2. We should place full affiance in him under that character —
[" Our wisdom, our righteousness, our sanctification, and our complete redemption," should be sought in him alone. We should see " all fulness of spiritual blessings treasured up in him for us," and we should " receive them daily out of his fulness," even " as a branch receives its sap from the vine," or a member of our body its energies from the head. " The life which we now live in the flesh we should live altogether by faith on the Son of God, as having loved us and given himself for us." The whole world should be to us as nothing in com- parison of him ; and we should " determine to know nothing," either as an object of confidence or as a ground of glorying, " but Jesus Christ and him crucified."]
3. We should surrender up ourselves entirely and unreservedly to his service —
[This is what all his Disciples did. Matthew left his receipt of custom, and Peter and John their nets, and all his followers their respective vocations, to follow him, and conse- crate themselves to him. And this is what we also must do: we must " deny ourselves, and take up our cross daily for him, and forsake all for him ;" " not counting even life itself of any value," if it may be sacrificed for him, and to the honour of his name. This is what the whole of his mediatorial work calls for at our hands ; and this is no more than " a reasonable service " for every one of his redeemed to render to him.]
From a larger view of what passed on that occasion, I would yet further suggest two useful hints:
1. It is our privilege to seek, and to enjoy, the presence of the Lord Jesus in our social meetings —
[Religion is far from encouraging a morose seclusion from society, or from prohibiting even occasional festivities, pro- vided they be conducted with prudence and sobriety. Doubt- less what we call conviviality may easily be carried to excess : but I conceive that the very circumstance of our Lord's working his first miracle at a wedding feast, and of his sup- plying of more wine for the use of the guests during the remainder of the feast e, was intended to mark the difference between the dispensation which he introduced, and that which
e We are not to suppose that our Lord administered to excess. The word /ledvetv, in ver. 10. did not apply to that company; nor, if it did, would it necessarily imply excess ; for the word is often used where the most perfect sobriety was observed. See Gen. xliii. 34. in the LXX.