Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1888-11-15
THE SACRED MINERAL.
aeeven in the Bible" and What
It Means
=. T.lmace breaches on the Mathematics
offbe Hible-A NumeraI that Is Used
over Three Hundred Times
in the Scriptures.

assrau 31 The Bible" and his text, Genesis
g God blessed the seventh day The
r-sseher smoke as follows:
M mgthematics Of the Bible are noticea
b,s. the geometry and the arithmetic; the
s[ra-s fu Ezekiel; the circle spoken OF il
I.ssb. the curve alluded TO in Job; the rule
u fractions mentioned ia Daniel; the rule
dos aud gain in Mark, where Christ asks
ne people 10 cipher out by that rule what il
,rsra .proht a man If he gain the whole
vrr'f ara lose his soul" But there is one
,-stbemgtical figure that is crowned above
Al others in the Bible; ii is the mineral
seven. which the Arabians got from India,
and all fol- owing ages have taken from the
a7abIsus Il stands between the figure six
nj the figure eight In the Bible, all the
.ctber numerals bow 70 il. Over three hun
drai times is il mentioned in the Scriptures,
either alone or compounded with other
words In Genesis the week IS rounded into
seven DAYS. and use my text because there
ms numeral Is for the first introduced in a
tsrrnev which halts not until in the close Of
The book of Revelations its monument is
bailt into the wall Of heaven in chrysolite
which iu the strata Of precious stones is the
seventh
T. the Bible we find that Jacob had to
serve seven years 10 get Rachel, but she was
well $50. ID IL and f0retelling the years Of
ur1,uaritr and famine in Pharaohs time
lie seven fat oxen were eaten up OF the
seven eau oxen. and wisdom is said TO be
bgHt on seven pillars. and the ark was left
whit PHlistines seven years; and Naa-
man t7r the cure Of ms leprosy, plunged in
Toe Jordan seven times; the dead child,
when Elisha breathed into its mouth, sig
uaed IFS arrival back into consciousness by
sreezinr seven times: 10 the house that
Ezekiel sawil vision there were seven steps;
the wals0f Jericho. before they fell down,
were c1uTassei seven DAYS; Zachariah de-
ssr5es q stone with seven eyes; 10 cleanse
aiaurus house ths door must be sprinkled
with pigeons blood seven times; in Canaan
were ogerthrowu seven nai rs: on one oc-
cas1u Christ cast out seven devils; on a
mountain be fed a multitude Of people with
seven .0aves, tie fragments left filing seven
baskets and the closing passages OF the
Bible are magnificent aud overwhelming
with tde imagery made up Of seven
churches seven stars, seven candlesticks.
seven seals, seven angels, aud seven heads.
ana seven crowns, and seven horns and
seven spirits and seven walls, and seven
plaques and seven thunders.
Yea. suumeral seven seems a favorite
with the Divine mind outside as well as in
size the Bible. for are there not seven pris-
matte c10rs, Aud when God with the rain
bow wrote the comforting thought that the
world would never have another deluge, he
wr1te 90 the scroll OF the sky in ink OF
seven c5.0rs. He group d into the Pleiades
sever stars. Rome, tie capital Of the world
sat % seven hills. When God would make
The most iH'e.lj-'ut thing on earth. the
human c7untsnauce, He fashions it with
seven features. the two ears. the two eyes,
the two ulstri.s ana the mouth Yes. our
body lasts only seven wears. and we gradu-
ally slelitfr another body after another
seven years and so on for we are, as 70 our
bodies se1iegnial animals. So the numeral
seven ranges through Revelation L Is the
number 4 perfection and 50 ] use il while I
speak % The seven candIesticks. the seven
stars tie seven seals and the seven thun- Z
Ger.
TIE seven golden candlesticks were and +
are DE churches. Mark YOU. the churches I
Fever were, aud never can Sc candles. They I
are only cau3lesticks They are not the +
AzlL bot they are % hold the light A room 4
j iae night might have in it five hundred .
eal1-esticks, and vet YOU could not see your 4
na11 before your face. The only use or a 4
caltlestcE, and the only use Of church. is 4
. bold up the light You see it is a dark 4
world the night Of sin, the night Of trouble. I
ls light u superstition, the night Of per
s1cliion, the night Of poverty. the night Of 4
scsness, the night OF death: ave, about
niiy nights have iuterlocked their shadows
Ila whole race goes stumbling over pros
Naiei hopes and fallen fortunes. and empty
l.lr barrels and desOlated cradles, and
a7li1oeds. o. how much we have use for
o. ne seven candlesticks, with lights blaz-
~ from the top Of each one Of them Light
{. PARDON for all sin, Light of comfort for
a lroubiel Light OF encouragement for all
oespoudeucy Light Of eternal riches for
a. poverty! Light Of rescue for all
persecution Light Of reunion for all the
,efeit. Light Of Heaven for all the dyingl
ana that light IS Christ, who is the light
aal shall irradiate the hemispheres. But
Tag YOU when say churches are not can
e = olt candlesticks, / cast no slur on can
essacks. l believe in beautiful candle
SUCKS The candlestieks that God ordered
~ tle ancient tabernacle were something
eAs-lste. They were a dream Of beauty
- sel out OF loneliness. They were made
q hammered gold, stood in a foot Of gold,
ala aa1 SIX branches Of gold blooming all
@-.lg IN SIX lilies Of gold each, and lips Of
49, from which the candles lifted their
10y IRE. And the best houses in any CITY
Slsal 70 be the churches-the best built. the
- ventilated, the best swept. the best
"-lloWe1 and the best chandeliered. Log
lsg-ls may do in neighborhoods where most 1
4 Is people live in log cabins. but let there
= Iaatal churches for the regions where
---l! o. the people live in palaces. Do not
ave better place for yourself than for
u. L9ri ard King. Do not live
i Ar-or and put your Christ in
: A.cleH. These seven candlesticxs Of
I speak were not made out OF pewter
zen, they were golden caudlesticks. and
4 j. nor only a valuable but a bright
80 Have every thing about your church
tolr ushers with smiling faces.
-ls-e luulant your Misunderstanding cor
- year entire service attractive. Many
e.e ie5l that In church they must look
4. u order 20 be .reverential, and many
lanes In other kinds Of assemblsre
e. TIE different phases Of emotion.
church no more expression than the
--e. 1t "a hearse. Brighten up and
@H@ lS-Es. If Won fea7 Hfh-a rr-nas,s~.- !