Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1896-08-07
SERMON
INTEHUS TIVG THEME IN TH.
NASHINGTuN PUEACuEW.
Subject "The Law OF Heredlty."

TEXT "Whose son art thou, thou young
mau?"-I Samuel xviii, So.
Never was there more une1usl light than
that between Dayil and Goliath; David i've
feet high. Goliath ten, David shepherd boy
brought up amid rural scenes, Goliath a
warrior by professions; Goliath a mountain %
braggadocio. David a marvel OF humility;
Goliath armed with an iron spear. David
armed with a sling. with smooth stones from
the brock. But YOU are not To desplse these
latter weapons. There was a regiment OF
singers In the Assyrian army and regiment
of singers in the Egyptian army, and they
made terrible execution, and they could cast
stone with As much accuracy AMI force as
now can be sent shot or shell. The Greeks
in their amy had singers who would throw
leaden plummets inscribed with the irritat-
ing words. flake this"
SO it was a mighty weapon David en-
ployed In that famous combat. Jewish
rabbi says that the probability Is that Goliath
was in such contempt for David that in a
parOXysm OF laughter he threw his head
back and his helmet fell of, and David saw
the uncovered forehead, and his opportunity
had come. and taking this sling and swing
ing it around his head two or three times,
and aiming IL at that uncovered forehead,
crashed II in like an eggshell. The battle over,
behold the tsbleau: King Saul sitting, little
David standing, his fingers clutched into the
hair of decapitated Goliath. As Saul sees
David standing there holding in his hand the
CHASTITY, reeking, staring trophy, evidence OF
the complete victory over Gods enemies, the
king wonders what parentage was honored
by such heroism and in my text he asks
David his pedigree, "Whose son art thou,
thou young MANI" The king saw what you
and see, that this question of heredity is a
/ mighty one
The longer / live the more believe in
blood-good blood, bad blood, proud blood,
humble blood, honest blood, thieving
blood, heroic blood cowardly blood. The
tendency may skip generation or two, but
1t is sure to come ont, as in a little child
you sometimes see a similarity TO a great
grandfather whose picture hangs on the
wall. That the physical and mental and
moral qualities are Unbeatable is patent TO
any one who keeps his eyes open. The sim
ilarity is so striking sometimes as TO be
amusing. Great families regal or literary,
are apt to have the characteristics all down
through the generations, and what is more
perceptible in such families may be seen on
smaller scale in all families. A thousand
years have no power to obliterate tho 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 al
ways means in all generations cruelty and
bigOtry and ssnsuality. Witness Queen Of
Scots Witness Charles l and Charles II.
Witness james | and James II aud 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 for the sea. Indian blood means roam
Ing disposition, Celtic blood means iervid-
lily, Roman blood means conquest The
Jewish facility for accumulation you may
trace clear back to Abraham, Of whom the
Bible says, che was rich in silver and gold
and CATTLE" and to Isaac and JACOB, who
had the same characteristics. Some families
are characterized by longevity, andthey have
Rtenacity Of life positively Methuselish. 9th
ers are characterized by Goliathian stature,
and you can see it for one generation, two
generations. five generations, in all the gen.
erations. Vigorous theology runs down in
the line OF the AleXanders. Tragedy runs
on in the family OF the Kembles. Literature
: runs on in the line of the Trol!opes. Phil
anthropy runs on in the lines of the Wilber-
: forces. Craftsmanship runs on in the line OF
the Adamses. You see these pecuIiarities In
all generations Henry and Catherine OF
Navarro religious, all their families religious.
| The celebrated family OF Casini, all mathe-
= maticians. The celebrated family Of the
Medici, grandfather, son ard Catherine, all
l remarkable for keen intellect. The celebrat-
= ed family of Gustavus Adolphus, all war
+ riOrs
This law of heredisy asserts itself without
; reference to social or political condition. for
you sometimes find the ignobIe in high place
sceniant Of Edward l toll gatherer, A
desCendent of Edward III n doorkecper A
t descendant of the Duke of Northumberland
Il a trunk maker. Some of the mightiest fam.
t lilies of England are extinct, while some OF
those most honored in the peerage go back
to an ancestry of hard knuckles and rough
= exterior. This law of heredity is entirely
5 Independent of social or political conditions.
4 Then you find avarce and jealousy and sen
suality and fraud having full swing in somt
families. The violent temper of FredericE
a William is the inheritance of Frederick the
e Great. 1t is not theory founded by world
!, ly philosophy, but by divine authority. Dc
you not remember how the Bible speaks OF {
l. chosen generation, of the generation OF thu
= righteous, of the generation of vipers, of al
o untoWard generation, of a stubborn genera
: tion, of the iniquitY OF the fathers vistteC
> upon the children unto the third and fourth
: generations? So that the text comes to-da!
II with the force of a projectle hurled from
9 mightiest catapult. "Whose son art thou
" thou young man?'
/ "WCll, says some one, that theory dis
s charges me from all responsibility. Born 0
j. and we cannot help ourselves. Born OF un
righteous parentage, we are bound TO b
evil, and We cannot help ourselves" Tw
inaccuracies. As much as if you should say
1.-THE centripetal force in nature has ten
dencyto bring everything to the center, an
: therefore all come to the center. The cen
s trifugal force in nature has a tendency t
# throw everything to the periphery, an
therefore everything will go out to the peri
u pherY.' You know as well as know tina
S you can make the centripetal force overcom
d the centrifugal. and you can make the cen
trifugal overcome the Gentripetal, as whe
there is a mighty tide of good in fami
IL that may be overcome by determination
e evil; as in the case of Aaron Burr, the Iiber
J. tine, who had for father President Burr, tn
consecrated; as in the case of Pierrepont Et
10 wards, the scourge of New York societ
l. eighty years ago, who had Christian ances
h try while, on the other hand, some of tn
- best men and women of this day are thos
u who have come of an ancestry of which
q would not be courteous to speak in thel
h, presence. The practical and useful objeC
II OF this sermon is to show you that if yo
have come OF Christian ancestry then 20
3 are soemnly bound to preserve and develo
4 the glorious inheritance, or if you have com
q bdgrsyssds sancestTy then it is y2gqnra dHt
Ii by all prayer and Christian determination
@ and you are to find out the family fraiItie
and in arminG the castle put the stronge
guard at the weakest gate. With thei
smooth stones from the brook I hope
strike you, not where David struck Goliatl
in the head. but where Nathan struck Davit
in the heart. "Whose son art thou, tho
young manT
There is something in all winter holiday
to bring up the old folks. think many
our thoughts at such times are set to Ii
tune of "Auld Lang Syne." The old toll
were so busy at such times in making |
happy and perhaps on less resource mad
their sons and daughters happier than 20
on larger resources are able TO make yor
sons and daughters. The snow Law two feC