Birmingham age-herald., 1895-05-13
St. Mary's-on-the-Highlands.

St. Mary 's-On-tne- e-tilgnianuS.
 The confirmation exercises were held at 7.30 a. m, the early communion ser
 vice. Bishop Jackson confirmed the
 class, consisting of MT. and Mrs. Haiden Miller Mrs. Cohen, MT. H. B. Gray,
 Miss Cherry. Misses Jennie Trimble, Car rie Nance, Annie Pierson, Annie Roberts
 and David Roberts, Jr. The cQnfirma-
 ton service always impressive, was all the more so at this early hour. The soft notes of the organ chimed in with the hallowed hush of the bright Sabbath morning. The sunbeams, shining through the stained glass windows, cast a halo around the bowed heads about the altar. The shadows of the leaves moving in the morning breeze formed mobile mosaic on the aisles.
 At the Il o'clock service a very large congregation gathered. Many were pres ent from the Church of the Advent and from the Elyton church. The choir was in perfect training, and the song service was very sweet, especially the quartette composed of Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Under wood and Messrs. Randall and Yeates Rector Fitzsimons and MT. J. A. Van Hoose read the preparatory lessons Bishop Jackson selected his subject from the 17th chapter of Acts-"The Un- known God" He was very earnest and very eloquent, and strengthened his claim to the distinction of being the most eloquent pulpit orator among the south ern bishops. He drew word painting of Paul in Athens. As Paul walked the streets of that classic city he saw on every hand the most magnificent works of art He was in the midst of the flow ering of the civilization of that age. Yet every evidence of art and learning about him was but the opalesque glow of the malaria on stagnant pool of water when the sun shines upon it. Among the images of gods on every hand Paul found one erected to the "Unknown God" ot "a failed to find the true God, and where reason broke off faith came in. Paul met the most learned Athenians on Mars Hill. This hill was so called because of tradition that said Mars was once tried there for murder by tribunal of the gods. On this historic spot Paul made his great speech. only a skeleton | of which has come down to us. He de- | clared 'aThe unknown God whom ye-ig- | norantly worship, Him I declare unto | you. The religious condition of the l world at that time was deplorable-men l were groping blindly in the dark for the | true God The Brahmins of the east | worshipped a god of numberless hands and feet-a deification of the human l form. The Persian Parsees worshipped 1 the sun. The Egyptians conducted their | devotees through the beautiful corridors | of magnificent temples until they | reached the inner sanctuary, and then | bowed before an enthroned cat or croco- | Ulle. The Grec1d0S QelneQ the human | passions and worshipped Bacchus and l Venus Paul declared to them the "Un- | known God" Is this unknown God un- | knowable? Agnosticism says we know | nothing except what we see or feel. | Pope says,
 Presume not God to scan;
 l The proper study of mankind is man." | Huxley and Darwin say the only God | we know is the great First Cause. Spen- | cer takes a step forward, and says there | is a God, but we know nothing of Him. l There is a dangerous doctrine now | taught in some of the schools and col | leges called the HambIetonian doctrine | Agnosticism is the most dangerous foe l the Christian religion confronts today. l It strikes at the central part of Chris | tianity. The agnostics say they neither 1 affirm nor deny the existence of God. | The admission that they do not deny | His existence argues possibility This | is a good premise to reason from in logic | Some of our greatest undertakings are | based upon possibility. They also talk 1 about the mystery surrounding God | That is no argument, for all about us we find the mysterious. The drop of wa | ter Is mystery, and has puzzled the
 minds of the wisest of men. It takes an | ocean to engulf a ship, but the human l intellect is drowned in drop of water | God is movable. He was made mani fest to us through His Son. We appre- | bend Him through our spiritual nature. 1 He is ever present with us. With up- | lifted hands we cry, Abba Father.
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