The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-04-10
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINES SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: Tough Things in the
Bible"


The Bible is the most common sense hook
: n all the world. But there are many things
it which require explanation. 1t all de.
bends on the mood in which you come to this
brand old book. You may take hold of the
handle of the sword or its sharp edge. You
may employ on its mysteries the rule of mul
DUPLICATION or subtraction. There are things,
IS my text suggests hard to be understood,
but shall solve some of them, hoping to leave
ipon all honestminded people the impression
hat if four or five of them can be explained,
perhaps they may all be explained.
Hard thing the first: The Bible says the
world was created in six days, while geology
ays it was hundreds of thousands of years
n process of building ''In the beginning,
BOD created the heaven and the EARTH
in the beginning" There you can roll
n tell million years if You want to.
There is no particular date given-no
kontest between science and reTela-
ion. Though the world may have been i'll
process of creation for millions of years,
uddenly and quickly, and in one week, it
nay have been fitted up for mans residence.
lust as q great mansion may have been
many years in building, and yet in one week
may be curtained and chandeliered and
cushioned and upholstered for bride and
broom.
You are not compelled to believe that the
rorld was made in our six days. Itmay not
lave been day of twenty-four hours, the
lay spoken of in the first chapter; it may
ave been Gods day, and a thousand years
With Him are as one day. And the evening
Ind the morning were the first day'-GodS
lay. "And the evening and the morning
Fere the second day"-God's day. "And the
vening and the morn ng were the sixth day"
-God's day. You land living in the seventh
lay, the Sabbath Of the world the day OF
Gospel redemption, the grandest day of all
he week, in which each day may have been
made up OF thousands Of years. Can you tell
be how man can get his mind and soul into
uch blasphemous twist as to scoR at tnat
(rst chapter of Genesis, its verses billows Of
light surging up from sapphire seas of glory!
The Bible represents that light was created
Monday, and the sun was not created
ntil Thursday. Just think Of it! a book
eclaring that light was created three days
efore the sun shone, Why don't you
now that heat and electricity emit light
Independent of the sun! Besides that, when
be earth was in process of condensation,
was surrounded by thick vaporS and the
ischarge Of many volcanoes in the primary
eriod, and all this observation may have
indered the light Of the sun from falling on
be earth until that Thursday morning.
Besides that, David Brewster and Herschel,
be astronomer, and all the modern men Of
heir class, agree in rhe fact that the SIN is
ot light, that it is an Opaque mass, that it is
nly the candlsstick that holds the light, a
2hosph crescent atmosphere floating around it,
hanging and changing, so it is no. to be at
1l wondered at that not until that Thurs
ay morning its light fell on the earth. Be-
de that. the rocks in crystallzat.on emit
ght. There is light from thousand sur
bees, the alkalies, for instance. The metal
bases emit light. There was time in the
istory of the world when there were
housands of miles of liquid granite
'sming with light Beside that, 1t has
cen found that there are burned out VOL
Rnoes in other worlds which, when they
ere in explosion and activity. must have
. ast forth an insuferable light, throwing a
lare all over our earth. Besides that, there
Re the Aurora BorealiS and the Aurora An
halls. A book on physical science says:
Captain BonnycaStle, coming up the Gulf
3 ST. Lawrence on the 18th of September,
.b26, was aroused by the mate of the vessel
great alarm from an unusual appearance.
was starlight night when suddenly the
" became overcast In the direction Of
be high land of Cornwallis County an in
antaneous and intensely vivid light. re-
smblirg the aurora, shot out on
be hitherto gloomy and dark sea
the lee bow that was so brill
mt it lighted everything distinctly, even
} the masthead. The light spread over the
hole sea between the two shores, and the
aves, which before had been tranquil be
anne agitated. Captain Bonnycastle de-
bribes the scene as that Of blazing Sheet
awful and most brilliant light-a long and
ivid line of light that showed the face of
be high frowning land abreast The sky be-
Rme lowering and more intensely obscure.
x1r Nc Enrhf
Immense numbers of large fish dartng about
5 If in conservation. The topSail yard
nd mizzen boom were lighted by the glare,
B if gasiights had been burned directly be-
bw them, and until just before daybreaS,
O'clock, the most minute objects were
istinctly visible Ny hearers. there are
bn thousand sources Of light besides the
ght Of the sun.
Another hard thing: The story Of the
eluge and Noah's ark. They say that from
be account there must have rained eight
undred feet of water each day in order that
might be fifteen cubits above the bills.
I hey say that the ark could rot have been
hrge enough to contain two OF every
BRIT" for there would have been hun
reds Of thousands and hundreds of thou
ands of creatures. They say that these
reatures would have come from all lands
md all zones. They say there was only ono
mall window in the ark. and that would not
ave given fresh air to keep the animals in
Fde the ark from sutfocation. They say
hat the ark finally landed on mountain
bventeen thousand feet high They say they
not believe the story. Neither do l. There
no such story III the Bible. l will tell
ou what the Bible story is. ImuSt say that
have changed my mind in regard to some
hatters which once were to me very myS
er:ous. They are TO more mysterious. Inns
the kew to the facts. This is the story Of all
We witness. Noah, his story incorporated
ffterward by Moses in the account. Noah
escribed the scene just as it appeared to
Is depth. AS far as eye could reach
(verything was covered up, from ho'
lion to horizon, or as it says, under the
Eaoie heaven" He did not refer to the
kierra Nevadas or to Mount Washington. for
America had not been discovered. or, if it
lad been discovered, he could not have seen
D far Of. He IS giving the testimony OF an
Je witness. God speaks after the manner OF
Men when he says everything went under,
ind Noah speaks after the manner OF men
vhen he saws everything did go under. All
We witness. There is no need Of thinking
hat the kangaroo leaped the ocean or that
he polar bear came down from the ice
Why did the deluge come! 1t came for the
purpose of destroying the outrageous inhaoit
{nts of ths then thinly populated earth
hearty all the population, probably very neal
The ark before it was launched. What woust
have been the use of submerging Norti
knd South America. or Europe. or Africa
when they wers not inhabiteda AM
Is to the skeptical suggestion tina
N order to have the water as deep as the Bibl
Btates, it must have rained 500 feet every day
/ reply, the Bible distinctly declares that tn
most of the fool rose instead of falling. BE
lore the account where it says the WIN
lows Of heaven were opened" ii says
fall the fountains of the great deer
: we're broken up" All geologists agree
d. saying that there are caverns in the eartE
He'd with water, and they rushed forth, and
III the lakes and rivers fors COX their bed.
fhe fountains of the great deep were broken
10, and then the windows of heaven wer.
pened. 1t is a strange thing that we should be
&sked to balieve in this flood Of the Bible
vhen oeoloriSts tell us that AGAIN and again