Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1888-10-06
REV DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINEs SUNDAY
SERMON.
SERMON.


axe 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 aud 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 in case OF ma
chinefy. To do him honor Pharaoh hung a
chain of gold about the neck of Joseph, and
Be,silazZar one about the neck of Daniel.
The high priest had on his breast-plate two
chains of gold. On the camels' uecks, as tho
lshmaelites drove up to Gideon, jinged
chains of gold.
The Bible refers to the Church as having
such glittering adornments, saying: Thy
neck is coinely with chains of 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: 't'or 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 off of his CHAINS ST.
John saw an angel come down from Heaven
to MANAGE 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
chainm
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 links above one link, and in all family
government and in all effort to rescue others
and in all attempts to stop iniquity, take the
suggestion of my text and make a chain
hat which contains the greatest import
ance, that which incoses 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
overhowed its banks and the wild freshets
swept down with them harvests and cities
one day was found floating on the bottom of
the waters a cradle with child in it all I'M
hurt, wrapped up snug and warm, and its
blue eyes looking into the blue of the open
heavens. 1t was mentioned as something ex-
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 launchedi Teach him an
evening prayerl That is important, but not
enough. Hear him as soon as he can recite
some gospel hymn or catechism9 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 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 COOL iniiu-
ences, a 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 a champ
Spasnodis education, paroxysmal dis
cipline, occasional fidelity, amount to nothing.
You can as easily hold an anchor by one
link as hold child to the right by isolated
and intermittent falthfulnsss. The example
must connect with the instruction Tha
conversation must combine with the actions
The week day consistency must con Join with
the Sunday worship. Have family PRAYERS
by all means; but be petulant and in
consistent and unreasonable in your house,
hold and your family prayers will he a
blasphemous farce. so great III our times
are the tenn. tations Of young men to dis
6ipation, and young womel to social TO lies.
that 1t is most Important that thu first
eighteen years Of their life be charged with
religious power that will no d them when
they get out of the harbor of homs into the
stormy ocean Of active lie. There is
such thing as impressing children
so powerfully with good, that sixty
years VIII have no more power
a
rough time that young man has in doing
wrong, carefully nurtured as he was, His
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 Won
Have you forgotten the Oh folks! Don't
you recognize these wrinkles and this stoon
in the shoulder. and this tremulous handle
Go homo Iov vO p4-4
whom we consecrate1 you by the cradle in
which we rocked you. by the grass grown
graves in the CID country churchyard, by
the heaven where we hope yet to meet Won.
60 home, 90 home, my boy, go home" And
some Sunday you will be surprised to find
that young man suddenly asking for thu
prayers OF the church. Some Sunday YOU
will 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 coinmemorated the snfY rings of she
Lord. Yes, my lad, you do not have such
fun IN sin as YOU seem t. have / know what
spoils your fun. You cannot shake of the
Influence OF those prayers long ago offered.
or OF those kind admonitons. You cannot
make them 90 away, and you feel ike say
ing Father, what are you doing here,
Mother. why do you bother me with su2res.
tons OF those odsn tmess' But they will
not gc away. They will push You back from
your evil paths. though they have to come
from their 81 nins homes in heaven ami
stand ID the very gates of hell. AMI thsr
backs scorched by the fiery blast and with
their hand on your shoulder, and tneir
breath on your brow. and their eyes
looking straight into yours they will say:
1--WE have come TO take you home O. son of
many anxietiesl" At last that young man
turns through tho consecutive influence Of n
pious parentaSe. who out Of PRAYERS and
hiebs e. innumerabe. made chain. That
is the chain that pulls nightly this morning
on five hundred Of you You may be too
proud TO shed a tear. and YOU may, to con
vince others Of your imperturbabil.ty, smile
10 your friend beside you but there is not SO
much power in an Alpine avalanche after it
has slipped for thousand feet and having
struck lower clf is taking its second
bound for fifteen hundred feet more OF
plunge, as there is pow err in the chain hat
pulls out this moment toward God and
Chris. and Iieavenl Oh! the almighty pull
Of tie long chain Of early gracious in
fuen res
But an reope between thirty and forty
years Of age. yes, between forty aud Hfty-
aye, bstween fi.ty and sixty years. and all
seutuagcaarians as well. neei surrounding
coni",,cfion Of good Influences. In Sing SIM.
Ar Nfu. MOVnu .uyng md all the other