The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1888-09-20
IN CHAINS.
,ruMoN DY REV. TALMAGE.
kr,c Golden Chain ofGood Influences,
and the Iron Links OF EVIL Habits.
TEXT. oMaks a chain."-Ezekicl vii, as

At school and in college in announcing the
,nechanical powers, we glorihed the lever,
The pulley, the inclined plane the screw, the
eYle and the wheel, but my text calls us to
,udv the philosophy of the chain. These
,;nLs of metal. ono with another, attracted
tha old Bible authors, and we hear the chain
rat,le and SEQ its coil all the way through
from Genesis to Revelation, flashing ms an
ornament, or restraining as in captivity, or
holding ns in oniunction rs in case of ma
shn.ry. To do him honor Pharaoh hung a
chain Of gold about the neck Of Joseph, and
peIshazzar one about the neck OF Daniel.
The high priest had on his breast plate two
chains of gold. On the camels Decks, as the
Ishmaeltcs drove up to Gideon, jingled
The Bible refers to the Church as having
such glittering adornments, saying: Thy
neck is comely with chains Of gold" On tho
other hand, chain means captivity. David
fhe psamist exults that power had been
given civ over his enemies, ito bind their kings
with chains.n The old missionary apostle
cries out: ''for the hope Of Israel, am bound
with this chainn In the prison where Peter
is incarcerated you hear one day a great
crash at the falling Off OF his chains. st.
John saw an angel come down from Heaven
b. manacle the powers of darkness, and hav-
|inr "a great chain in his hand" and the
Fallen angels are represented as "resorveI in
Everlasting chains, while in my text, for the
arrest and limitation of tho iniquity of
bis time, Ezekiel thunders out: MAKE a
What wish to impress upon myself and
upon Won is the strength in right aud wrong
directions OF consecutive forces, the superior
power of a chain Of influences above one in.
f'uence, the great advantage of n congeries
of links above one link, and in all family
government and in all effort TO rescue others
md In all attempts TO stop iniquity, take the
suggestion OF my text and make a chain
That which contains the greatest import
Iat tt.yhf oh tha
dous opportunities, that which of earthly
fhinrs is most wretched by other worlds,
that which has Deating against its two sides
al the etcrnities, l. the cradle. The grave
j. nothing in Importance compared with it,
for that IL only gully that we step across
In a second, but tho cradle has within IL a
new eternity, just born and never to cease
Nv hen three or four years ago the Ohio River
overfowed its banks and the wild frcshets
swept down with them harvests and cities,
one day was found floating on the bottom of
The waters n cradle with a child in il all un-
hurt, wrapped up snug and warm, and its
blue eyes looking into the blue OF the open
heavens. IL was mentioned as something ex-
fraordnary. But every cradle is, with
|its young passenger, hoating on the
calling to deep. Ohios and st. Lawrences
hnd Mssissippis Of influence, bearing IL ON.
ward Now, what shall he done with this
new life recently launchedi Teach him an
evening prayer, That is important, but not
Enough. Hear him as soon as he can recite
BONE gospel hymn or catechismi That is
Important, but not enough. Every Sabbath
afternoon read him Bible story That is
important, but not enough. Once in a while
lesson, once in while prayer, once. in
while a restraining influenced All these are
Important, but not enough. Each one of
these influences is only link, and il will not
bold him III the tremendous emergencies of
ife. Let 1t be constant instruction, constant
prayor, constant application of good inlu-
nces, a long line OF consecutive impressions.
teaching from his first year to his fifth, and
rom his fifth year to his TENTH and from
bis tenth to his twen ieth. MAKE n chainIp
Spasmodis eduittion, paroxysmal dis.
1cipllnc, occasional 4 ", amount 10 nothing.
|tH on can as easily ttf.i an anchor by ono
link as hold child to the right by isolated
tand intermittent falthfunes. The example
tmust connect with the instruction. The
xconversation must combine with the actions.
1he week day consistency must con ion with
the Sunday worship. Have family PRAYERS
by all means; but be petulant and in
consistent and unreasonable in your house.
fhold and your family prayers will be "A
Xbasph -mous farce. So great in our times
are tho temptations OF young mon To dis
Isipaton, ana young women to social fo lies,
xthat II Is most important that tn, first
Xeightccn years of their life he charged with ~
<rellglous p wer that will hod them whom
|they got out of the HarJor Of home into the
3stormy ocean of active lie. There il
2fuch a TIA nS as impressing children
8years will have no more uo,yay
ITO elfac' it than sixty minutes. What n
1rouEh time that YOung man has in do No
IwronS, carefully nurtured as he wa,l His
father and mother have been dead for wears.
Eor over IN scotland, or En- land or ireland,
but they have stood in tn, doorway of
6every dram shop that no entered and under
The chandelier OF every house OF dis,ipation
sayin. My son, this is no place for Won
Have you forgotten the Old folks. Don't
Iyou recogn2p these wrinkles. and this stoon
IN the shoulder, and this trcmuous hands
Go home, my boy, go home! BY the God to
VIII m we consncratel you, by the cradle i'm
whcn we rocked you, by the grass crown
graves IN the old country churchyard, by
the heaven whore we hope vet 10 meet Won
/ go homo! Go home, my boz, go hom,ri Anj
SOM Sunday you will te surprised To find
8that young man Su denly asking for tina
prayers Of the church Some Sunday Won
VIII see HIM at the sacrament aud PERTAINS
urlhElnE rom the sams kind of chalice that
the old folks drank our of years AGO when
ihey commemorated the suiY rings of tho
i"ru Yes, my lad, you do not have such
iuh IN SIN a. You seem t. have. / know what
spolls Your fun. You cannot shake Off ths
Inhuence OF those prayers long ago offered.
or OF those Kind admonitons. You cannot
MAKE them 20 away, aud you feel like say
ing; RATHER, what are YOU doing here,
Mother, why do you bother me with sugpes.
Tons of those oldrn tmes;1 But they will
not go away. They viii push you back from
your evll paths, though they have TO come
| IRON their IN nins homes in heaven nnj
stand IN tho very gates OF hell, and their
packs scorched by the fiery blast and with
4 the'r hand on your shoulder, aud their
4 breath on your brow, aud their ewes
4 LOOKING straight into yours, they will say;
i ehaye come 10 take you home, q, son OF
many an iet'et' st last that young man
turns through the consecutive influence OF
pons parcntage. who oIt Oh PRAYERS aud
4 ildehte' lnnumcrahe. made n chnin That
Is Tue chain that pulls nightly this incoming
OF hye hundred Of you. You may he too
PIouu 10 shed tenr. and You may, TO con.
4 'ln'e 'erS ~ your imperturhabil tv, smile
10 your lrien beside Won. but there is not so
ihuch power In an Alpine avalanche after 1t
mas slipped for a thousand feet and haying
Struck lower elf IN taking its second
oouhl FOR fifteen hundred feet more of
plnge' as there is pow er in the chain thlt
pIls out this moment toward God and
| ,hrlhJ and lleavenl OH the almighty null
ooi the long chain of early gracious in
4 fuenres! "
4 bnt all peoplo between thirty and forty
years OF age yes, between forty and nftv-
|nye, between fifty ana sixty years, ana All
fseptuagenarlans as well need surrounding
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