Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1893-02-03
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINt2S sun
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "The Circle of the Earth
preached at Atlanta, GA

text. Intlmate1 the SuaD3 OF lt-JOd sitting
upon the circle Of the earth. The most
beautiful figure in all geometry is the circle.
G11 made the universe the plan of
ci>.le- There ara IN the natural world
straight lines, ar Zles. parlilelograns. dag
onals, quadrangles, but these evidently are
not COTS favorites. Almost everywhere
where you will find Him georn otriz,ng you
f1Ed the circle dominant, and II not the
circle Their the curve which IS a circle that
died youn~ If it had lived long enough it
would have been full orb-a periphery.
An ellipse IS a circle pressed only a little too
hard at the sides.
Giants Caus.way, in ireland. shows what
God thinks OF mathematics. There are over
b, 900 columns OF rocks-octagOn4l, hexa-
pODal, pentagOa These rocks seem to
have been made by rule and by compass.
Every artist has his nIOlding room, where
he may make fifty shapes, but he chooses
one shape preferable to AL others. l will
not say that the Giants Causeway was the
worlds mOldmg room. but | do say out of
great many figures God seems to have sell
ected the circle as the best. at is He that
stitch on the circle OF the earth" The stars
In q circle, the moon in a circle, the sun in
circle the universe III circle, the throne OF
God the center OF that circle.
When men build churches they ought to
initiate the idea OF the Great Architect and
put the audience in circle, knowing that
the tides Of emotion roll more easily that
way than in straight lines. Six thousand
years ago Cot flung this world out OF His
right han J, but He did not throw it out in
straight line, but curyIilnear, with a LEASE
of love holding 1t so to bring it back
again. The world started from His hand
pure and E ien!c 1t has been rolling on
through regions OF moral ice and distemper.
How long it will roll God only knows. but
it will in due time make complete circuit
and come back to the place whence it started
the hand OF GOd-pure and Eienic
The history OF the world goes in a circle
Why is it that the shipping in our day is
improving rapidly? 1t Is because men
are initiating the Old model OF Noah's ark.
4 ship carpenter gives that as his opinion.
Although so mucn deridel by small wits
that ship OF NOah's cine beat the Majestic
and the Etrurla and the City of Paris, of
which boast SO much. Where is the
ship on the sea to-day that could outride a
deluge in which the heaven AMI the earth
were wrecked, landing all the passengers in
safety-two OF each kind OF living creatures,
thousands OF species?
POmOlCcy will go on with its achieve
ments until after many centuries the world
will have plums and pears equal to the para
dsaical. The art of gardening will grow
for centuries, and after the Downings and
Mitchells of the world have done their best
in the far future the art of gardening will
come up to the arbOrascence OF the year l.
If the makers of colorei glass go on improv-
ing they may in some centuries be able to
make something equal to the east window OF
York r,linster, whIcn was built in 1899 We
are six centuries behind those artists but
the world must keep on toiling until it shall
make the complete circuit and come up to
the skill of those very men.
If the world continues to improve in ma
sonry shall have after awhile perhaps
after the advance OF centuries, mortar equal
to that which | saw last summer in the wall
of all exhumed English city, built in the
time of the Romans. 1000 years ago-that
mortar today good as the day in which it
was made, having outlasted the brick and
the stone. | say. after hundreds of years.
masonry may advance to that point. If the
world stands long enough we may have
city large they had in old times-Baby-
Ion five times the size of London.
You go into the potteries in England and
you find them making cups and vases after
the style OF the cups and vases exhumed
from POmpeIi. The world is not going
back. Oh, no; but il is swinging in a circle
and will come Oack to the styles of pottery
known 50 LONG ago as the days of Pompeii.
The world must keep on pro crossing until it
makes the complete circuit. The curve is in
the right direction; the curve will keep on
until it becomes the circle.
Well, now, my friends, what is true in the
material universe is true in Gods moral
government and spiritual arrangement.
That is the meaning of Ezekiefs wheel All
commentators agree In saying that tue
wheel means Gods providence. But wheel
is of no unless 1t turn, and il it turn
it turns around, and II it turns AROUND it
moves in a circle. What them Are we
parts of a great iron machine whirlet
around whether we will or not, the victims
of memorable fate? No! So far from that
shall show you that we ourselves start the
circle of good or bad actions and that it will
surely come around again to us unless by
divine intervention it be hindered. Those
bad or good actions may make the circuit OF
many years, but come back to us they will
as certainly as that God sits on the circle Of
the earth.
Jezebel the worst woman of the Bible,
slew Naboth because she wanted his vine
yard. While the dogs were eating the body
of Naboth, Elisha the prophet put down his
compass and marked a circle from the dogs
clear around to the dogs that should eat the
body of Jezabal the murderess 'lmpos-
sible? the people said; ''that will never
happen" Who is that being flung out of the
palace window? JezebeI. A few hours after
they came around hoping to bury her. They
find only the palms of her hands and the
skull. The dogs that devoured Jezebel and
the dogs that devoured Nabothl Oh, what
a swift, what an awful circuit
But it is sometimes the case that this circle
sweeps through a century or through many
centuries The world started with a theoc-
racy for government-that is God was the
president and emperor of the world. People
got tired of theocracy. They said: 1--WE
don't want God directly interfering with the
affairs OF the world; give monarchy"
The world had a monarchy. From mon
archyit is going to have limited monarchy.
After awhile the limited monarchy will be
given up, and the republican form OF gov
eminent Will be everywhere dominant and
recognized. Then the world will get tired
of the republican form of government aud
II Will have an anarchy, which is no govern
ment at all. Aud then all nations, fin ling
out that a man is not capable of righteOuSlV