Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1899-07-01
THE SACRED NUMBER.
Dn TALMAeE DiscoURSEs ON THE
SIGNIFICANCE OF SEVEN.

Important Truths of the Bible Illus
trntcd NV the lac or That MINERAL.
Favored by the Divine Mind.
Copyright Louis Kopsch. lS99.l
WASHINGTON. June 23.-Many OF the
most important doctrines Of the Bible
are by DR.. Talmage presented in this
sermon in very unusual way. Genesis
Ii, 3. God blessed the seventh day.
The mathematics of the Bible is no.
ticcable; the geometry and the aritll-
mctic: the square in Ezekiel; the circle
spoken of in Isaiah; the curve alluded
TO in Job: the rule of fractions mention
cd in Daniel: the rule of loss and gain
In Mark, where Christ asks the people
10 cipher out by that ule what II
would profit a man if he gain the
whole world and lose his soul. But
there is one mathematical figure that is
crowned above all others in the Bible;
/. is the mineral seven. which the Ara
bians got from India. and all following
ages have taken from the .irabians. II
stands between the figure six and the
figure eight In the Bible all the other
numerals bow TO it. Over 500 times it
is mentioned in the Scriptures. either
alone or compounded with other words.
In Genesis the week is rounded into
seven days. and | use my text because
there this mineral is for the first time
introduced In II journey which halls
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
10 serve seven years 10 get Rachel, but
she was well worth ii. and. foretelling
Plaraoh's time. the seven fat oxen
were eaten up OF the seven lean oxen.
and wisdom is said To he built on sev.
en- pillars. and the ark WIS left with
the PhilSlncs seven years. and Naa
man. for The cure of his lcIIrnsy pIiIng
ed in the Jordan seven times: The dead
child, when Elisha hI,;lIlrd lllu its
mouth. Siynalr, its arrival IrIck INTO
consciousness ny Snrc2in. seven Times:
TO the house that Ezekiel S;lw i'll vision
there were seven steps: Tie walls OF
Jericho. before they fell ,iuwu. were
compasScd seven days: Ircliariall tie
/,
leprous house The dunr Must he Sprin
killed. with pigeons blood seven times;
in Canaan were ovcrthrown seven nj
tons: on one occasion Christ cast out
seven devils: on Il mountain he fed 4
multitude of people with seven loaves.
the fragments left filling seven bas-
kets. and the closing passages of the
Bible are magnificent and ovurwhclm-
ing with tie imagery made up Of seven
churches. seven stars. seven candle
sticks, seven seals. seven angels and
seven heads and seven CROWNS and sew
en- horns and seven spirits and seven
Walls aud seven plaques and seven
thunders.
Favored by the Divine Mind.
Yea. the mineral seven seems a IA
vorite with the divine mind outside as
well rs inside the Bible. for are there
not seven prisnatic colors? And when
God with the rainbow wrote the COM
forting thought that the world would
never have another deluge he wrote it
on the scroll of the sky in ink of seven
colors. He grouped into the Pleiades
seven stars. Rome, the capital of the
world, sat on seven hills. When God
would make the most intelligent thing
on earth the human countenance, he
fashioned II with seven features-the
two ears, the two eyes. the two nostrlls
and the mouth. Yea. our body lasts
only seven years. and we gradually
shed 1t for another body after another
seven years and so on. for we are, as
to our bodies, septcnnial animals. so
the mineral seven ranges through ma
ture and through revelation. 1t is the
number Of perfection, and so use 1t
while I speak Of the seven candle
sticks. the seven stars, the seven seals
and the seven thunders.
The seven gold.n candlcsticis were
and are the churches. Mark you. the
churches never were. and never can
be, candles. They are only candle
sticks. They are not the light Dul
they are to hold the light. y room IN
the night might have in il 800 candle
sticks, and yet you could not see your
hand before your face The only use
of candlestlck and the only use OF i
church. is to hold up the light. You see
II is Il dark world. the night of sin. the
night Of trouble. the night of supersti-
ton. the night of persecution. the night
of poverty. the night of sickness the
night OF death Aye. about 30 nights
have interlocked their shadows The
whole race goes stumbling over pros
tratcd hopes, anI fallen fortunes. anu
empty flour barrels, and desolatcd era
dies and deathbeds. How much we
have use for all tile seven randlesticks,
with lights blazing from the top or
each one of them Light Of pardon for
all sin! Light of comfort for all trou-
blel Light of encouragement for all
dependency! Light of eternal riches
for all poverty! Light Of rescue for all
persecutioul Light of reunion for all
the bereft! Light Of heaven for all
the dying! And that light is Christ
who is the light that shall yet irradiate
the hemiSplcrcs.
But. mark you. when say churches
are not :andlps. but candlesticks,
cast no slur on candlcsticliS. believe
in beautiful candlpSticks. The candle
sticks that God ordered for the ancient
tabernacle were something exquisite.
rlIcy were Il dream of beauty carved
o,r of luvrlinrss They were made or
hammered gold. stood in Il foot of gold
and had six branches Of gold bloom
ing all along in six lilies Of gold each
and lips of gold from which the can
,llcs lifted their holy fire And the best
houses in ally city ought TO be the
churches-the best built, the best ven
tilated. the best swept. the best win
lowed aud the best chandeliered. Log
cabins may do in neighborhoods where
~, Ioo hiNQ