Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1888-10-11
FORGING A CHAIN.
Rev. DR.. Talmage breaches About
Chains That Bind.
The Effect of Religious Training and Pious
Association Upon the Human Mind
The Chain of Bad Influences.

Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage preached last
Sunday from Ezekiel vii,23 make a Chain. u
He said:
At school and in college in announcing the
mechanical powers, we glorified the lever,
the pulley, the inclined plane, the screw, nc
axle and the wheel, bat my text calls us "a
study the philosophy of the chain. These
links of metal. one with enother, attracted
the old Bible authors, and we hear the chain
rattle and see its coil all the way through
from Genesis 10 Revelation. flashing as an
adornment, or restraining in captivity, or
holding in conjunction as in case OF machin-
cry. To do him honor, Pharaoh hung a
chain of gold about the neck of Joseph, and
Belshazzar one about the neck of Daniel.
The high priest had on his breast-plate two
chains of gold. On the camel's neck as the
Ishmaeiites drove up TO Gideon, jingled
chains of gold
The Bible refers TO the Church as having
such glittering adornments, SAYING: THY
neck is comely with chains OF gold" On
the other hand, chain means captivity
David the psalmist exults that power had
been given over his enemies ito bind their
kings with ehainsn The old missionary
apostle cries out: "For the hope of Israel
! am bound with this chain" In the prison
where Peter is incarcerated, you hear one day
a great crash at the falling of of his chains.
st. John saw an angel come down from
heaven TO manacle the powers Of darkness.
and having great chain in his hani," and
the fallen angels are represented as ''re-
served in everlasting chains" while in my
! text for the arrest and Limitation Of the in
iquitv Of his time Ezekiel thunders out.
make a chainn
What wish 10 impress upon myself and
upon you is the strength in right aud wrong
directions ofconsecutive forces the superior
power Of a chain of Influences above one in
fuence, the great advantage of congeries
of links above one LINK and in all family
government and in all effort 10 rescue others
and In all attempt to stop iniquity, take the
suggestion OF my text and make a chainl
( That which contains the greatest i'm
portance that which encl0ses the most tire.
mendous opportunities, that which Of earthly
things is most watched bv other worlds,
that which has beating against its two sides
all the eternities Is the cradle. The grave
is nothing in Importance compared with IL,
for that is only a gully that we steD across
in a second but tho cradle has within il
now eternity, Just born and never to cease.
When three or four wears ago the Ohio
river overlooked its banks and the wild
freshets swept down with them harvests and
cities, one day was found floating on the
bosom Of the waters q cradle with child in
II all unhurt. wrapped IN snug aud warm,
and its blue eyes looking into the blue Of the
open heavens. II was mentioned as some
thing extraordinary. But every cradle is,
with its Young PASSENGER, floating on the
swift currents OF the centuries. deep calling
To deep Ohins and st. Lawrenees aud Mis-
sissinpis OF influence bearing II onward.
Now what shall be done with this new
life recently launcheil Teach him an even
ing praverl 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 Bible storyl That is
important. but not enough. Once in a while
a lesson once in a while PRAYER, once in
while restraining influence All these
are important. but not enough. Each one
OF these Influences il only a link and IL
will not hold him in the tremendous emer-
gencles Of life Let It he constant instruc-
ton constant prayer constant application
OF good influences a long line Of consecutive
impressions reaching from his first year
TO his fifth; from his fifth year to his
tenth. and from his tenth year to his
twentieth snake n chainm
Spasmodic education. paroxvsmal disci-
nline. occasional fidelity. amount TO moth
ing. You can as easily hold an anchor by
one link as hold a child to the right by so-
lated and intermittent fathfuncss. The ex-
ample must connect with the instruction.
The conversation must combine with the
actions The week day consistency must
conioin with the Sunday worship. Have
family prayers by all means; but be petu-
LIANT and inconsistent and unreasonable in
your household. and your family prayers
will be a blasphemous farce. So great In
our times are the temptations OF young
men 10 dissipation and Young women TO
social folles that it is most important that
the first eighteen years Of their life be
charged with n 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 athing as impre 'sing children
so 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 wrong, carefully |
nurtured az he was His father and mother
have been dead for years, or over in Scot |
land or England. or Ireland; but they have |
stood in the doorway of every dram shop |
that he entered. and under the chandelier of
every house of dissipation. saving: "My |
son. this is noplace for YOU. Have you for |
gotten the old foiksl Don't you recognize |
these wrinkles and this stoop in the Shout |
der, and this tremulous handi Go home |
my boy; go homel BY the God to whom |
we consecrated you by the cradle in which
we rocked you, by the grass-yrown graves
in the old country churchyard, by the |
Heaven where we hope vet TO meet YOU. go |
homel Go home, nv boy; go homer 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 per-
haps drinking from the same kind /
of chalice that the old folks drank out of
years ago when they commemorated the suf |
ferings Of the Lord. Yes, my lad, you do
not have such fun in sin as you seem TO
have. know what spoils your fun. You |
can not shake off the influence of those
prayers long ago offered. or Of those admo-
nitions. You can not make them go away.
and you feel like saving: "Father. what are
Won doing herel Mother why do Won