Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About Plattsmouth weekly herald. (Plattsmouth, Nebraska) 1882-1892 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 20, 1888)
0 Dll. TALM AGE'S SERMON. SACRAMENTAL DAY AT THE BROOK LYN TABERNACLE. The Iarnel and Eloqnont Divine Ils conraes on the Phllonojiliy of the Chain. IU llattlo Hrard and II Coll ren from (jeneala to Ilevelutlon. Brooklyn, Sept. 10. Today was sacramental day nt tbo Tabernacle, and the more tlian four thousand communi cant members wero joined by thousands from nil parts of this country and from other lands in tho sacred commemora tion. The Ilev. T. Do Witt Talmao, D. D.f preached from Ezekiel vii, 23: "Make a chain!" lie said: At Bchool and in college in announcing the mechanical powers, wo glorified tho lever, the pulley, the inclined plane, tho screw, tho axle and the wheel, but my text calls us to study the philosophy of tho chain. These links of metal, one with another, attracted tho old Bible authors, and wo hear the chain rattle and Bee its coil all tho way through from Genesis to Revelation, flashing as an adornment, or restraining as in captivity, or holding in conjunction as in case of machinery. To do him honor, l'haraoh hung a chain of gold about the neck of Joseph, and Bel shprzar one about the neck of Daniel. The high priest had on his breastplate two chains of gold. On the camels' Tiecks as the Ishmeelites drove up to Gideon jingled chains of gold. Tho Bible refers to the church as hav ing such glittering adornments, saying: "Thy neck is comely with chains of gold.'' On tho other hand, a chain means captivity. David the psalmist ex ults that power had been given over his enemies "to bind their kings with chains." The old missionary apostle cries out: "For the hope of Israel, I am bound with this chain." In the prison where Peter is incarcerated you hear one day a great crash at tho falling off of his chains. St. John saw an angel como down from heaven to manacle the pow ers of darkness, and having "a great chain in his hand," and the fallen angels aro represented as "reserved in everlast ing chains," while in my text for the ar rest and limitation of tho iniquity of his time, Ezekiel thunders out, "Make a chain!" "What I wish to impress upon myself and upon you is tho strength in light and wrong directions, of consecutive forces, tho superior power of a chain of influ ences, tho 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 attempt to stop iniquity, take the suggestion of my text and make n chain ! That which contains the greatest im portance, that which encloses the most tremendous opportunities, that which of earthly things is most watched by other worlds, that which has beating against it3 two sides all the eternities, is the cradle. The grave is nothing in import ance compared with it, for that is only a 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 tho Ohio river overflowed its banks and tho wild fresh ets swept down with tliem harvests and cities, one day was found floating on the bosom of the waters a cradlo with a child in it all unhurt, wrapped up snug and warm, and its blue eyes looking into the blue of the open heavens. It was mentioned as something extraordinary. But every cradle is, with its young pas senger, floating on the swift currents of tho centuries, deep calling to deep, Ohios and St. Lawrences and Mississippis of in fluence, bearing it onward. Now what shall be done with this new life recently launched? Teach him an evening prayer? That is important, but rat enough. Hear him as soon as he can re cite some gospel hymn or catechism? That is important, but not enough. Every Sabbath afternoon read him a Bible story? That is important, but not enough. Once in a while a lesson, once in a while a prayer, once in a while a re straining influence? All these are im portant, but not enough. Each one of these influences is only a link, and it will not hold hi.n in the tremendous emergencies of life. Let it be constant instruction, constant prayer, constant application of good influences, a long line of consecutive impressions, reaching from his fust year to his fifth, and from his fifth year to his tenth, and from his tenth year to his twentieth "Make a chain!" Spasmodic education, paroxysmal dis cipline, occasional fidelity, amount to nothing. You can as easily hold an an chor by one link as hold a child to the right by isolated and intermittent faith fulness. The example must connect with tho instruction. The conversation must combine with the actions. Tho weekday consistency must conjoin with the Sun day worship. Have family prayers by fill means; but be petulant and incon sistent and unreasonable in your house hold, and your family prayers will be a blasphemous farce. So great in our times are tlie temptations of young men to dis sipation, and young women to social fol lies, that it is most important that the first eighteen years of their life b charged with a religious power that will hold them when they get out of the harbor of home into the stormy ocean of active life. There i3 such a thing as im pressing children so powerfully with good that sixty years will have no more power to efface it than sixty min utes. What a rough time that young man has in doing wrong, carefully nurtured as ho was! His father and mother have been dead for years, or over in Scotland, or England, or Ireland; but they have stood in the doorway of every dram shop that he entered, and under the chandelier of every house of dissipa tion, saying: ' 'My son, tins is no place for you. Have you forgotten the old folks? Don't you recognize these wrinkles, and this stoop in the shoulder, and this tremulous hand? Go home, my boy, go home! By the God to whom we consecrated you, Tby the cradlo hi which we rocked "you. by the grass grown graves in the old country churchyard, by the heaven where we hope yet to meet you, go home! Go home, my boy, go home!" And some Sunday you will bo surprised to find that young man sud denly asking for the prayers of the church. Some Sunday you will see hun nt the eacrrunent and perhaps drinking from tho sumo kind of chalice that th old folia drank out of years ago when they- commemcTated tho suf ferings of tho Lord. Yes, my lad, you do not have such fun in sin as you seem to have. I know what spoils your fun. You cannot bhako off the influences of those prayers long ago offered, or of tho!-:e kind admonitions. You cannot make them go away, and you feci like haying: "Father, what are you doing here? Mother, why do you bother me with suggestions of thoso olden times?" But they will not go away. They will push you back from your evil paths, though they have to come down from their shining homes in heaven and stand in tho very gates of hell, and their backs scorch' d of tho fiery blast, and with their hand on your shoulder, and their breath on your brow, and their eyes looking straight into yours, they will say: "We have come to tako you home, O. son of many anxieties!" At last that young man turns through the consecutive influences of a pious parentage, who out of prayers and lidel ities innumerable, made a chain. That is the chain that pulls mightily this morning on five hundred of you. You may bo too proud to shed a tear, and you may, to convince others of your im pcrturbability, Fmile to your friend be side you, but there is not so much power in an Alpine avalanche after it has slipped for a thousand feet and having struck a lower cliff is taking its second bound for fifteen hundred feet more of plunge, as there is power in tho chain that pulls yoxi this moment toward God and Christ and heaven. Oh! tho almighty pull of tho long chain of early gracious influences! But all people between thirty and forty years of age, yes, between forty and fifty aye, between fifty and sixty years, and all septuagenarians as well, need a surrounding conjunction of good influ ences. In Sing Sing, Auburn, Moja mensing, and all the other great prisons, are men and women who went wrong in middle life and old age. Wo need around us a cordon of good influence. We for get to apply the well known rulo that a chain is no stronger than its weakest link. If tho chain be made up of 1,000 links and 0S9 aro 6trong, but one is weak, the chain will be in danger of breaking at that one weak link. We may be strong in a thousand excellences and yet have one weakness which en dangers ns. That is the reason that we sometimes see men distinguished for a whole round of virtues collapse and go down. Tho weak link in the otherwise stout chain gave way under the pressure. The first chain bridge was built in Scotland. Walter Scott tells how the Frenc h imitated it in a bridge across the river Seine. But thero was ono weak point in that chain bridge. There was a middle bolt that was of poor material, but they did not know how much de pended on that middle bolt of tho chain bridge. On the opening day a proces sion htarted, led on by tire builder of the bridge: and when the mighty weight of the procession was fairly on it the bridge broke and precipitated the multitudes. The bridge was all right except in that middle bolt. So the bridge of character may bo made up of mighty links strong enough to hold a mountain; but if there lie one weak spot, that one point un looked after may be the destruc tion of everything. And what multi tudes have gone down for all time and all eternity because in the chain bridge of their character there was lacking a strong middle bolt. lie had but one fault and that was avarice; hence, forgery. lis had but one fault and that was a burning thirst for intoxicants; hence, his fatal debauch. Sho had but one fault and that an inordinate fondness for dress, and hence her own and her husband's bankruptcy. She had but one fault and that a quick temper; hence tho disgrace ful outburst. What we all want is to have put around us a strong chain of good influences. Christain association is a link. Good literature is a link. Church membership is a link. Habit of prayer !s a !'nk. Scripture research is a link. Faith in God is a link. Put together all these influences. Make a chain! Most excellent is it for us to get into company better than ourselves. If we are given to telling vile 6tories let us put our selves among those who will not abide such utterance. If we are stingy let us put ourselves among the charitable. If we are morose let us put ourselves among the good natiued. If we are given to tittle-tattle let us put ourselves among thoso who speak no ill of their neighbors. If we are despondent let us put ourselves among those who make the best of things. If evil is contagious, I am glad to say that good is also catching. People go up into the hill country for physical health ; so if you would be 6trong in your soul get yourself up off the low lards into the altitudes of high moral association. For many of tho circum stances of our life we are not responsible. For our parentage we are not responsible. For the place of our nativity, not re sponsible ; for our features, our stature, cur color, not responsible; for the family relation in which we were born, for our natural tastes, for our mental character, not responsible. But we are responsible for tho associates that we choose and the moral influences under which we put ourselves. Character seeks an equilib rium. A. B. is a good man. Y. Z. is a bad man. Let them now voluntarily chooiio each other's society. A. B. will lose a part of his goodness and Y. Z. a part of his badness, and they will grad ually approach each other in character pjid will finally stand on the same level. One of the old painters re fused to look at poor pictures be cause he said it damaged his style. A musician cannot afford to dwell among discords, nor can a writer afford to pe ruse books of inferior style, nor an arch itect walk out among disproportioned structures. And no man or woman was ever so good as to be able to afford to choose evil associations. Therefore I said, have it a rule of your fife to go among those better than yourselves. Cannot find them? Then what a pink of perfection you must be! When was your character completed? What a misfort une for the saintly and angelic of heaven that they are not enjoying the improving influence of your society 1 Ah, if you cannot find those better than yourself, it is because you axe ignorant of yourself. Woo unto you. Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! But, as I remarked in the opening, in sacred and in all styles of literature a i'LATTSMOUTIl -WEEk-ji utieih, imJCSDA V, SEPTEMttK It 20, l&SS. 1 iimkimmi mtni mi'iiWii iii nwriirn , i i , i , ,r . -1 1 . r ani n i w .i r chain means not only adornment and royalty ' of nature, but sometimes cap tivity. And I 6uppotthcre aro thoso in that sense deliberately and persistently making a chain. Now here is a joung man of good physical health, good man ners and good education. How shall ho put together enough links to mako n chain for tho down hill road? I will givo him some directions. First let him smoke. If he cannot stand cigars let him try cigarettes. I think cigarettes will help him on this road a littlo more rapidly becauso the doctors say there is more poison in them, and eo ho will bo hHjied along faster, and I havo the more confidence in proposing this because aliout iifty of tho first young men of Brooklyn during the hist year were, according to the doctors' reports, killed by cigarettes. Let. him drink light wines first, or ale or higer, and gradually ho will be able to take something stronger, and as all styles of strong drink aro more and more adulterated, his progress will be facilitated. With the old time drinks a man seldom got delirium tremens be foro 30 or 40 years of age; now he can get tho madness by the time he is 18. Let him play cards, enough money put up always to add interest to tho game. If the father and mother will play with him that will help by way of countenancing the habit. And it will be such a pleasant thing to think over in tho day of judgment when tho parents givo account for tho elevated manner in which they have reared their children. Every pleasant Sunday after noon take a carriage ride and stop at the hotels on cither side tho road for Sab bath refreshments. Do not let the old fogy prejudices against Sabbath breaking dominate you. nave a membership in some club where libertines go and tell about their victorious sins, and laugh as loud a3 any of them in derision of thoso who belong to the same sex as your sister and mother. Pitch your Bible overboard as old fash ioned and fit only for women and chil dren. Read all the magazine articles that put Christianity at disadvantage, and go to hear all tlie lecUires that malign Christ, who, they say, instead of being the Mighty Ono ho pretended to be, was an impostor , and tho implanter of a great delusion. Go, at first out of curiosity, to see all the houses of dissipation and then o because you havo felt the thrall of their fascination. Getting along splen didly now! Let me see what further can I suggest in that direction. Become moro defiant of all decency, more loud mouthed in your atheism, more thoroughly alcoholized, and instead of the small stakes that will do well enough for games of chance in a ladies' parlor, put up something worthy, put up more, put up all you have. Well ione! You have succeeded. You have made a chain the tobacco habit one link, the rum habit one link, the impure club another link, infidelity another fink. Sab bath desecration another link, unclean ness another link, and altogether they make a chain. And so there is a chain on your hand and a chain on your foot and a chain on your tongue and a chain on jour eye and a chain on your brain and a chain on your projierty and a chain on your soul. Some day you wake up and you say: "I am tired of this, and I am going to get loose from this shackle." You pound away with the hammer of good resolution, but cannot break the thrall. Your friends join you in a conspiracy of help, but fail exhausted in the unavailing attempt. Now you begin, and with the writhicg of a Laocoon, to try to break away, and the muscles are distended, and the great beads of perspiration dot your forehead, and the eyes standout from the sockets, and with all the concentered energies of body, mind and soul you attempt to get loose, but have only made the chain sink deeper. All the devils that encamp in the wine flask and the rum jug and the de canter for each ono has a devil of its own como out and sit around you and chat ter. In some midnight you spring from your couch and cry: "I am fast. O God, saint, is tnero a liocrtmo here? Yen may bo made ns pure as tho lisht. When a minister in an outdoor meeting in Scotland was eulogizing goodwsa, there were hanging around the edge of the audience some of the most depraved nun and women, and the minister said nothing about mercy for prodigals. And a depraved woman cried out: "Your rope is not long enough for tho like of us." Blessed lie God, our Gospel can fathom the deepest depths and reach to farthest wanderings, and lure is a rojic that is long enough to rescue tho worst: "Whosoever will. " But why take extreme cases, when vre all have lieon or are now the captives of fcin and death? And we may ihromvh tho great Emancipator drop our shaf-kK-s and take a throne. You have looked at your hand and arm only as ix'ing useful now, and a curioiu piece of anatomy, but there is something about your hand and arm that makes mo think they are an undeveloped wing. And if you would know what possibilities aro sug gested by that, ask the eagle that has looked closo into the eye of tho noonday sun; or ask tho albatross that has struck its claw into the bkick locks of tho tem pctit; or ask the condor that this morn ing is descending to tho highest peak of Chimborazo. Your right hand and arm and your left hand and arm, two un developed wings, better get ready for the empyrean. Rise, my kohI, nnd stretch thy wing, Tby better portion tr&ce. Thero havo been chains famous in the world's history, such as the chain which fastened the prisoner of Chillon to the I'illar, into the staple of which I have thrust my hand, on tho isolated rock of the Lake of Geneva; such as the chain which tho Russian exile clanks on his way to tho mines of Silieriu; such as the chain which Zenobia, the captive queen, woro when brought into the presence of Aurclian. Aye, there have been races in chains, and nations in chains, and there has been a. world in chains; but, thank God, tho last one of them shall be broken, and under the liberating jiower of tho omnipotent Gospel the shackles shall fall from tho last neck and the last arm and the last foot. But these shattered fetters shall all be gathered up again from tho dungeons and the work houses and tho mines and the rivers and tho fields, and they shall again bo welded and again strung link to link, and pol ished and transformed until this world, which has wandered off and been a recreant world and a lo t world, shall by that chain bo lifted and hung to the throno of God, no longer tho iron chain of oppression, but the golden chain of redeeming love. Thero let this old ransomed world swing forever! Roll on, ye years, roll on, yo days, roll on, ye hours, and hasten the glorious consummation! Churches in tho United States. The Independent last year published statistics showing the numerical strength of the united churches of thi3 country to be a little over 19.000,000. It recently gave its estimato for tho present year, exhibiting an increase of 774,801, the exact figures representing lUS.SSo churches, 04,4.j7 ministers, and 19,700, "23 communicants variously divided among sixty -three denominations. Of these tho Roman Catholic church is, of course, tho strongest, with 7,200, C00. Methodism, comprising fourteen branches, comes next with 4, GOO, 529 communicants, an increase of 100,871. Tho Baptists, including thirteen different seels, follow with i5,l)71,CG3 members, an increase of 244,478. Tho Presbyte rians, consisting of nine branches, are next in order with 1,100,083 members, a net gain of 54,249. The Congrep;a tionalists number 437,oSl, and have gained 21,203 members. The Episcopa lians include 440,783, having gained 20,231 cosnmunicants. Unfortunately, implicit reliance canncri be placed upon these estimates, which are given more to indulge tho growing prooensiry for numbering the host and let me loose! O ye powers of darkness, let I to cheer the hearts rf tho faithful than a3 me loose! Father and mother and broth ers and sisters, help mo to get loose!' And you turn your prayer to blasphemy and then your blasphemy into prayer, and to all tho din and uproar there is played an accompaniment, not an accom panient by key and pedal, but tho ac companiment is rattle and the rattle is that of a chain. For five years, for ten years, for twenty years, you have been making a cliain. But here I take a step higher and tell you there is a power that can break any chain, chain of body, chain of mind, chain of soul. The fetters that the hammer of the Gospel have broken off, if piled together, would make a mountain. The captives whom Christ has 6et free, if stood side by side, would make an arniy. Quicker than a ship chandler's furnac3 ever melted a cable, quicker than a key ever unlocked a hand cuff, quicker than the bayonets of revo lution pried open the Bastile, you may be liberated and made a free son or a free daughter of God. You have only to choose between serfdom and emanci pation, between a chain and a coronet, between Satan and God. Make up your mind and make it up quick. When the king of Sparta had crossed the Hellespont and was about to march through Thrace, he sent word to the people in the differ ent regions asking them whether he should march through their countries as a friend or an enemy. "By all means 03 a friend," answered most of the regions; but the king of Macedon replied: "I will take time to consider it." "Then," said the king of Sparta, "let him consider it, but meantime we march we march." So Christ, our King, gives us our choice between his friendship and his frown, and many of us have long been consider ing what we had better do ; but mean time he marches on, and our opportuni ties are marching by. And we shall be the loving subjects of his reign or the victims of our own obduracy. So I urge you to precipitancy rather than slow de liberation, and I write all over your soul the words of Christ I saw inscribed on the monument of Princess Elizabeth I in tho Isle of Wight, the words to which her index linger pomtea m tne open Bible when she was found dead in her bed after a lifetime of trouble: "Como unto me, all ye who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Is there a drunkard here? You may, by tho Saviour's grace, have that fire of thirst utterly extinguished. Is there a defrauder here? You maybe made t examples of scientific accuracy. There is no uniform method of enumeration of members among the churches. Tho year books, arc published at different periods of tho year, and 6ome denominations make no returns whatever. The diffi cult of collecting religious statistics is co great that, as is well known, tho cen sus authorities of 1SS0 have not yet been able to publish lhat part of their report. Until that appears we shall have no im partial estimate of the strength of churches in this country. It seems dif ficult to believe that nearly one-third of tho people aro members of the church, but the difficulty i3 partly removed by remembering that the large Roman Catholic population is almost entirely upon the communicant list of that church. Its members, however, can only be estimated. According to The Independent's estimate it has gained 200,000 during tho last year; but the gain from emigration has undoubtedly been mere than this, to say nothing of the natural increase. Methodism last year claimed an increase of 500,000; tliis year it falls below tho Baptist denomina tion. Gil the whole tho gains claimed are not unreasonable. A gain of 774, 801 upon a membership last year of 10, 013,4(33 is only a gain of 4 per cent. This is less than the increase of population, and ought not to bo regarded as a satis factory result, when tho many agencies and activities maintained by tho church are considered. Detroit Free Prass. The Slang; of Old en Times. In the days of old the following lan guage was used by coachmen, guards, ostlers, boots, etc., all along the coach ing roads: An empty ccach was called a mad woman; asking passengers for money, kicking them; a passenger net on the bill, a shoulder stick, a bit of fish, or a short one; a passenger who paid shabbily, a scaly one; not paying at all, tippmg the double; a glass of spirits, a flash of lightning, a drop of short, or don't stop to mix it; a white hat, a billy shallow, a kicking horse, a miller; gal loping horses, springing them; driving near to anything, feather edging it; a coach, a drag, reins, ribbons; horses, cat tle: whin, a tool; a trood coachman, an artist; a bad one, a 6poon, or hand; one just got to work, catcked one. Kew York Sun, lame fresh At a "Cyclist Corso" in Vienna there were bicyoles and tricycles of 200 differ ent systems. It Saved my Child' Lifo. " Wtac-n my child u born, the den-tor onl r'd ouuof the other Fo1k. Sho Bti that un til kliu nearly dii-L I hail Urn doctors, who Baid the trouble wan Indirection, and onUnil tho food cliauhfd to I-aotati-d Food. Jt Havod my child's lifo, and I owe you many thanks for it I n-ifard your Food an Invaluable, and suit-rior to all other artiticial food forbabii. Mas. A. J. IlF.KFIF.LD. Bob ton, Mw, 15 Indiana Plat. TUTU 1 -X y mm 150 Meals fr $1.00 FOR INFANTS and INVALIDS THE PHYSICIAN S FAVORITE. rosFOwwn maiiv Important Ailva'itajn-S over all other j r. puinl Fooda. BABIES CRY FOR IT. INVALIDS RELISH IT. Perfectly Nourishes a Baby with or without tho addition of milk. Three Sizes. 23c. 60c. SI.OO. A valuable pamphlet on " The i Nutrition Jt Has No Equal. "Wo aro nsintf In our mtr. ry (oonUininfr f;rty Infanta) your I-aetatcd Food, and find it far miifrior to all other f'Kxl which haa txon uwd dmlntf the la-t ten year that I havo been viHitiim- phj-Hleian. Tho Si.itera 'if Charity, who havo charge of the liibtitution. wy it ban no eiiual." W. H. De Cocr.cY. M. D., Joa;pl'i Foundling Asylum. Cincinnati. Oliio. ' OI JUJUIIII Ul 114 J 14 Ollim, '-'J" WELLS, RICHARDSON & CO., BURLINGTON, VT. '1 -I)i:.LKKS IX Fine Steele an nnii Pi ocenes II':ul(li;!rt'rs lor all kiml-; of 'ruits and Vss: : tmbl3 Oranges, Lemons, I!.in,uis and all varieties of Iresh and Canned Finite c n-ta:it!v on Jinnd. PRICES i.OW. Street G VE U A CALL $t TUTT, I o.v a i n,iN II i i . PORK PACKERS am. ukai.kks ik lil'TTKR AM !(;-. THE BEST THE MARKET AFFORDS AL AYi- ) liAM- Suaar Cured ratals riins, L;cu,. Urc. i . v oi our own make. Tin- lxst ItjukIs of OYSTERS, in cans nnd l.ulk, ui WHOLESALE AKD RETAIL. - K-yuvj e" pi-atrrpa npEA rs. x -? trc4x yrg n i s a - h f In dot finMDh UlUGCH ttgiibUii A U & f. ?. 3 u S 5 r r Q In Cass County. UK KKKI'iS ON HAND A I T I.I. LINK OK A I? - . I- n wt; t i n r, r pi i . r.sr - To suit ill ei.v ..- of t' c year. Xich'ds and Sln iaid Thm-hii: Macdiim .-. 7 u v fcLiiic . a:;l ail the :eadinr Wagons and I regies kept constantly on liand. Bv.uch Tlouj-e keeping W-iter. 1-e sure a-.d call on l'ie; ULn oli ,-.y. itfer at lattsmoutli or Weeping VYater. fes'SA - C sr. " - H d ir i -- I f , up gi m ? v - h u ii ii !; u 1 4t u i w. Carriages Per r!e sure and hor t ives Always .'T.opt ricac.y. Cor. -th. aafl Vi o - ricttsmcv.thr. r nir uiu Or Vvr m ! T J. M I; t i Will keeji constantly on luti.d h full :n i ermi h te n.tk ol jhi.v P i J H 'I 1 1 i i i i 5 ; ' J ! ! 5 ' i ' ! Jkb . Qhu itfii-uibioi, c;ii. "I Gils DRTJG-C-IST'S &TJ KDK-IES PUR E L IQUORS