Connecticut western news., 1897-12-23
IN PERFECT ACCORD.
oR. TALMAGE ON AN INTERPRETING
 SUBJECT.

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 <seologists and the Bible Agroe-scrfpturs
 Confirms the Resesrches of scientists. story of tho Deluge and Sinking of the
 Mountatns-
 tcopyrisht. 1884, by oi.,,dn American Press A''0-
 WASHINGTON, Dec. 19.-The throngs coming to Dr. Talmage's preaching services ct the First Presbyterian church are all the time increasing and lar beyond the capacity of his church to hold. In this sermon he discusses sub ject interesting to all-viz, "The Geolo- ey of the Bible: or. God Among the Rocks." The text Is II Samuel vi, 6, 2: "And when they came to Nachon' 8 threshing floor Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God and took hold of 1t, for the oxen shook 1t, And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God smote him there for his error, and there he died by the ark of God. "
 A band of music Is coming down the road, comets blown, timbrels struck, harps thrummed and cymbals clapped, ell led on by David, who was himself a musician They arc ahead of wagon on which is the sacred box called the ark. The yoke of oxen drawing the wagon imperiled 1t. Some critics say that the oxen kicked, being struck with the drivers goad. but my knowledge of oxen leads me say that if on hot day they see a shadow of tree or wall they are apt to suddenly shy off to get the coolness of the shadow. I think these oxen % suddenly turned that the sacred box seemed about to upset and be thrown to the ground. Uzzah rushed forward and laid hold of the ark to keep 1t upright. but he had no right to do so. A special command had been given by the Lord that no one save the priest un- der any circumstances should touch that box. Nervous and excited and irrever- enk Uzzah disobeyed when he took hold of the ark, and he died as consequence.
 In all ages. and never more so than In our own day, there are good people all the time afraid that the Holy Bible, which is the sacred ark of our time, will be upset, and they have been a long while afraid that science, and es- pecially geology, would overthrow 1t. While we are not forbidden to touch the holy book, and. on the contrary, are urged to fondle and study it, any one who h afraid of the overthrow of the book is greatly offending the Lord with his unbelief. The oxen have not yet bean yoked which can upset that ark of the worlds salvation. Written by the Lord Almighty, he is going to protect 1t until it's mission is fulfilled and there shall be no more need of Bible, because all its prophecies will have been fulfilled and the human race will have exchanged worlds
 Perfect Accord.
 A trumpet and . violin are very diff ferent instruments, but they may be played in perfect accord. So the Bible account of the creation of the world and the geological account are different -one story written on parchment and the other on the rocks and yet in per fect and eternal accord. The word "day," repeated in the first chapter of Genesis, has thrown into paroxysms of criSicim many exegetes. The Hebrew word "yom" of the Bible means some- times what we call a day and some times it means ages It may mean 24 hours or 100, 900, 900 years. The or der of creation as written in the book of Geneds is the order of creation dis covered by geologists' crowbar. So many Uxxahs have been nervously rush. ing about for fear the strong oxen of scientific discovery would upset the Bi- ble that went somewhat tapprehensive- ly to look into the matter, when I found that the Bible and geology agree in saying that first were built the rocks, then the plants greened the earth, then marine creatures were created, from minnow to whale, then the wings and throats of aerial choirs were colored and tuned, and the quadrupeds began to bleat and below and neigh. What is all this fuss that has been filling the church and the world concerning a fight between Moses and Agassiz? There is no fight at all. But is not the geolog- ical impression that the world was mil lions of years building antagonistio to the theory of one weeks creation in Genesis? No.
 A great house is to be built. A man takes years to draw to the spot the foun- dation stone and the heavy timbers. The house is about done, but 1t is not fin iahed for comfortable residence. Sud- denly the owner calls in upholsterers. plumbers, gas filters, paper hangers, and in one week it is ready for occupancy. Now, it requires no stretch of imagina. ton to realize that God could have tak- en millions of years for the bringing of the rocks and the timbers of this world together, yet only one week more to make it inhabitable and to furnish il for human residence. Remember also that all up and down the Bible the language of the times was used-com. mon parlance-and 1t was not always tc be taken literally. Just as we say every day that the world is round when it ii not round. It is spheroidal-fattened al the poles and protuberant at the equa tor. Professor Shell, with his chain o, triangles, and Professor Varin, with tho shortened pendulum of his clock, found 1t was not round, but we do not becom, critical of any one who says the world is round. Let us deal as fairly witt Moses or Job as we do with each other
 Geology and Scripture.
 But for years good people feared geol ogy, and without any imploration or their part apprehended that the rock and mountains would fall on them un til Hugh Miller, the elder of St. John Presbyterian church in Edinburgh ana parishioner of Dr. Guthrie, came fortl and told the world that there was nt contradiction between the mountains and the church, and O. M. Mitchell, i, brilliant lecturer before he became brig adler general dying at Beaufort, s. O.. during our civil war, took the platform and spread his map of the strata of rock in the presence of great audiences. ant Professor Alexander Winohell of Mich igan university and Professor Taylor Lewis of Union college showed that the ss~vStbox,< forp, and voidD of tho 7ra