Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1899-06-30
THE SACRED NUMBER.
DR.. TALmAee OlscoURses ON THE
SIGNIFICANCE OF SEVEN.
Important Truths of the Bible Illus
trated by the Use OF That Numerni'
Favored by the Divine Mind.

Favored by the Divine Mind.
copyright. Louis Klopsch. ls99.l
WASHINGTON. June 25.-Many Of the
most important doctrines Of the Bible
are by DR.. Talmage presented in this
sermon in a very unusual way. Genesis
II, 3. God blessed the seventh day."
The mathematics of the Bible is no
tIceable; the geometry and the arith
metic; the square in Ezekiel; the circle
spoken of in Isaiah; the curve alluded
to in Job; the rule Of fractions mention
ed In Daniel the rule of loss and gain
in Mark, where Christ asks the people
to cipher out by that rule what 1t
would profit a man II he gain the
whole world and lose his soul" But
there Is one mathematical figure that is
crowned above all others In the Bible;
| IL is the numeral seven, which the Ara
bians got from India. and all following
ages have taken from the Arabians. Ii
stands between the figure six and the
figure eight. In the Bible all the other
numerals bow to it. Over 300 times 1t
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 numeral Is for the first time
introduced In a journey which halts
not until In the close of the book of
Revelation its monument is built into
the wall Of heaven in chrysolte, which,
in the strata Of precious stones. Is the
seventh.
In the Bible we find that Jacob had
to serve seven years to get Rachel, but
she was well worth It. and, fOretelling
the years of prosperity and famine in
Pharaoh's time. the seven fat oxen
were eaten up Of the seven lean oxen
and wisdom is said to be built on sew
en- pillars, and the ark was left with
the Phillstines seven years, and Naa
man, for the cure Of his leprosy. plung
ed In the Jordan seven times: the dead
child, when Elisha breathed into it:
mouth, signaled Its arrival back int
consciousness by sneezing seven times
10 the house that Ezekiel saw In vision
there were seven steps; the walls o.
Jericho. before they fell down. wer'
compassed seven days; Zechariah de
scribes q stone with eyes; TO cleanse
leprous house the door must be sprin
J kled with pigeons blood seven times
, In Canaan were overthrown seven ma
tions; on one occasion Christ cast ou
seven devils on a mountain he fed
J multitude OF people with seven loayes
the fragments left filling seven bas
kets, and the closing passages OF tn
(: Bible are magnificent and overwhelm
Ing with the imagery made up of sevel
churches. seven stars. seven candle
sticks, seven seals. seven angels an
seven heads and seven crowns and sev
en- horns and seven spirits and sevel
vials and seven plaques and seve
thunders.
Favored By the Divine Mind.
D Yea. the numeral seven seems a fa
yorite with the divine mind outside
we'll as inside the Bible. for are ther
not seven prismatic colors? And whe
] God with the rainbow wrote the con
, forting thought that the world woul
never have another deluge he wrote
| on the scroll of the sky In Ink OF seye
!, colors. He grouped into the Pieiade
seven stars. Rome, the capital OF u
world, sat on seven hills. When 90
would make the most Intelligent thin
, on earth, the human countenance'
O fashioned II with seven features-th
two ears. the two eyes. the two nostri
u and the mouth. Yea, our body las
. only seven years. and we graduail
4 shed Il for another body after anotn'
seven years. and SO on. for we are : !
. TO our bodies, septennial animals.
the numeral seven ranges through n
ture and through revelation. II Is u
number OF perfection. and 50 ! use
" uhils I speak Of the seven canu'