The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-10-23
SEVEN" IN THE BIBLE.
DIR. TALMAGE'S DISCOURSE JESTER
Day MORNING.

Witt Talmage, ID. D., gave q running com
mentary on the Goth chapter of Revelations
concerning the claiming of the Old Dragon
The congregation joined in singing the famil
Gar hymn OF Paul Gerhart beginning:
"Giye to the winds thy fears,
Hope and he undismayed."
DIR. Talmage's sermon was on "Seven in tn
Bible" and his text, Genesis, chapter Q, vers,
%: "God Blessed the Seventh Day" Tn,
preacher said
The mathematics OF the Bible Is noticea
BILE; the geometry and the arithmetic; thu
square in Ezekiel; the circle spoken of il
Isaiah; the curve alluded TO in Job; tn,
rule Of fractions mentioned in Daniel
the rule of loss and gain in MARI
where Christ asks the people to cipher out by
that rule, what it would profit man II he
gain the whole world and lose his soul" But
there is one mathematical figure that Il
crowned above all others in the Bible; it Is
the numeral seven, which the Arabians got
from India, and all following ages have taken
from the Arabians. II stands between the
hgure six and the figure eight. In the Bible,
all the other numerals bow to It, Over three
hundred times is it mentioned in tho scrip
lures, either alone or compounded with other
words. In Genesis, the week is rounded into
Sevon days, and use my text because there
this numeral Is for the first introduced In n
tourney which halts not until In the close Of
She Book of Revelations its monument
IS built into the wall of heaven in
rrysolite which in the strata OF precious
stones Is the seventh. In the Bible we find
that Jacob had to serve seven years to get
Rachel, but she was well worth IL; and fore
telling the years Of prosperity and famine in
Pharaoh b time, the seven fat oxen were eaten
up Of the seven lean oxen, and wisdom is said
20 be built on seven pillars, and the ark was
left with the Philistines for seven years, and
Naaman for the cure OF his leprosy plunged
tn the Jordan seven times and the dead child,
when Elisha bTeathed into its mouth, sgnalled
Sts arrival back into consciousness by sneezing
seven times 10 the house that Ezekiel saw in
the vision there were seven steps. the walls of
Jericho, before they fell down, were compassed
seven days, Iaehariah describes stone with
seven eyes, 20 cleanse leprous house the
door must he sprinkled with pigeons
blood seven times, i'll Canaan were over
thrown seven nations; ON one occasion Christ
cast out seven devils on mountain he fed
multitude OF people with seven loaves, tho
fragments left filing seven baskets; and the
closing passages OF the Bible are magnificent
and overwhelming with the imagery made mp
Of soyen churches, seven stars, seven candle
sticks, seven SEALS seven angels and seven
heads and seven crowns, and seven horns, and
seven spirits, and seven Walls, and seven
plaques and seven thunders.
Yea. this nulneral seven seems faYorite
with The Divine mind outside as well as inside
Ihe bibc, Tor arc tbcfe NOT seven priSmatic
colorsg And when God with the rainbow
wrote tho comforting thought that the world
would never have another deluge, he wrote it
on the scroll OF the sky in ink OF seven colors.
He grouped into tho Pleiades seven stars.
Rome, the capital Of the world, sat
on seyon hills. When God would
mako tho most intelligent thing on
earth, the human countcnauee. He fashions
10 With seven features--the two ears, the two
eyes, the two nostrils and the mouth Yea,
H.. la, ,f,s
uaiy shed IL for another body after another
seven years, md SO on. for we are, rs to our
bodies, septennial animals. SO the numeral
seven ranges through nature and through
revelation 1t is the number Of perfection
and 80 use IL while speak of the seven can
dlesticls, the seven stars, the seven seals and
the seven thundeTs
The seven golden candesticks were and are
Tho churches. Mark you, the churches never
wero, and never can be, candles. They are
only candesticks. They are not the light,
but they are TO hold tho light. A room in the
night might have in 1t five hundred candle
sticks ana yet YOU could not see your hand
before your face. The only use of CANDLE
stick, and the only use Of church, Is TO
hold mp the light, You see 1t is dark world,
the night OF SIM the right of trouble, the
night Of superstition, tne night of persecution
the night OF poverty, the night of sickness, the
might OF death; aye about fifty nights have
tnterlockcd their shadows. Tho whole race
en- fortunes, and empty -four barrels, and desc
lated cradles, and deathbeds Oh how much
we have use for all the seven candlesticks
with lights blazing from the top of each one
OF them Light of pardon for all siul Light
OF comfort for all troubled Light of enoonr-
ngomcnI FOR all dependency Light of eter-
nal riches for ali poverty Light of rescue for
nil persecution Light of reunion for all the
berefl Light Of heaven for all tho dyingl
And that light is Christ, who is tho Light
~
spheres, bat mark you, when
say churches ARE not candles. but candlesticks
cast no sur on Canalestieks. believe in henu-
tilul capdloStoks- Tho oandlosticks that God
ordered Tor the ancient tabernacle were some.
thing exquisite. They were dream of beauty
carved out Of loyeincss They were made Of
hAmnit red gold, stood In foCt uf gold and had
s,N branches of gold blooming all along in six
lilies o. geld each, and lips of gold from which
tho candles lifted their holy hre. And the
best houses IN any city ought 10 be- tho
Churchs the best built, the best ventilated
the hest bWept, the best Widowed and the best
chandelicred. Log cabins may do in neigh
hoThoods where most OF the people live in log
cohln7, but Lot there be palatial churches FOR
rogie2s where many OF the people live In
palaces, Do rot have "A better place for Yourself
than tor your Lord and King. Dc not live
IN parlor ana pat your Christ IN kitchen,
These seven candlesticks OF which | speak
wore not made cgt Of pewter or iron; they
were golden CAudlcStlcls and gold is not only
a valuable buta bright metal Have every
thns about yoar church. bright your ushors
with smiling faces, your music jublant, your
haudshaking cordial, your entire service at
traciive. Many people feel that in church they
must look duh 10 order to be reverential. and
many whose faces IN other kinds 81 assemLlage
show ali tho different phases o, emotion, have
in chArch no more EXPRESSION than the back
wheel Of n hcarSe, Brighten up and be re-
srcnsiye. II you feel like Weeping, weep. Ii
YOU feel like smiling, smile If You feel in
diSnant at some wrong assa.lcd from the pull
pit, irOwn DO not leave your naturalness and
rCsiicrcy home because II Is Sunday morn
lug II rs officers Of church You meet people
nj the church door with q black look, and have
the Music black, and the minister la black
preach a black sermon, aud from invocation 20
benedinlion have the impression black, few
will come. and those who do come viii wish
ihey had not come AT all.
Golden candlostck Scour up the six lilies
on each branch and know that tho more lovely
md bright they are. tho more fit they are a.
hold the light But q Christless church is a
damage 10 the world rather than a coAd.
Cromwell stabbed his cavalry horses IN ST.
paui's cathedral, and many now use the
church as place Ia which 20 stable thcil
Nanities and worldliness. worldly church Is
n canl,oStick withoat the candle, and il had
SIS prototype in 81. Sophia, ia CunStantipoule
A.N an -