Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1899-06-24
THE MINERAL SEVEN.
DR.. TALMAee olscoURsEs ON BIBLE
MATHEMATICS.
= Favorite Number With the Divine
Mind-Taic care of the Present.
says the Great DI,,n God WIN
Take Care Of the Future.

4 Favorite Number With the Divine
says the Great DI,inr, God VIII
Take Care of the Future.
copyright. Louis Kiopsch iSss.l
WASHINGTON. Jane -. Many of the
important doctrines of the Bible are by
Dr. Talma.c presented In this sermon in
n very unusual WAY. Gencsis ii. 3. God
blessed the seventh day"
The mathematics of the Bible is mo-
iiceable: the geometry aud the arithme-
liz. the square. ia Ezekiel. the circle spo-
ken 81 in Isaiah. the curve alluded to in
job. the rule of fractions mentioned in
Daniel. the rule of lass aud Gain in Mark.
where Christ asks the people To cipher
,ut by that rule what IL would profit a
mar IL he gain the Whole world and lose
his soul" Bur there is one mathematical
figure that is crowned above all others in
the Bible. II Is the numeral seven. which
the Arabians got fran India and all fol-
lowing ages have taken from the Ara
binns. II stands between the figure six
and the figure eight. In the Bible all the
other numerals bow o. il. Over 800 times
il is mentioned in the Scriptures, either
alone or compounded with other words.
In Genesis the week is rounded into sew
en- days. aud use my text because there
this mineral is for the first time intro
duced ia a journey which halis not until
In the close of the book Of Revelation
its monument is built into the wall Of
heaven in chrysolite. which in the strata
of precious stones is the seventh.
In the Bible we find that Jacob had to
serve seven years Ia get Rachel. but she
was we'll worth il. and. forctcling the
years OF prosperity and famine in Pha-
raoh's time. the seven fat oxen were EAT
On MP of the seven lean oxen. and wis
dom Is said o. bc built on seven pillars,
and the ark was left with the phiistines
seven years. aud \aaman. for the cure
of his leprosy. plunged in the Jordan
seven times: to the house that Ezekiel
saw in vision there were seven steps:
the walls of Jericho. before they fell
down. were compasSed seven days: Zech-
ariah describes a stone with seven eyes:
10 cleanse a leprous house the door must
be sprinkled with pigeons blood seven
times: in Canaan were overihrown seven
nations: on one occasion Christ east out
seven devils: on n mountain he fed a
multitude of people with seven loaves.
o." fragments left filling seven baskets.
and the closing passages Of the Bible are
magnificent and overwhelming with the
imagery made up of seven churches,
seven stars. seven candlcsiicks. seven
seals. seven angels aud seven heads and
seven crowns and seven horns and seven
spirits and seven phiais and seven
plaques and seven thunders.
Favoritc With the Divine Mind.
Yea. the mineral seven seems n favor
lite with the divine mind outside as well
rs inside the Bible. for are there not
seven prisinatic colorsl And when God
with the rainbow wrote the comforting
thought that the world would never have
another delngc he wrote il on the scroll
Of the sky in ink of seven colors. He
grouped into the plciasles seven stars
Rome. the capital ~ the world. sat on
seven hills. When God would make the
most intelligent thing on earth. the hu-
man cOunfenancc. he fashioned il with
seven features two ears. the two
eyes. the two nosirils aud the mouth. Yea,
our body lasts only seven years. and we
gradually shed IL for another body after
another seven years. and 50 on. for we
are n 10 our bodies scpIennial animals.
So the mineral seven ranges through ma.
ture and through revelation. II is the
U ]
while ! speak Of the seven cslndlesticks.
the seven stars. the seven seals and the
seven thunders.
The seven golden candlcsticks were and
are the churches. Mark YOU the church
- never were and never can be- candles.
They are only canhesticks They are not
the light. hut they are To- hold the light.
\ room in the night might have in IL .dD
candlcsticks and yet you could not see
your hand before your face. The only
nsc 81 n candle.iick. and the only use ~
church. is Ia hold mp the light You see
IL Is a dark world. the night 81 sin. the
nlEhi of trouble. the night Of superstition.
the night of persecution. the night Of pow
erfy. the night Of sickness. the night Of
death: aye. about ~ nights have inter
locked their shadows The whole race
goes stumbling over Frustrated hopes aud
fallen fortunes AMI empty Hour barrels
aud desolatcd cradles and drathbeels.
How much we have use for all the seven
candlesticks. with lights blazing from the
top ~ each one of them. Light Of pardon
for all sin, Light of comfort for all trou-
bile. Light Of encouragement for all de-
spuHdency. Light of eternal riches for all
poverty Light of rescue for all pcrSccu-
tion. Light Of reunion for all the bercft.
Light of heaven for al the dying. AMI
that light Is Christ. who is the light that
shall yet irradiaie the hcmisphcres
Gods CandIesticLs.
I;ut mark yon. when ! say churches are
not candles. hut candlcsticks. I east no
slur ON candleStick-. believe in beauii-
ful cnndlesticks. The candleSiicks that
God ordered for the ancient tabernacle
were something exquisite. They were a
dream of beauty carved ont Of loveliness.
They were made of hammered gold. stood
in a foot Of gold and had siX branches Of
gold blooming all along in six lilies Of
gold each. and lips 81 gold. from which
the candles lifted their holy fire Aud the
hest houses IN any city ought To- be the
churches-the best built. the hest ven
iilated. the best swept. the hest window
ed. and the best chandelierr,i. Log cabins
may do in neighborhoods where most OF
the people live in log cabins hut let there
be palatial churches for regions where
many of the people live in palaces. DO
not have better place for yourself than
for your Lord and King. DO not live in
q parlor and put your Christ in a kitchen.
These seven candesiicks Of which I
speak were not made IT pewter or iron.
They were golden ,andlesticks. and gold
l. not only n valuable. Int bright metal
Have everything about your church
bright-your ushcrs with smiling faces.
your music jubilint. Your handshaking
cordial your entire service attractive
Many people feel that in church they
must look duh. ia order io be reverential.
and many w1ose faces in other kinds 81
asscmblage show al the different phases
of emotion have in church no more ex-
preston than the back wheel IF hearse.
Brighten up aud he responsive. II you
feel like weeping. cep. II you feel like
smiling. smile. II yon feel indignant at
some wrong nssaile, fram the pulpit.
frown. DO not leave your naturalncss
and resiliency home because il is Sunday
morning. II as officers Of church you