Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-01-02
WORD OF THE LORD
DR.. Talmage Delivers a Pow
erful Sermon
APPROPRIATE TO The SEASON
God Anonx tbs Centuries Aao1d .
Striking Thsms for lila
Discourse.

BEcoKLYs, Jan Rev Or. Tai1nage
this morning appropriately took for the
snbjset VI ms New Years day sermon
The Chronology Of the Bible. or God
Among ths Centuries Before the dis
course To great sudiencs which fully
crowded the Tabernacle sang the hymn:
Our God. our AsiD IA asss past.
CGz hops ssE Years - CONS.
The texs chosen was Deuteronomy
xxxiI. 7. Consider tho years Of many
generations"
AT Il o'clock last nighF, while so many
good psopls were watching, an old friend
passed out Of cur homes and stranger
entered The old friend making yaledic-
tory wa is9a; the stranger arriving l.
ls95. The old friend was garrulOus with
the Occurrences OF many days, but the
stranger put his finger over his hp and
said nothing and seemed charged with
many secrets and mysteries. / did not
SEA either the departure or tho arrival
bat was sound asleep. thinking that VS.
for ne the best way 10 DO wide awake
row. Goodby. 1902. Welcome. 1893.
A an army Is divided into brigades
and regiments and companies, and they
observe this order IA their march and
their tread i majestic, so the time q the
worlds existence Is divided into al
army diyinely commanded: the eras are
the hrigades. the centuries are the regi-
menfs. and the years are the companies
Forward into tho eternity past, out Of
the eternity % comet Forward is the
command. and nothing can halt them.
even though the world should die. While
Obeyiag my text. Consider the years OF
many generations" propose TO speak OF
tho Chronology OF the Bible, or God
Among tire Centuries.
ARRANGING EVENTS.
We make q distinction between time
AMI eternity, bur time is only piece of
eternity. and chronology has been en-
gagged Ia the sublime work Of dividing
up this portion Of eternity that We cali
time INTO compartments and putting
events II their right compartment. Ii
Is a. much IA injustice against the past
10 wrongly arrange its events as IL would
b. al injustice II, through neglect OF
Chronological accuracy, II should IN the
far distant future be said that America
was discovered IN 1916. and the Declare
ton Cf Independence was signed in 1902,
and Washington born on the 22d Of
March. and the civil war OF the United
States WAS fought IN 1870
Is God puts al the events OF time IL
the right place. let Us DO careful that we
Go not put them IN TIE wrong place. The
chronology of the Bible takes six steps.
bat they are steps SO long it makes rs
hold our breath as we watch the move
ment. From Adam 70 Abraham. From
Abraham 10 the exodus out OF Egypt.
From tho exodus TO the foundation OF
SoloInon's temple. From the foundation
CT Solomon's temple TO the destruction
Of that temple. From the destruction
of tho temple TO the return from Baby
lonish captivity. From Babylonish cap
tiyity To the birth Of Christ.
Chronology takes pen and pencil, and
calling astronomy ard history to help
says; Let Is az one event from which
10 Calculate everything. Let it be- a star,
the Bethlehem star, the Christmas star"
And from that we 20 back and see the
world was created 4.004 years before
Christ; tho dclugs came ?. S4S years before
Christ. the exodus cut Of Egypt occurred
.f91 years before Christ. and Solomon's
temple was destroyed $50 years before
Christ.
Chronology enters the first chapter of
Genesis and SAYS the day mentioned
there IS not day Of twenty-four hours.
but Of ages ths word there translated as
day" In othar places meaning ages
and 50 the Diole account Of the creation
and tho geologs.s' account of tho crea-
ton ara completely harmonious. ChrO-
nolo-Ey enters the book Of Daniel and says
that the words time and half" mean
your and half
Chronology enters at another poiu.
and shows us that the seasons OF the
year were theu only two-summer and
winter We ind that the Biole year s
$50 days instead Of 500. that the dAv was
calculated from o'clock IA the morning
- O'clock at night, that the night was
d,yplCl inso four watches-namelv. To
lssa vstch. tne midnight. the cock crow
inr. fhe elriv watch. The clock anl
hN.E.l H.-F AaH tHt-it 80 ltl- tAlrt tt.-
war.d he.sn their mission that the daT
was uot very sharply divided IN Bibs
times Aaaz haI sundial. or . flght
81 stairs vlta "a column 20 the top. anl
TIRE SHADOW wlea that column threw OF
the . beneath indicated The hour. tha
shHloV .ens .heaing or withlrawng
FROM 3 tc stsp.
rus t.'e events q life and the svenss
q t8e s-0r.d moved so slowly FOR the
most ID m Bible times that they haa
no neei ct rich tinsepicces as we stand f
CA our man,els or carry ia our pockets
Ia an axe when a rian may have a hsif
eazsn OK a dozen engagements for ore
day aad useis % knew the exact minute .
for each one # them. The earth ITSELF
Ia Bible times was ths chief iimepiecs
and It tarned once Ca ia axis and thai
was a Day. and once aToand the SON ana
tnas was 4 year.
FHr afafANAc
IL vas uot uu..l tie Fsruteoath century F.
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