The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-10-10
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINES SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: 1.-THE Chain of Influences"

the VI Uuo Su6ihs
links 0! metal, one with another, attracted
the old Bible authors, and we hear the cham
rattle and see its coil all the way through
from Genesis to Revelation, flashing as an
ornament or restraining as IN captivity, or
holding as in conjunction as i'll case OF ma
chinery. To do him honor Pharaoh hung 9
chair of gold about the neck of Joseph, and
The high priest had on his breast-plate two
chains of gold. On the cam.ls' necks, as the
lshmaelites drove up to Gideon, Jingleo
chains of gold.
The Bible refers to the Church as having
such glittering adornments, saying: Thy
neck is co,nely with chains OF gold" On the
other hand, chain means captivity. David
the psalmist e1ults that power ha.- been
given over his enemies, Ito bind their kings
with chains" The old missionary apostle
cries out: "tor the hope Of Israel am bound
with this chain" In the prison where Peter
Is incarcerated, you hear one day great
crash at the falling off of his CHAINS. ST..
John saw an angel come down from Heaven
to manacle the powers Of darkness, and hav-
ing "a great chain in his hand" and the
fallen angels are represented as reserved in
everlasting chains" while in my text, for the
arrest and limitation OF the iniquity Of
his time, Ezekiel thunders out: Make a
chain"
What wish to impress upon myself and
upon you is the strength in right and wrong
directions, Of consecutive forces, the superior
power of chain Of influences above one in
fiuence, the great advantage of congeries
of links above one link, and in all family
government and in all effort to rescue others
and in al attempts to stop iniquity, take the
suggestion of my text and make chainl
That which contains the greatest import
ance, that which incloses the most tremen-
dous opportunities, that which Of earthly
things is most wretched by other worlds,
that which has beating against its two sides
all the eternities, is the cradle. The grave
is nothing in Importance compared with it,
for that is only gully that we step across
In a second, but the cradle has within it a
new eternity, just born and never to cease.
When three or four years ago the Ohio River
overfowed its banks and the wild freshets
swept down with them harvests and cities,
one day was found floating on the bottom Of
the waters cradle with child in it all un-
hurt, wrapped up snug and warm, and its
blue eyes looking into the blue Of the open
heavens 1t was mentioned as something e1-
traordinarY. But every cradle is, with
its young passenger, floating on the
swift currents Of the centuries, deep
calling to deep, Ohios and st. Lawrences
and Mississippis Of influence, bearing it on
ward. Now, what shall be done with this
new life recently launched' Teach him an
evening prayera That is important, but not
enough. Hear him as soon as he can recite
some gospel hymn or catechism? That is
important, but not enough. Every Sabbath
afternoon read him q Bible story9 That is
important, but not enough. Once in a while
q lesson, once in q while prayer, once in a
while restraining influence! All these are
important, but not enough. Each one Of
these influences is only link, and it will not
hold him in the tremendous emergencies of
life Let it be constant instruction, constant
prayer, constant application of good inhu-
ences, q long line Of consecutive impressions,
reaching from his first year to his fifth, and
from his fifth year to his tenth, and from
his tenth to his twentieth. make chain!n
Spasmodis education, paroxysmal dis
cipiine, occasional fidelity, amount to nothing.
You can as easily hold an anchor by one
and intermittent faithfulness The example
must connect with the instruction. The
conversation must combine with the actions.
The week day consistency must conjoin with
the Sunday worship. Have family prayers
by all means; but be pstulant aud in
consistent and unreasonable in your house
hold and your family prayers will be
blasphemous farce. So great in our times
are the temptations of young mon to dis
sipation, and young women to social fo.lies,
that it is most important that the first
eighteen years Of their life be charged with q
religious power that will hold them when
they get out Of the harbor Of home into the
stormy ocean Of active life. There is
such a thing as imprsssing children
20 powerfully with good, that sixty
years will have no more power
to efface it than sixty minutes What a
rough time that young man has in doing
father and mother have been dead for years,
or over in Scotland, or England, or Ireland;
but they have stood in tho doorway Of
every dram shop that he entered, and under
the chandelier Of every house Of dissipation,
saying: "My son, this is no place for you.
Have you forgotten the old folks2 Don't
you recognize these wrinkles, and this stoop
In the shoulder, and this tremulous hand'
Go home. my boy, 6, home! BY the God to
which we rocked you. by the grass-grown
graves in the old country churchyard, by
the heaven where we hope yet to meet you.
20 home! Go home, my boy, so home" And
some Sunday you will be surprised to find
that young man suddenly asking for the
PRAYERS Of the church. Some Sunday you
will see him at the sacrament and perhaps
drinking from the same kind Of chalice tina:
the old folks drank out Of years ago wher
Lord. Yes, my lad, you do not have such
fun in sin as you seem to have. know what
spoils your fun. You cannot shake off the
influence Of those prayers long ago offered,
or of those kind admouitons. You cannot
make them 20 away, and You feel like say
ing: "Father, what are yon doing here'
Mother, why do you bother Ire with sugges-
tions Of those olden timesm But they will
not 90 away. They will push you back from
your evil paths. though they have to come
from their shining homes in heaven AMI
stand in the very gates OF hell. and their
back sco-ched by the fiery blast and with
their hand on your shoulder, and their
breath on your brow, and their eyes
looking straight into yours, they will say:
''We have come to take you home, o, son OF
many anxieties." At last that young man
turns through the consecutive influence of a
pious parentage, who out Of prayers and
fidelities innumerable. made chain. That
is the chain that pulls nightly this morning
on five hundred Of you You may be toe
proud to shed tear, and YOU may, to con.
vince others Of your imperturbability, smile
to your friend beside you. but there is not sc
much power in an Alpine avalanche after il
struck lower cliff Is taking its second
bound for fifteen hundred feet more ol
plunge, as there is pow or in the chain that
pulls out this moment toward God anG
Christ and Heaven Oh! the almighty pull
Of the long chain Of early gracious in
huences!
But all people between thirty and forty
years Of age, yes between forty and fifty
ave, between fifty and sixty years, and all
ssptuagenarians as WELL need surrounding
conjunction Of good influences. In Sing Sing,
Auburn, Moyamensing, and all the other
great prisons, are men and women who went
wrong in mid-life and old age We need
around US a Gordon Of good influences We
forget to apply tho well-known rule that
chain is no stronger than its weakest link.
II the chain be made up of thousand links
and nine hundred and ninety-nine are strong,
but one is weak. the chain will be in danger