Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1897-03-13
REV. GULLINS
BREACHES
A Logical Discourse Upon
the Almighty.
THEME: WHO IS GOD?''
Text: BE Still, and Know that 1 am
God" Psalms 46:10.

God" Psalms 46:l0.
BY Rev w. r. Gullins. Preached at
Third Street A. Nj. Z. Church, Sunday
February %, 1897, Richmond, Va.
We will lay the premises OF this dis
course in an ancient city which was ot
the time the metropolis OF the intel
lectual world. The capital OF Attica
in Greece. 1t contained about 10000
or 1S0. 900 inhabitants, situated about
five miles inland northeast OF the Se-
ronic Gulf, an arm OF the Egean Sea
1t lies between two small rivers, the
Cephisus ard Illyssus. -Four noun
tains lie around it, and four still more
famous hills are within the city-the
Acropolis, the Areopagus, or Mars
Hill, the Pnyx, and the museum
After Paul's release from prison, he
with Silas and Timothy, wens along the
great Roman road, about 100 miles in
a southwest direction to Thessalonica,
the chief city of Macedonia. 1t is
now called Salonica of modern Tur-
key. Here Paul preached for several
weeks. when a disturbance arose which
compelled the missionaries to leave.
Driven from Thessalonica, Paul went
sixty miles further TO the southwest
on the way to Greece TO city called
Berea AS usual persecution arose
against the new religion; and Paul ,
leaving Silas and Timothy at Berea to
follow on more leisurely. hasted Sc
cretly on in a eouthernly direction till
he came TO the famous city of Athens
The name OF Athens was synony-
NOUS with the most graceful concep-
tions of art and the profoundest study
of Philosophy. There human wisdom
had sat enthroned.
All succeeding generations and civil
hzed nations have acknowledged her
intellectual supremacy. Athens was
the mother of fine arts, the patron OF
poetry, the founder of systems of phi
losophy. She gave birth to the prod
ucts Of genius in almost every depart
ment of literature and art, which have
scarcely, If ever. been surpassed.
Paul waited eagerly the coming OF
his companions. While waiting prob
ably for some weeks, he walked around
this celebrated city. among it's count
less statues and idols, and his heart
was stirred within him. Itwas a com
mon saying about Athens that it wal
easier to find there god than q man
Schaf's Bible Dictionary places the
number of gods at 10000 Dicgsnes
L@rtius tells a story of Epimenides that
he delivered Athens from q plague by
sacrificing sheep let loose in the city Al
the place where any of them Law down
and building an altar there to the On
known God who had sent the plague
for they did not know which of the
many gods had sent it
A Better explanation is, that the
people then. as in the heather coun
tries now, sacrificed TO & DIS to propi
tiate them. and keep them from send
ing trouble upon them.
That no deity might punish then
for neglecting his worship. or remain
unInvok ed in asking for blessings ,thej
not only erected affairs to all the gods
named or known among them; but
distrustful still lest they might mo-
comprehend fully the extent OF theil
subsection and dependence, they erect
ed them also to any other god or pow
er that might exist, although as ye
unrevealed to them In his wander
ings around the city. on the road from
Phalerus, the nearest seaport to Atheni
he saw an altar with this inscription
Ito the unknown God"
On the summit of Mars Hill, wer,
assembled, 1.-THE noblest blood o
Athens, the frat orators, the first phi
losophers, the first politicians "a court
the most august, not only OF Athens
but OF Greece and indeed OF the world
1t was at this bar dve-huud red year,
before tilaI SOCRATES wa arraiKned ant
condemned on the ground OF innovat
ing upon the stale OF religion. Her,
Paul was allowed to speak.
"It was death for any private either
or person to disturb the religion of tn,
State by the introduction of any for
eign god that had not been publicll
recognized But how admirably doe
Paul avail himself of the inscription
upon the atari
Who could accuse him of innovation
when he only expounded to the Aths
mans the attributes of the God whom
they had ignorantly worshipped? "Y
men OF Athens, perceive that in al
things We are too superstitious. Fo
as passed by. and beheld your devo
tions," not acts of worship, but object
of worship, such as temples, affairs
images, etc, 81 found an altar wit
this inscription, To the unknown God
Whom therefore ye ignorantly wor
ship, Him declare l unto you" TIL
very God whom they knew not, tn
God whose nature is so infinite, who's
character is so holy. whose love is O.
great, that they had no conception o
him, and yet had unconsciously longet
for because they needed him. TIL
"God that made the world and al
things therein" Not an idol, but
living God.
1.-The Lord of heaven and earth" Ii
this sentence shines wisdom, power
omnipresence, goodness, authority
Great knowledge, duties and grea
privileges grow out of this truth Tha
God is great personal spirit, who ha
created matter, and still uses it. an,
that we are his children, msde in hi
likeness, is the grandest conception
both of God and OF man. that has eve
entered the human mind.
What can we learn about God from
nature? His power, wisdom, goodness
omniscience that he Is our Creator
our rightful sovereign.
When we consider the earth withou
form, and void, methinks, it is like tn,
valley full Of dead and dry bones. "Cal
these liver" Can this confused mas
of matter be formed into a beautiful
world7 Yes. If spirit Of life from
God enters into it.
He moved upon the face Of the deep
as Elijah stretched himself upon tn
dead child as b hen gathers her chick
ems under her, and hovers over them
and the dead matter came to life.
lump of matter taken into his hands
buIOWn JNn0OLS onObACI au'
yonder, and still another, becam
worlds.
Dear Christians. this is not n work O
chance, neither is our God Grecial
myth.
That power which bought such
world as this out Of confusion, empti
ness, and darkness, st the beginning O
time, can, at the end of time, brin
our vile bodies out of the grave
though it be = land of darkness a
darkness itself
There is no God like unto our God
Everything shows forth his power, di
vinity aud wisdom. When he unrolle,
the blue scroll, and threw upon its higl
frontispiece the legible CLEANS OF inn
mortality; and fashioned this greel
earth, with its perpetual rolling vat
ers, and its wide expanse of island
- lain anH ooffloI