Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

SECT. XIX.

Of his turning WATER into WINE.

[ocr errors]

OUT, how can it be imagined, The Obthat fo grave, fo fober, fo jection. "ferious a Man, as Jefus is repre"fented in Scripture, fhould ever ❝ vouchsafe his Prefence at a Wedding, "which, among the Jews, as well as "other Nations, was ufually a Scene " of fuch Levities, Diverfions, and Ex"ceffes, as were utterly inconfiftent "with his Character. A Perfon of his "referv'd Temper would have scarce "been invited at all, one would think; "but if he had been invited, it is rea"fonable to prefume he would have "declined going. Inftead of this, to fup"pofe that he was fuch an Encourager "of Excefs and Intemperance, as to "turn a large Quantity of Water into "Wine, to the Tune of feventeen or "eighteen Firkins, for the use of those, "that bad drank enough, if not too "much before (as the Text feems to "imply) is quite deftroying his moral "Character, and giving an untoward X

"Umbrage

Chrift's

"Umbrage of Sufpicion, that himself was not rightly fober, when he gave "fuch a blunt, furly, and undutiful "Answer to his Mother. The only

way then to make all these Incon"fiftencies meet, is to renounce the Mi"racle at once; and to give into the

Glofs, which the Gentiles of old, by. << way of Objection put upon it, viz. "a That the Company having exhaufted "the Bridegroom's Stock of Wine, and "being in Expectation of more, rather "than that the Bridegroom fhould be put to the Blush, Jefus undertook, by a "Trick of Art, to meliorate Water into " what they called Wine; i. e. having fome fpirituous Liquors at hand, he mingled them with a quantity of Water, and fo, by the Help of the Governor of the Feast, (who vouched it to be incomparably good Wine,) palm'd a falfe Miracle upon the Guests.

[ocr errors]

Our bleffed Saviour, indeed, was a grave and Perfon of a very grave and ferious DeSober Deportment portment, infomuch, that, whatever Inftances may be found of his Pity and Compaffion to Mankind, of his grieving and being troubled, and even weeping upon fome Occafions; we can meet with none of his laughing, nor any Token of

2

• Apud St. Chryfoft. in Locum Johan..

a

a Mirth or Joy extraordinary, in the whole History of his Life. But we must not from hence infer, that he was of a fullen, or unfociable Temper, or, in any degree, an Enemy to fuch Forms of Civility and good Manners, as were then in ufe. If therefore we can but fuppose at present (what hereafter will be evinced) that this Marriage of Cana in Galilee was between Perfons of his own Kindred or Acquaintance, and that, by the very Rules of celebrating fuch Feftivals among the Jews, all Excefs or Intemperance was excluded; then will it follow, that it could be no Difparagement to our Saviour's Character to accept of the Invitation, and be present at fuch a meeting.

ferv'd in

Fe.fts.

Among us indeed, especially among The Des the Vulgar fort, there are fometimes, on cency obthefe Occafions, Liberties taken, that Fewish are not fo very juftifiable; but, among Marriage the Jews, there was always the greatest Decency and Sobriety imaginable obferv'd, in the celebration of their Marriages. To this purpose a Governor of the Feaft (and, as fome fay, of the Sacerdotal Race) was always chofen, whose Office it was to have the Superintendency of the Dishes and the Wine, and to oblige the Guefts to obferve all the

X 2

De

Lewis's Antiq. of the Heb. Rep. Vol. 3. p. 302.

The

of when

Decorums, that Religion required: And, not only fo, but other Perfons, at this time, were likewise appointed to break Glass-Veffels, as a common Signal, to give the Company notice, that they had already drank enough, and were not permitted to run to Excefs. Under this Regulation, 'tis fcarce imaginable, that the Guests, at a Jewish Marriage, could' be guilty of any Intemperance, and leaft of all at this in Galilee, where our Saviour's Prefence and Obfervation, the Gravity of his Behaviour, and the Seafonableness of his Difcourfe, may well be prefum'd to heighten the Decorum, and to keep all the Company under a proper Restraint.

C

What therefore the Governor of meaning the Feaft fays to the Bridegroom, in reMen have lation to the Water, that was turned inwelldrank, to Wine, every Man, at the beginning, Fol. ii. 10. doth fet forth good Wine, and WHEN MEN HAVE WELL DRANK, then that which is worse, is to be understood only as a general Representation of a Cuftom, ufual at other Festivals, which was, to bring the best Wine at first, and towards the conclufion, that which was worse ; which Custom, (as the Governor tells him) was not obferved here for the Difference between this Entertainment

and

Dr. Pearce's Vind. Part 3. p. 26. John ii. 1.

and others is, that thou haft kept the good Wine until now. So that the Phrase, when Men have well drank, is only a Circumstance thrown in to illuftrate the Comparison, or describe the latter end of a Feaft, and has no manner of Reference to the Condition of the Company then prefent.

e

1

But, allowing the Words CraveOvo to be a Defcription of the Condition the Company was then in, yet will it by no means follow, that they had proceeded to any Intemperance, becaufe the Words are equally capable of an innocent, as well as vicious Meaning. Melua indeed, in its primitive Signification, means no more than drinking after the Sacrifice: and, as there is nothing in the Etymology, that determines this to be done to any Excess, or beyond the proper Bounds of Joy in a Festival; fo there are feveral Inftances in Scripture, wherein it was certainly done according to the Rules of Sobriety and Moderation. Thus (to mention one out of many) in the LXX Verfion of Genefis, where it is faid, that Jofeph's Brethren drank and were merry with him, the Words are ἐμεθύθησαν μετ' αυτε; and yet the Circumftances of the Feaft plainly fhew that no Excefs, or the least ap

X 3

Dr. Pearce, part 3. p, 27.

proach

Gen. xliii. 34,

« AnteriorContinuar »