The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1901-12-24
THE SWEET INFLUENCES.
Dr. TaImage Says We Arc Affected for
Good or xvii BY forces That We
Seldom Recognize.
The Importance Of Good Actious-Go Helps
Us 20 Live Right.
Copyright, 1891.

WASHINGTON, ID. C.-Iu this discourse
DIR. Talmsge demonstrates hat We are
affected by forces that we seldom recog-
pize and enlOrgcs upon human accounta-
bility. The text is JOB xxxvir. 81.
"Canst thou bind the sweet influences OF
Pleadcs~
What ia the meaning of tba. question
which God put 10 job? Have VIC all our
lives been reading 1T, and are most of us
ignorant OF Its beauty and power and
practical suggestvencss? a meaningless
passage OF Scripture many thought it to
ne. but the telescopes were busy axe after
age, and astronomical observations kept
on questioning the skies until the mean
ing OF my text comes out iustrously. The
Pleiades Is = constellation OF seven stars
appearing to the naked eve. but scion
titic instruments reveal more than 400
properly belonging TO the group. Alcyonc
is the name OF the brightest star of that
group called the Plciades A Russian as
tronomer observed that Alcyone is the
centre OF gravitation of our solar system.
hugh Macmillan saws that the sun and it's
planets wheel around that centre at the
rate OF $4,000 miles n day in an orolt
which 1t will take 100000 years to com
plete. The Pleiadcs appear IN the spring
time and are associated with flowers and
genial warmth and good weather. The
navigation of the Mediterranean was
from May to November the rising and
tho setting of the Pleiades The priests
1000 years before Christ.
Now, the glorious meaning of my text
is plain as well as radiant. To give job
the beautiful grace OF humility God asked
him, "Canst thou bind the sweet influ-
ences of the PlcadCs p" Have YOU any
power over the laws of Pravitation? Can
you modify OF change an influence welded
by n star more than 400 900 miles away
Can you control the winds Of the spring
time? Can you call out the flowers! How
L 1.
ciencc? How little you can do compared
with omnipotCnce!
The probability is that Job had been
tempted to arrogance by his vast attain
ments. lie was metallurgist n zoolog-
ist a poet and shows by his writings he
husbandry, of medicine. of mining, Of
astronomy and perhaps was so far ahead
of the scholars and scientists of his time
that he may have been somewhat pulled
up: hence this Interrogation of my text.
And there Is nothing that so soon takes
down human pride as an interrogation
point rightly thrust. Christ used it
nightly. Paul mounted the parapet of
his great arguments with such a battery.
Men of the world understand it. Demos
themes began his speech to the crown and
Cicero his Grafton against Catiline and
Lord Chatham his most famous o-ations
with a question. The empire Of ignor-
ance is so much vaster than The empire
of knowledge that after the most learned
and elaborate dis1uisition upon any sub
ject Of sociology or theology the plainest
man may ask a question that Will make
the wisest speeches.. After the pro-
toundest assault upon Christianity the
humbest disciple NAV make an inquiry
that would silence Noltaire.
Called upon. az VIC all are at times. to
defend oar holy religion. instead OF argu-
ment that can always be answered by
argument let us try the power of nterro-
cation. We ought 10 be loaded with at
least half dozen questions and always
ready, and whom Christianity IS assaIled.
and we are told there is nothing in it and
there is no God and there never was a
miracle and that the Scriptures are I'M
reasonable and cruel and that there new
er will be q judgment day, take out of
your portable armory OF interrogation
condition of woman in Christian lards
better than IN heather lands? Do YOU
think IL would be kind in God to turn
the human race into a world without any
written revelation TO explain end en-
courage and elevate and save? And If a
revelation was made, which do you pre-
fertile Zenda-Nesta OF the Persian OF
the COnfucian writings OF the Chinese
or the Koran Of Mohammed or our Bible?
If Christ is not a divine being what
ql6 me w mc'f T9sH ' I se'4 Bbd e5 IS
bad book what are the evil results of
reading it? Did you sec any degrading
influence OF the book in your father or
mother or sister who used 10 read il?
DO YOU not think that JUDGMENT day
is necessary in order 10 explain and fix
mp things that were never explained or
fixed up? If our religion is ILLOGICAL and
an imposition upon human creduhtv. why
were Herschel and Washington and Glad
stone and William Mckinley its advo-
Gates?
How did it happen that cur religion
furnished the theme for the greatest
poem ever written, Paradise Lost and
TO the painters their greatest themes IN
the Alteration, Of the Magi. The
TRANSPORTATION" "The Last Supper,
The Crucihxion," The Entombment.
"The Last Judgment" and that oil the
schools OF painting put forth their utmost
genius in presenting "'The Madonna"
Why was it that William Shakespeare
after amazing the world as he will amaze
the centuries with the splendor and pow.
er of "The Merchant of Venice" and
"Coriolauus." and Orchard III" and
"King Lear" and "Othello," and Mac
beth" and Hamlet" wrote with his own
hand his last will and testament begin
ming it with the words: 'In the name
Of Cod. amen ], William Shakespeare
ef Standardization, In the County OF
Warwick, in perfect health and memory
(God be praisedD do make and Ordain
this my last will and testament, through
Ine only merits OF Jesus N'uTl~As my cdN'
Jour. TO he made partaker OF life ever
lasting and my body to the earth whereof
it Is made" Had Shakespeare lost his
reason when he wrote his faith in Christ
and the great otonement? Put your an
tagonist a few questions like that. and
you Will find him eycusing himself for an
engagement he must meet Immediately
These words also recognize far-reachino
influences. Jon probably had ITO adequate
idea of the distance of the worlds men
toned from our world. but he knew them
TO be far or. and We. who have had
the advantage of modern sidcrcal invcs
tigatiou, ought TO Zoe still more impressed
than YVES JOB with the question of tho
text as 10 puts before MS the fact tina,
worlds hundreds of thousands of miles
distant have q grip on our world. There
are sweet influences which hold ms from
aiar. There may have been I'm our an
Cestral line perhaps 200 years ago some
consented man or woman who has hold
over an the generations since an iufu
realize. and we in turn bv our virtue oi
vice may influence those who shall liv,
200 years from now Moral gavitatc.
IS MS powerful as material grayitatioa. and
If. as my text teaches and science con
firms the Picadcs. which are million
of miles from our earth influence tn.
earth we ought to be impressed will
how we may be influenced by others fa
away back and how we may influence
others far down the future That ul
away ND among the Allcghauics. SO thu
YOU think 10 win hardly find it's yav dow
the rocks becomes the mighty Ohio roll
ing into the Mississippi and rolling iut
the sea. That word You utter chat dee,