yet in the state of holiness and perfection. After the fall of man God has highly honored matrimony by guarding and protecting it in a special command of His law, saying: "Thou shalt not commit adultery;" and by threatening: "I will be a swift witness against the adulterers." And God has at all times proved Himself a swift witness against the transgressors of this commandment, as the destruction of Sodom and so many other examples show. God has also preserved this estate at all times and among all nations. On the whole face of the earth there is not a nation without this institution; it is found amongst the most savage tribes. Highly did Jesus Christ, the Son of God, honor this estate by making the beginning of His miracles at a wedding. When He was about to enter on the public exercise of His office and wanted to begin to manifest forth His glory, He went not to the temple, not to the kingly palace, He went to the wedding of a poor and humble couple and there He performed His first miracle. By this action He sanctioned the estate of matrimony and honored it above all other estates. "Marriage is honorable in all." Heb. 13, 4. Think not lightly of it, but count it honorable and sacred. The couple in our text invited Jesus to their marriage. There, my young friends, is another thing which Jesus wants you to do. He wants you to invite Him to your wedding. You can of course not invite Him in the same manner as that couple at Cana did, but you can nevertheless invite Him, and if you do invite Him, He will be sure to be there and His blessing with Him. Jesus will not intrude Himself on you if you do not want Him at your wedding, He wants to be invited, but when He is asked He does not stand on ceremonies, He comes; for He has said: "Ask, and it shall be given you." Remember that it is a matter of vast consequence, whether you invite Jesus or not. "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.” Ps. 127, 1. His blessing will build your house and He will make it a place of true happiness. Let Jesus be the prime guest at your wedding. When by the Word the Lord is Guest, |