The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1898-01-27
GOD AMONG THE ROCKS. +"
Interesting Discourse On the Geol.
ogy of the Bible.
The Testimony OF the Book of Books Con
Armed in the Lisht OF Science-Evi-
4ieaoe on Every Hand OF
Divine DeliberatiOn.

Dewitt Talmage treats of an interest
ing topic" The Geology of the Bible
1t is based on the text:
AMI when they cane to Nachon's thr eshing
floor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of
God. and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it.
And the anger of the Lord was kindled against
Ezzah and God smote him there for his error;
and there he dici by t.ie ark of GoL-II Sam
ue, vi, g.,
A band of music is coming down the
road, cornets blown, timbrels struck,
hsrps thrumlned, and cymbals clapped,
pIl led on by David, who was himself u
musician. They are ahead of wagon
on which is the sacred box called the
"Ark." The yoke OF oxen drawing tn e
wagon imperiled it. Some critics say
that the oxen kicked, being struck
with the drivers goad, but my knowl-
edge of oxen leads me to say that if on
. hot day they see shadow of a tree
or wall, they are apt to suddenly shy
1ff to get the GOODNESS of the shadow.
think these oxen SO 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 keepit it upright. But he had
no right to do SO. A special command
had been given by the Lord that no
one, save the priest, under any circum-
stances, should touch that box. Nervous
and excited, and irreverent, Uzzah dis
obeyed when he took hold of the ark,
and he died as consequence. In all
hn n nl1
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 long while
afraid that science, and especially ge-
ology, would overthrow it. While we
are not forbidden to touch the Holy
Book, and, on the contrary, are urged
TO fondle and studs it, anyone who is
afraid of the overthrow of the book is
greatly offendina the Lord with his
unbelief. The oxen have not yet been
yoked which can upset that ark OF the
worlds salvation. Written by the
Lord Almighty, He is going to protect
it until its mission is fulfilled and
there shall be no more need OF a Bible,
because all it's prophecies will have
been fulfilled and the human race will
have exchanged worlds.
A trumpet and violin or very differ
ent instrument, but they may be
played in perfect accord. So the Bible
account of the creation of the world
and the geological account are differ
ent. One story written on parchment
and the other on the rocks, and yet in
perfect and eternal accord. The word
day, repeated in the first chapter oi
Genesis, has thrown into paroxysms oi
criticism 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
twenty-four or a hundred millio
years. The order of creation as writ.
ten in.the Book of Genesis is the order OF
creation discovered by biologists crow
bar. Some many Uzzahs have been
nerviously rushing about for fear the
strong oxen of scientific discovery
would upset the Bible that l went
somewhat apprehensively to look into
the matter, when l found that
the Bible and geology agree in saying
that first were Sdilt 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 turned, and then quadrupeds be-
gan to bleat, and below, and neigh.
What is all this fuss that has been
filling the church and the world, con-
cerning fight between Moses and
Agassiz? There is no fight at all. But
is not the geological impression that
the world was millions of years build,
ing antagonistic 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
foundation stone and the heavy
timbers. The house is abou,
done, but it is not finished
for comfortable residence. Sud
denly the owner calls in upholsterers,
plumbers, gas-tilters, paper-hangers,
and in one week it is ready for occu
pancy. Now, it requires no stretch OF
imagination to realize that God could
have taken 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 it for human residence. Re
member, also, that all up and down the
Bible the language of the times was
osed-common parlance-and it was
not always to be taken literally. Jus,
Is we say every day that the world is
round, when it is not round. 1t is
spheroidal-fattened at the poles anC
protuberant at the equator. Prof
onell, with his chain of triangles, anl
frof. Varin, with the shortened pen
0uium of his clock, found it was MOI
round; but we do not become critica
81 anyone who says the world is round
Let us deal fairly with Moses or Job as
We do with each other.
but for many years good people feared
geology, and, without any imploratior
~ uieir part, apprehended that tn.
1s and mountains would fall OF
eal' until Hugh Miller, the elder o
e Sohn's Presbyterian church in Edin
osfEh. and parishioner of DIR. Guthrie
SxkDe fnrfh