Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-06-05
STRESSES PRE-EM|NENCE
OF JESUS IN ALL THINGS
Held Together in Christ"
Theme of Rev. J. B. Hun.
ley's Sermon.
rInsr-nony OF ALL CREATION
In Him Were All Things Created, in
Heavens and Upon Earth, Things
Visible and ThfpEn Invisible. De-
clnres Preacher.

Taking as his subject, Held To-
gether in Christ" Rev..J. r. Hun
ley in Hanover Avenue Christian
church. preached yesterday morning.
in part. as follows:
The Apostle Paul amirms the prc-
eminence Of Jesus Chris, in all
things. he is the image of the in
visible God. lie is tho nrst-born
of AL creation. In Him were all
things created. in the heavens and
upon tho earth. things Visible and
things Invisible. whether thrones or
dominions or principali.ieS or pow
through Him and unto Him: and
iie is before all things, and in Him
all things consist. Hc is not only
Creator. but He is also Redeemcr
In Him We have redemption. the
forgiveness az our sins He is the
head OF tho body. the church which
He redeems. Paul claims all this
for Christ, but Paul claims no more
for Christ than Christ claimed for
Himself. Christ said. All things
have been delivered un-o Me of my
Father He also said. All authority
hath been given unto Me in heaven
and on earth He said, I am the
Alpha and the Omega. the first and
the last. the beginning and the end
over and over again He claimed to
he the I Am. Moreover, all his
teaching supports His claim. lie
was either what He claimed to be
or an !mpostor. There Is no middle
ground.
Universe ChristO-C-ntric.
with Paul the universe IL Chris
'o-ccntric. In Christ all things con-
sist. The marg!na! rendering Of the
word consist in the American Re-
vised Version is very suggestive. 1t
reads. hold together In Him all
things hold together
This is true, first. OF the physical
universe. The old way Of thinking
puts God on a throne i'm some distant
part OF the universe. Tho new way
conc"ivcs God az identified with all
things. but not above them. The
hrst stresses the transccndence OF
God: the second. tho immanence OF
God. The Bible reveals the God who
is over all. in all and through all.
God is transcendent. He Is not a
being cnmcshed In His own laws
Spirit pervades His universe
Christ holds together the universe
OF life. The microscope reveals in
unity in small things. In the r!s-
ing grades Of life from tho tinicst
cell on UP through vegetable and
animal life to man made a little
lower than God. there is mystery
everywhere. Science has wrestled
TO know the first cause. The Bible
declares God I" be the Creator. There
~ no other reasonable cNplanatio
Proctor. in his hook. Other Worlds
Than Ours advances the thought
that inasmuch as life exists under
so many varying conditions on this
planet. ii is not unreasonable To
suppose that life exists on other
planets Be that as IL may. the
Eihlc reveals that there are princi-
palities and powers and varying or
ders and ranks of created intclli-
rence in the heavens. over all these
Christ Rules with universal sway. and
ali life from the Smallest coll tha,
floats in the sunbeam to the greatest
archanEel before the throne Of God
* dependent upon him for existence.
In him all life holds together.
Reveals Mental Proressrs
I'm tho universe Of mind We come
upon that which forever separates
tho lower orders of creation from
man. Psychology has revealed men
tai processcs-mcmory, reason, i'm
acination. II we arc overwhelmed
at the immensely of the physical
universe. think Of the power Of mind
that invented the telescope and fol-
lows the stars in their courses, that
I invented the microscope. and by a
series of inventions beyond the fond
est dreams of man. has conquered
the earth. the sea and the air. The
lower animals remain as they are.
but man rises to new heights Of
achievement with each succeeding
age. He received a primal commits
sion to have dominion over the FISH
/ OF the sea. and over the birds of the
heavens. and over the cattle, and
over all the earth. and over every
creeping thing that crecpeth upon
/ the earth There Is only One who
I has yet Mad all things subject 10
/ Him. and that is Christ. In Hin,
we see the prophecy OF what man
/ is To be in the day when the sons
OF God are revealed, when the whole
creation is delivered from the bond
age of corruption into the liberty
of the glory of the children OF God
When we think of the libraries and
laboratories where the genius Of
man has expressed itself. we ask
Whence the power OF mind Rack
OF all is n source OF knowledge and
wisdom. and Paul says that source
is Christ. In Him tho universe OF
mind holds together or confusion
ot