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 Gentiles. At this marriage the mother of Jesus was present,—spiritually denoting that an ardent affection of love to Jesus, as the living Truth, was among the guests. This ardent love of truth acts as a divine magnet to draw Jesus, who is the Truth, to the Assembly, together with all the doctrines and precepts of his Word; hence Jesus was called and his diciples to the marriage. Here, at this marriage, they wanted wine, or, as the Greek expresses it, the wine failed. The Jewish church had come to its end, its members regarded the truths of Revelation as of an outward nature, and hence their worship was merely ceremonial, and not of the heart. They had no desire for spiritual truth signified by wine. They acknowledged nothing but literal truth, the wine had failed, and the water only remained. When they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus said to him, they have no wine; to which the Lord replied. Mine hour is not yet come. O how important are these words! for the Lord's hour or time can come only when man reccives the blessings he offers; but inasmuch as man is at all times gifted with power to receive, so the Lord says, "My time is not yet come, but your time is always ready." (John vii. 6.)

In the Word of God we frequently read of water and wine; and both these denote the truths of Revelation, but with a difference according to the uses of each. Water gives the idea of washing, cleansing, and external purification; but wine, that of internal nourishment, strength, and support. Water is an embiem of the literal truths of the Word, which serve, in the first stages of our religious life, for the outward reformation of conduct; but wine is the spiritual