The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1896-07-30
REV. TALMAGE'S SUNDAY SERAOM.
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE.
Subject; "The Law OF Heredity. I,

TExT "whose son art thou, thou young
man?"-I Samuel xviii, SO.
a, Never was thcre q more unequal fight than
| that between David aud Goliath; David Ave
iect nigh. Goliath ten; David shepherd boy
Drought up amid rural scenes. Goliath a
warrior by profession; Goliath mountain OF
ptsggadocio, David marvel Of humility;
| toiath armed with an iron spear. David
armed with sling, with smooth stones from
,ne prcok. But you are not TO despise these
| iatter weapons. There was n regiment Of
singers In the Assyrlan army and a regiment
OF singers In the Egyptian army, and they
maue terrlb'eexecution, and they could cast
astone with as much accuracy and force as
now can be sent shot or shell. The Greeks
IN their army had singers who would throw
ieaden plummets inscribed with tho irritat-
Ing words, Take this!"
so Il was mighty weapon David en-
pioyed In that famous combat. A Jewish
raooi says that the probability Is thar Goliath
was In such contempt for David that in a
paroxysm OF laughter he threw his head
back and his helmet fell or and David saw
the uncovered forehead. and his opportunity
mad come. aud taking this sling aud swing
ing u around his head two or three times.
ana aiming u Mt that uncovered forehead,
crashed IL In like an eggshell The battle over
behold the tableau; King Saul sitting. little
| David standing, his fingers cutched into the
hair OF decapitated Goliath. As Saul sees
David standing there holding In his hand the
ghastly, reeking, staring trophy. evidence of
the complete victory over Gods enemies. the
King wonders what parentage was honored
I oy such heroism, and in my text he asks
David his pedigree, "whose son nrt thon
thou young mani" The king saw what vo,,
anu see. that this question OF heredity is
mighty one
The longer live the more I believe In
blood-good blood. bad blood, proud blood
! humble blood, honest blood thieying
blood. heroic blood, cowardly blood. The
tendency may skip n generation or two, but
/ ~ Is sure TO come out, ms in little child
you sometimes see similarity to a great
grandfather whose picture hangs on the
wall That the physical and mental and
moral qualities are Unbeatable is patent 10
any one who keeps his eyes open The sim
ilarlty is so striking sometimes rs 10 bp
amusing. Great families regal or literary
are apt to have the characteristics all down
through the generations. and what is moro
perceptible in such families may be seen on
smaller scale la all families. A thousand
years have no power TO obliteratc tho diff
ference.
The large lip OF the house Of Austria Is
seen In all the generations and is called the
Hapsbure lip. The house OF stuart al
ways means in all generations cruelty and
biSotry and sensuality Witness Queen OF
SCOTS. Witness Charles and Charles III.
witness james / and James III and all the
other scoundrels of that line. Scottish blood
means persistence, English blood means
reverence for the ancient. Welsh blood
means religiosity, Danish blood means fond
ness Tor the sea. Indian blood means roam-
Ing disposition, Celtic blood means foryid-
ity, Roman blood means conquest, The
jewish facility for accumulation you may
trace clear back TO Abraham. OF whom the
Bip'e SAYS, 'he was rich In silver aud gold
ana CATTLE and to Isaac and Jacol who
gbu % faN4as -
are characterized by longevity. andthey have
atenacityof life positively Methusclish. 9th
ers are characterized by Golinthian stature.
ana You can see IL for one generation, two
generations. five generations, in all the gem
erations. Vigorous theology runs down In
lhe me ot the Alexanders. Tragedy runs
ON in the family OF the Kembles. Literature
runs on IN the line OF the Trollopes, Phil.
anthropy runs on In the lines OF the Wilber- |
l9Hes. Craftsmanship runs on In the line OF
IKE Adamses. You see these peculiarities In
all generations. Henry and Catherine OF
Navarro religious, all their families religious
The celebrated family of Casni, all mathe-
maticians. The celebrated family OF the
Medici. grandfather, son ard Catherine, all
remarkable for keen intellect The celebrat-
ed family OF Gustavus Adolphus, all war
tiors.
This law OF heredi.y asserts itself without
reference to social or political condition, for
and the honorable in obscure place. 4 de-
seen liant of Edward l II toll gatherer. A
descendent OF Edward III doorkeeper A
descendant Of the Duke of Northumberland
trunk maker. Some OF the mightiest fam
iltes OF England are extinct, while some OF
those most honored in the peerage go back
TO an ancestry Of hard knuckes and rough |
exterior. This law of heredity is entirely
independent Of social or political conditions
Then you find avarice and jealousy and sen |
suality and fraud having fun swing In some |
families. The violent temper of Frederick |
William is the inheritance OF Frederick the |
Great. IL is not theory founded by world |
ly philosophy. but by divine authority. Do |
you not remember how the Dibe speaks Of u |
chosen generation, OF the generation of the |
righteous, OF the generation of vipee', OF an |
untovard generation, OF a stubborLgenera- |
tion, OF the iniquity OF the fathers visited |
upon the children unto the third and fourth |
generations? SO that the text comes to-day |
with the force OF II projectile hurled from |
mightiest catapuE. "Whose son art thou |
thou young mani"
well, says some one 'that theory dis |
charges me from all responsibility Born OF |
sanctihei parents, we ARE bound TO be good |
and we cannot help ourselves Born OF un-
righteous parentage, we are bound 10 be !
evil, and we cannot help ourselves" Two |
inaccuracies. As much as IL you should saw |
The centripetal force in nature has ten |
dencyto bring everything to the center, and |
therefore all come TO the center. The cen |
triiugal force In nature has tendency to |
throw everything 10 the periphery, and |
therefore everything will go out to the peri |
phery.' You know as well rs know that |
you can make the centripetal force overcome |
the centrifugal. and you can make the CEN
triiugal overcome the centripetal, as when |
there Is mighty tide OF good in family |
that may be overcome by determination 10 |
evil; as in the case OF Aaron Burr, the lber-
tine, who had for father President Burr, the |
consecratedi as in the case OF Plerrepont Ed |
wards, the scourge OF New York society |
eighty years ago, who had Christian ances- |
try, while. on the other hand. some OF the |
best men and women Of this day are those |
VINO have come OF an ancestry OF which II |
would not be courteous TO speak In their |
presence. The practical ana useful object |
OF this sermon is to show you that II you |
have come OF a Christian ancestry then you |
are solemnly bound to preserve and develop |
the glorious Inheritance, or II you have come |
OF depraved ancestry then II is your duty |