South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1896-07-30
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
The Eminent Washington pivines
Sunday Sermon.


Never was there more unequal fight thar
that between David aud Goliath, David Ave
| feet high. Goliath ten; David shepherd DO,
broight up amid rural scenes, Goliath
warrior by profession; Goliath a mountain o
| braggadocio, David n marvel OF humility
Goliath armed with an iron spear. DAVID
armed with sling. with smooth stones from
the brook. But you are not to despise these
htter weapons. There WAS a regiment o
| singers In the Assyrian army and a regiment
OF slingers in the Egyptian army, aud the,
made terrible execution, and they could cas-
astone with as much accuracy sni force M
| now eau De sent shot or shell. The Greeks
| in their army had singers Who would throw
leaden plummets inscribed with the irritat.
| ing words, Take thisi''
| so 1t was mighty weapon David EN-.
| ployed In that famous combat. A Jewish
raooi says that the probability is that Goliath
was in such contempt for David that In =
| paroxy5m OF laughter he threw his head
| back and his helmet fell or and David saw
| the uncovered forehead. and his opportunity
| had come. and taking this sling aud swing
ing u around his head two or three times,
and aiming IL at that uncovered forehead
| crashed u III like an sggshall. The battle over
/ behold the tabeau: king Saul sitting. lutte
| David Standing, his fingers clutched into the
| hair OF decapitated Goliath. As Saul sees
| David standing there holding in his hand the
| CHASTITY, rocking, staring trophy. evidence OF
| the complete victory over Gods enemies the
| king wonders what pareftage was honorei
by such heroism, and in my text he asks
DAVID ms pedigree, Whose son art thou,
| thou young man. The king saw what Won
and see. that this question OF heredity is a
| mighty one.
The longer 1 live the more / believe in
eloodIgood blood, bad blood, proud blood,
hum5i1 blood, honest blood, thieving
| blood, heroic blood, cowardly blood The
ndency may skip generation or two, but
| IL IS sure to come out. as In n little child
you sometimes see similarity to q great
grandiathcr whose picture hangs on the
| wall. That the phys cal and mental and
moral qualities are Unbeatable IL patent TO
| any one who keeps his eyes open. The sim.
| liarity Is so striking sometimes IA to be
| amusing. Great families, regal or literary.
! are apt TO nave the characteristics all down
| through the generations, and what Is more
| perceptible in such families may be seen on
| a smaller scale in all families A thousand
years have no power TO obliterate the diff
| ference
The large lip OF the house of Austria is
| seen IN all The generations and is called the
| Hapsburg lip. The house OF Stuart nj
| ways means in all generations cruelty aud
| bigotry and sensuality. Witness Queen Of
Scots. Witness Charles / and Charles III.
| Witness james | ami James II aud ali 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
| 1hN NiSPOSibiODg NNltic DlOOi means ferVi0-
| lily, Roman blood mrans ronuuesr. The
| Jewish facility for accumulation you NAV
| trace clear back to Abraham. OF whom the
$40 SAYS. me was rich in silver aud gold
| ana cittie, aud to Isaac and jacob, who
had the same characteristics. Soui-. families
are characterized by longevity aud they bnys
| atonacity OF life positively Methuse ish. OH
| ers are characterized by Goliathiau stature
| ana you can see IL for ns generation two
| generations. five generations in all the CEN
| pratiODg YiUOrnnG fhan1Or,N, A.
| the line OF the Alexanders. Tragedy runs
on in the family Of the Kembles. Literature
runs Co In The line Of the TrolIopes Phil
| anthrOpy RUS on in the lines Of the WILDER
| forces. Statesmapship RUS on in the line of
the AdRms-s You see these pecu iarities in
MI generations Henry aud Catherine of
| Navarro religious, all their families religious
| The celebrated family of Casini. ali mathe-
matclans. The celebrated faP1lIy OF the
| Medici grandfather. son aud Catherine. All
remarkable for keen intellect The csIe brat
ed family OF Gustavus AdoIphus, all war
| riors.
This law Of heredi.y asserts itself without
reference TO social or political conditions, for
| you sometimes find the ignoble in high place
| aud the honorable in obscure place A de-
seen liant OF Edward i u toll gatherer. A
descendent OF Edward III doorkeeper. A
| descendant of the Duke OF Northumberland
| q trunk maker. Some Of the mightiest fam
| lies OF England are extinct, while some Of
| those most honored in the pserage 90 back
TO an ancestry OF hard knuckles aud rough
| exterior This law OF heredity is entirely
| independent OF social or political conditions
lhen you md avarice and Jealousy and sem
| suality AMI fraud having full swing i'm some
| families. The violent temper of FrgderIck
! william Is the Inheritance OF Frederick tho
| Grsat. 1t is not u theory founded by world
! ~ philosophy. but by divine authority. Do
| YOU not remember how the b. e speaks OF "A
CHOSEN generation, OF the generation OF tho
| righteous, o. the generation OF vipers. OF an
| untoWsrd generation. OF a stubborn genera
! ton, OF the iniquity of the fathers VISITED
| upon the children unto the third and fourth
/ generauonsY SO that the text comes TODAY
with the force Of ~ projectjle hurled from
mighiiest catapul- Whose son art thou,
thou young Rany'
wei, SAYS some one, that theory dis
charges me from all responsibility. Born of
! sanetibe parents, we are bound to be good.
and We cannot help ourselves. Born OF I'M
righteous pareniaRe, we are bound 10 be
| evil, and We cannot help ourselves" Two
! inaccuracies. As much as IL you should saw
| rms eentripetal force in nature has n teu-
| dencyto bring everything 10 the center and
/ therefore ali come 10 the center The cen
| irfngal force in nature has n tendency to
/ arrow everything to tho periphery aud
| therelore everything will 20 out TO the peri
| phery. You know rs well as know that
| you can make the centripetal force overcome
| the centrifugal. and YOU can make the CEN
/ tritugal overcome the centripetai ~ when
there Is a mighty tide OF good in family
| that may De overcome by determination 10
| eva; as in the case of Aaron Burr. the ubsr-
| tine, who had for father President Burr. the
/ consecrated; as Ia the case Of Pierreponi Ed
wards, the scOurge Of New York society
[ eighty years ago. who had a Christian ances-
! Try. while. on the other hand, some Of the
| pest men and women Of this day are those
! who have come o. an ancestry 81 which ID
| would not be courteous TO speak in theii
| presence. The practical and useful object
/ 81 TINS sermon is to show you that 81 YOU
/ nave come Of a Christian ancestry then you
/ are s0lemnly bound 90 preserve and dsveiot
] the glorious inheritance. or 10 you have come
/ on depraved ancestry then IL is your duty
/ - brace yourself against tho evil tendency
] by All prayer and Christian determination
] aud you are 20 find ont the family fraifties
| aud IN arming the castle put the stronges
\ guard at the weakest gate. With thes.
smooth stones from the brook I hope n
/ siuke you. not where David struck Goliath
] in the mead. but where Natran struck David
/ ih the heart Whose son art thou thor
/ young mann"
There Is something IN aH winter holiday.
I 20 bring up the old folks. Il think many o.
our Thoughts at such times are set TO th,
/ tune oil "Aull Lang Syne The old folk,
were 50 busy az such times in making ui
| happy aud perhaps on lees resource mad,
| their sons and daughters happier than vot
! on larger resources are able % make YOU
| sons and daughters The snow iay two fset
/ above their graves, but they shook IN th,
white blankets ant mingled in the holida'
I Vities--the same wrinkles. fha SAM,
! stoop oi shoulder under the weight Of age
/ ths same ola stv,e % dress or coat. she saml
[ smile. ire sHmr tones 81 voice + hone v0t
remember them before they went away.