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Chrift

proach to it, is intended by the Expreffion. For they knew him not then to be any other than the Governor of Egypt, nay, it is faid & that they were afraid, as tho' he fought occafion against them, to fall upon them, and take them for Bondmen; and therefore we may well prefume, that they were too much upon their guard, and follicitous about their own Safety, to give any way to Intemperance in his Prefence. And if the Expreffion here, and in h feveral other Paffages, may be taken in a virtuous Senfe, (unless we can imagine that St. John defign'd to expofe his Master's Behaviour on this Occafion) we cannot but conclude, that he intended we should understand him in the most favourable manner,

But let us for once suppose the worft; might in- viz. That notwithstanding these wise nocently go to the Orders and Inftitutions, in the CelebraMarriage, tion of Matrimonial Feafts among the and why Jews, fome would be ftill apt to runconcern'd counter, and indulge their Appetites to go. to Excefs; yet it will not therefore

he was

follow, that our Lord could be any Partner in the Guilt. In publick Affemblies of Men of promifcuous Tempers, we fee daily, that, though the vicious

Gen. xliii. 34.

part

h Whitby's Annot. in Loc

part may pollute and debauch themfelves by Intemperance, Perfons of a contrary Difpofition do innocently partake of all regular and lawful Refreshments, without any Stain to their Virtue and Character. And though a good Man would not delight in fuch Societies, nor a prudent Man rafhly and heedlessly frequent them; yet fince our Saviour, who by the unfpotted Purity of his Nature, was fecured against every bad Impreffion, came not to call the Righteous, but Sinners to Repentance, and for this purpose, must be fuppofed to take all proper Occafions of meeting and converfing with them; fince now he was about to open his Commiffion, and had here a fair Opportunity of working his firft Miracle in the Prefence, and for the Conviction of numerous Spectators; and, laftly, fince the Invitation, in all Probability, came from his own Kindred ; for Tradition tells us, that the Persons, whofe Wedding was then celebrated, were Alphaus or Cleopas, and her, who, in Scripture, is called, Mary, the Sifter of our Lord's Mother (as it feems not unlikely from his Mother's being fo follicitous for the supply of Wine, and taking upon her to direct the Servants of the House, that they were either her Relations, or very intimate Acquaintance) X 4 fince

That he

encou

rag'd no Excels there,

fince our Saviour, I fay, was in this Situation, it was highly expedient, both in discharge of his prophetick Office, and the Obligations of Friendship or Confanguinity, for him to vouchfafe his Prefence at this Wedding, when he was invited.

Had he indeed, when he was there, given Encouragement to Intemperance among the Guests, (even though it had been by an Act of Generofity) much then might have been faid in Diminution of his Character: But, fince the Supply of Wine, wherewith he miracu loufly furnished them, will, upon Enquiry, appear, neither fo large in its Quantity, nor fo fuperfluous in its use, as is pretended, all Suggeftions of this horrid Nature, that our Saviour adminifter'd to their Exceffes, and was himfelf a little intoxicated, fhould for ever be filenced, and detefted. We indeed, in our Tranflation, fay, that the WaterPots, wherein the Wine was created, contained two or three Firkins a-peace; That the but the Learned of all Communions have, Quantity of late, looked a little more nicely into which he the Melpaths, or Meafure here spoken of, fupplied, and have brought it much lower, than a was not Firkin. The LXX Tranflators 1ufe it for fo very the Bath of the Jews,and that (according

of Wine,

large.

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*Dr, Pearce's Vind. Part 3. p. 30. 2 Chron. iv. 5.

to Calmet) contains lefs than 30 French Pints, which are not fo much, as fix Gallons of our Meafure; but Lamy fets it ftill lower, and makes it hold very little more than 20 French Pints, i. e. under four Gallons of our Measure. Nay, Le Clerk, and others mentioned by Calmet, fay, that the μelprès held about twenty-five French Pounds of Water, which falls fhort of three Gallons of our Measure; and the Learned Bifhop Cumberland (fuppofing the μelfnins of Syria to be here intended) computes it to have held lefs than one English Gallon, fo that, according to this reckoning, the whole fix Water-Pots might not contain more than about fourteen or fifteen Gallons of English Measure.

upon him,

But not to reduce the Measure fo low, If more, it we will suppose, at prefent, that the was no Quantity of Wine, made by our Saviour Reft &tion at this Feast, was as large as our Tranflation represents it; yet, whoever confiders the Nature of Jewish Marriages, m how they were celebrated with Feasting and Rejoycings, not only on the Day of Solemnity (as it is with us) but for fix or feven Days after; and that, at these Feafts, not only all their Relations, Neighbours, and Acquaintance were invited, but that it was well taken likewise

Dr. Pearce's Vind, Part 3. p. 28,

but ra

to him.

likewise if any others (tho' not invited) would come to partake of the Entertainment, and bear a share in the Joy : Whoever confiders this, I fay, cannot but imagine, that a very large Quantity of Wine muft needs be requifite, at fuch a time, and that, if the refort of a greater Company, than was expected (as it is not improbable that many more, than were expected, would come, on purpose to see Chrift and his Disciples) had occafioned a Deficiency herein, the Wine, which our Saviour miraculously produced, was to be a Supply, not for that Day only, but for all the fucceeding Days, until the Time of the Feafting was expir'd.

Nay, even fuppofing that our Lord, ther Com upon this Occafion, did not confine himmendation felf to a felf to a precife Quantity, proportionate to the Company, or Period of the Feftival, and (what is more) n that fome of the Company might abuse his Liberality by their Intemperance (which is a Conceffion, that cannot be gathered from the Text) yet can't he therefore be charg'd with miniftring to that Excefs, by making fuch an ample Provifion, any more, than we can charge the Providence of God with being inftrumental to all the Gluttony, and Drunkenness, which is

Whitly in John ii, 10.

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