The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1889-03-25
THE MYSTERIES.
DR.. Talmage's Sermon Yesterday.
Things In the Bible That Are Re-
garded as Incomprehensible.
1t Is the Most Common Sense Book
In the World.
The Ridiculous Interpretations Put
Upon Certain Passages.
Some Scientific and Philosophio Refiec-
tlons On the Relation of Science e
Rellgion-Tho Beginning of tho
world-A Learned Sermon.

Tabernacle this morning, after oxpound-
ing some passages OF scripture In regard
to the mysteries, the Rov. I. De Witt
Talmagc, d. d., gave out the hymn be-
ginning
How firm foundation, yc saints Of the Lord,
Is laid for your inith In Ills excellent word
The subject Of his sermon was, though
Things in the Bible" and his text, III.
Peter i'll. l6: "In which arc some
things hard to be understood" DIR. Tai.
mage said:
The Bible is the most common sense
book in all the world. But there are
many things in IL which require explana-
ton. It all depends on the mood in
which you come TO this grand old book
You may take hold of the handle Of tho
sword or its sharp. edge. You may en-
ploy on lis mysteries the rule OF multipli.
cation or subtraction. There are things,
as my text suggests, hmd to be under
stood, but / shall solve somo Of them,
hoping to leave upon all honest minded
people the impression that II four or five
of them can be explained, perhaps they
may all be explained.
Hard thing the first: The Bible say-
the world was created In six days, while
geology says IL was hundreds OF thousands
Of years in process OF building. "In the
beginning God created the heaven aud
the earth" "ln the beginning" There
you can roll in 10000 900 years II you
want 10. There Is no particular date given
no contest between science and revela.
tion. Though the world may have been
In process Of creation for millions OF years,
suddenly and quickly, and in one week,
II may have been fitted up for mans resi-.
dencc. just rs n great mansion may have
been many yeau in building, and yet In
one week II may be curtnlncd aud chan.
deliercd aud cushioned aud upholstered
for q bride and groom.
You are not compelled . believe that
the world was made in our six days. 4
may not have been day Of twenty-fou
hours. the day spoken oi IN the first chap
ter; IL may have been Coils day and
thousand years with him "a a. one ,iny
And the evening and the morning wer,
the first day'-God's DAY. And th,
evening and the morning were the seconl
| day"-God's day. "And the evening and
the morning were tho sixth day'-God's
| day. You and living Ia the seventh
day, the Sabbath OF the world, the day o
Gospel redemption, the guindcst day o
| all the week, In which each day may hay,
been made up OF thousands Of years. Car
you tell me how 4 man eau get his min,
and soul into such blasphcmous twist NJ
30 scott at that first chapter Of Genesis, IL
verses billows OF light surging up iron
sapphire seas Of gloryY
The Bible represents that light was ere
ated on Monday, and the sun was no
created until Thursday. just think Of II
n book declaring thnt light was crcatct
three days before the sun shonel VIII
don't you know that heat and electricity
emit light independent Of the sun7 Be-
side that, when the earth was in process
OF condensation, II was surrounded b,
| thick vapors add the discharge Of mani
| volcanoes In the primary period, aud al
| this observation may have hindercd tn
light OF tho sun from falling on the eartl
until that Thursday morning. Bcsid
that, David Brewster aud llcrschcl, IN
astronomer, aud all tho modern men q
their class, agree In the TACT that tho sun
not light, that IL IL an Opaque mass, that
| OfllN Nllf iNNNAitAAik AiisAA ANNlNN AANN NENl
phosphorcscent atmosphere iloain
around Il, changing and changing, 80 Il
not 10 be az all wondered at that not unit
that Thursday morning lis light fell o.
the earth. Beside that, the rocks In crys
talization emit light There is light iror
n thousand surfnccs, the alkalles, for In
stance. Tho metallic bases emit light
Thorc was a time In tie history Of th
world when there were Thousands OF mil,
Of liquid granite flaming with light IL
side that, Il has been found that there ~
burned out volcanoes in other world
which, when they were IN explosion an
activity must have cast forth an insuncl
able light throwing a glare all over ou
earth. Beside that, there afo the Auror
Borcalis and the Aurora Anchalls.
book on physical science says
"Capt. Bonnycastle, coming up tho Gu
Of 81. Lawrence on the l7th Of September
: 1929. was aroused by the mate Of the vel
sell In great alarm nom AN unusual appca
anoe. IL was n starlight night, when sue
denly the sky became overcast In th
direction OF tho high land Of Cornwall
County an instantaneous and in.enscl
, vivid light, resembling the aurora, she
? out on the hitherto gloomy and dark ~
on the lee bow that WIS 30 brilliant
: lighted everything distinctly, even 10 III
. masthead. The light spread over u
whole sea between the two shores, an
the waves, which before had been traI
n quill. became agitated. Capt Bonnycast
describes the sceno ns that Of BLAIR
!, ,, sheet Of awful and most brilliant light
long and vivid limo OF light that Shove
q the face OF the high frownlng land abreas
J. The sky became lowering and more u
= tensely obscure. Long tOriuous lines
a light showed immense numbers OF lar,
n fish darling about as II IN CONSERVATION
Q Tho topsail yard and mlnon boom We
Il lighted by the glare as Il gas1ghs III
@ been burned directly below them' ~
, until Just before daybroik, ai 4 o'cloc
the most minute objects were distinct
visible" My hearers, there are llV
Il sources Of light besides tho light oil u
=" sun.
. Another hard thing The story oil =
J, deluge and Noahs ark. They say th
a from the account there must have rhn'
d 800 feet Of water each day In order tnat
II might be fifteen cubits above the hll
], They say that the ark could not have Dc
rs largo enough 10 contain 1.-TWO OF eve
7, sort, Tor there would have been hu
Is dreds OF thousands and hundreds
thousands Of creatures. They tay w