Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1888-09-21
DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON.
DEPARTMENTAL DAY AT THE BROOK
LYN TABERNACLE.

bAChAMENl Al DAf Al i1E bhOON-
LYN TABERNACLE.
Tho Learned and Eloquent Divine Dis
courses on tho Philosophy of the Chain.
It's Rattle Heard and It's Coil Seen from
Genesis to Revelation.
BROOKLYN, Sept. 16.-Today was sacra-
mental day at the Tabernacle, and the more
than four thousand communicate members
were Joined by thousands from all parts Of
this country and from other lands in the
sacred communication. The Rev. T. De
Witt Talmage, D. D., preached from Ezekiel
vii, %: "Nlake chainIn He said:
At school and in college, in announcing
the mechanical powers, we glorifled the lever,
the pulley, the inclined plane. the screw, the
axle and the wheel, but my text calls US to
study the philosophy Of the chain. These
links Of metal, one with another, attracted
the old Bible authors, and we hear the chain
rattle and see its coil all the way through
from Genesis to Revelation, flashing as an
adornment, Or restraining as in captivity, or
holding in conjunction, as in case of ma
chinery. 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 breastplate two
chains Of gold. On the camels' necks, as
the Ishmaelites 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 % gold.n On the
other hand, chain means captivity. David,
the psalmist, exults that power had been
given over his enemies, ito bind their kings
with chains" The old missionary apostle
cries out, 'For tina hope of Israel, I am
bound with this chain" 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
TO manacle the powers Of darkness, and
having "a great chain in his hand, and the
fallen angels are represented as reserved in
everlasting chainss while in my text for the
arrest and limitation Of the iniquity Of his
lime, Ezekiel thunders out; "Make chainln
What wish to impress upon myself and
upon you is the strength in right and wrong
directions, of consecutive forces, the superior
power of a chain of influences above one in
huence, the great advantage Of a congeries
of INKS above one link, and in all family
government and In all effort to rescue others
and in all attempt to stop iniquity, take the
suggestion Of my text and make chainl
That which contains the greatest import
ance, that which encloses the most tremend-
Gus opportunities, that which of earthly
things is most watched by other worlds, that
which has beating against its two sides all
the eternities, is the cradle. The grave is
that is only gully that we step across in q
second, but the cradle has within it q new
eternity, just born and never to cease. When
three or four years ago the Ohio river over
flowed its banks and the wild freshets swept
down with them harvests and cities, one day
was found floating on the bosom of the
waters cradle with child in it all unhurt,
wrapped up snug and warm, and its blueeyes
looking into the blue Of the open heavens. 1t
was mentioned as something extraordinary.
But every cradle is, with its young passenger,
floating on the swift current 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 laurchedl Teach him an
evening prayera That is important, but not
enough. Hear him as soon as he can recite
some gospel hymn or catechisml That is inn
portant, 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 a
while a restraining influenced All these are
important, but not enough. Each one of
these influences is only link, and it will not
bold him in the tremendous emergencies of
life. Let it be constant instruction, constant
prayer, constant application Of good inhu-
ences, 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 year to his twentieth. make a
chainm
Spasmodic education, paroxysnal disci-
pline, occasional fidelity, amount to nothing.
You can as easily hold an anchor by one link
as hold a child to tho right by isolated and in
termittent faithfulness. The example must
connect with the instruction. The CONVEX
sation must combine with the actions. The
week day consistency must conjoin with the
Sunday worship. Have family prayers by
all means; but be petulant and inconsistent
and unreasonable in your household, and
your family prayers will be blasphemous
farce. So great in our times are the temp
tations of young men to dissipation and
young women to social follies, that it is most
Important that the first eighteen years Of
their life be charged with a religious power
that viii hold them when they get out Of the
harbor Of home into the stormy ocean
Of active life. There is such a thing as
impressing children so powerfully with good,
that sixty years will have no more power
to efface it than sixty minutes. What rough
time that young man has in doing wrong,
carefully nurtured as he wasl His father and
mother have been dead for years, or over in
Scotland or England or Ireland; but they
have stood in the doorway Of every dram
shop that he entered, and under the chande-
lier Of every house of dissipation, saying:
my son, this is no place for you Have you
forgotten the old folksl Don't you recognize
these wrinkles and this stOop in the shoulder
and this tremulous handi Go home, my boy,
20 homel By the God to whom we consecratod
you, by the cradle in which we rocked you, by
the grass grown graves in the old country
churchyard, by the heaven where we hope
yet to meet you, go homel Go home, my boy,
60 homep And some Sunday you will be
surprised to find that young man suddenly
asking for tho prayers Of the church. Some
Sunday you viii see him at the sacrament
and perhaps drinking from the same kind Of
chalice that the old folks drank out Of years
ago when they commemorated the siiHerings
Of the Lord. Yes, my lad, you do not have
such fun in sin as you seem to have. know
what spells your fun You cannot shake of
the influences Of those prayers long ago Of
fered, or Of those kind admonitions You
cannot make them go away, and you feel like
saying; Father, what are you doing herei
Mother, why do you bother me @ith sug-
gestions Of those olden timesl But they
will not 60 away. They will push
you back from your evil paths, though
they have to come down from their
shining homes Ia heaven and stand in
49, -, .-otc, - Hall and THAR facts