The Russellville Democrat., 1889-04-04
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
slough Things in the Bible" In
terestingly Discussed.
Scientific sIurs on the Authenticity o
the Bihls Met In the Light Of
Modern Research-Criti-
ctsm Answered

was: Tough Things in the Bible" and
the text;
In which are some things hard to be under
stood.-H Peter iii, 16.
The Bible is the most common-sense
book in all the world. But there are
many things in it which require explana-
ton. II all depends on the mood in
which you come to this grand old Book.
You may take hold Of the handle Of the
sword or its sharp edge. You may en-
ploy on its mysteries the rule Of multi
plicatsn or subtraction. There are
things, as my text suggests, hard to be
understood, but | shall solve some Of
them, hoping to leave upon all honest
minded people the impression that il
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 says 1t was hundreds Of thou
sands Of years in process Of building.
"In the beginning, God created the HeaY-
en- and the earth" "In the beginning"
There you can roll in ten million years,
If you want to. There is no particular
date given-no contest between science
and revelation. Though the world may
have been in process Of creation for mill
ions Of years, suddenly and quickly, and
in one week, 1t may have been fitted up
for mans residence. Just as great
mansion may have been many years in
building and yet in one week it may be
curtained and chandeliered and cush-
Toned and upholstered for q bride and
groom.
You are not compelled to believe that the
world was made in our six days. 1t may
not have been a day OF twenty -four hours,
the day spoken Of in the first chapter; 1t
may have been Gods day, and thousand
years with Him are as one day. "And the
evening and the morning were the first
day'-God's day. "And the evening and
the morning were the second day"-God's
day. s"And the evening and the morning
were the sixth day"-God's day. You and
living in the seventh day, the Sabbath Of
the world, the day Of Gospel redemption,
the grandest day of all the week, in which
each day may have been made up Of
thousands OF years. Can you tell me how
a man can get his mind and soul into such
a bias phemous twist as to scott at that
first chapter of Genesis, its verses pillows
OF light surging up from sapphire seas of
glory?
created on Monday, and the sun was not
created until Thursday. Just think of 1t !
A Book declaring that hight was created
three days before the sun shonel Why,
don't you know that heat and electricity
emit heat and light Independent of the
sun? Besides that, when the earth was in
the process Of condensation, it was sur
rounded by thick vapors and the dis
charge Of many volcanoes in the primary
period, and all this observation may have
hindered the light OF the sun from falling
on the earth until that Thurs
day morning. Besides that, David
Brewster and Herschel, the astrono-
mer, and all the modern men OF
their class, agree in the fact that the sun
is not light, that it is an Opaque mass,
that il is only the candlestick that holds
the light, phosphorescent atmosphere
floating around it, changing and chang
ing, so it is not to ba at all wondered at
that not until that Thursday morning its
light fell on the earth. Beside that, the
roek., in capitalization, emit light from
thousand surfaces, the alkaltes, for In
stance. The metallic bases emit light.
There was q time in the history OF the
world when there were thousands OF miles
of liquid granite flaming with light. Be-
side that, it has been found that there are
burned-out volcanoes in other worlds
which, when they were in explosion and
activity, must have cast forth an insuffer-
able light, throwing glare all over our
earth. Beside that there are the aurora
borealis and the aurora anchalis. A book
on physical science says:
Captain Bonnycastle, coming up the
Gulf of st. Lawrence on the 18th of Sep
TENDER, 1926, was aroused by the mate Of
the vessel in great alarm from an unusual
appearance. 1t was starlight night,
when suddenly the sky became overcast.
In the direction OF the high land Of Corn
wallis County au instantaneous and in
tensely- vivid light, resembling the aurora,
shot out on the hitherto gloomy and dark
sea on the lee bow, that was so brilliant
1t lighted every thing distinctly, even
to the masthead. The light spread
over the whole sea between the
two shores, and the waves, which before
had been tranquil became agitated. Cap
tain Bonnycastle describes the scene as
that OF blazing sheet Of awful and most
brilliant light-a long and vivid line OF
light that showed the face OF the high
frowning land abreast. The sky became
lowering and more intensely obscure.
Long, tortuous lines Of light showed i'm
mense numbers of large FISH darting
about as IL in CONSERVATION. The topsail
yard and mizzen boom were lighted by
the glare as II gaslights had been burned
directly below them, and until just before
daybreak, at four O'Clock, the most min
ute objects were distinctly visible" My
hearers, there are ten thousand sources
OF light besides the light Of the sun.
Another hard thing: The story Of the
deluge and Noah's ark. They say that
from the account there 1t must have
rained eight hundred feet OF water each
day In order that 1t might be fifteen cubits
above the hiRs. They say that the ark
could not have been large enough to con-
tain "two of every sort" for there would
have been hundreds OF thousands and
hundreds OF thousands Of creatures.
They say that these creatures would have
come from all lands and all zones. They say
there was only one small window in the
ark, and that would not have given fresh
air 30 keep the animals inside the ark
from suffocation- They say that the ark
finally landed on a mountain seven.
teen thousand feet high. They say they
do not believe the story. Neither do /
There is no such story in the Bible. will
tell you what the Bible story is. ! must
say that have changed my mind in re-
gard 10 some matters which once were TO
me very mysterious. They are no more
mysterious. This Is the key to the facts.
This is the story Of an eyewitness, Noah,
his story Incorporated afterward by
Moses in the account Noah described
the scene just as it appeared TO him. He
saw the food, and he fathomed its depth.
AS far as eye could reach every thing was
covered up from horizon to horizon, or,
as il says, "under the whole Heaven"
He did not refer 10 the Sierra Nevadas, or
10 Mount Washington, for America had
not been discovered, or, II 1t had been dis
covered, he could not have seen so far off.
He is giving the testimony Of an eye wit
ness. God speaks after the manner of
men when He says every thing went un-
der, and Noah speaks after the manner Of
men when he says every thing did 20 I'M