God

[A. S., O. S., Fris., D., and L. Ger.; Dan., Swed., and Icel. gub; Ger.gott; Goth.guth; Pers. khoda; Afghan. chudai, among the Samoïedes of Ru ia, kudai; Hind. khooda; probably from Sansk. guth, to conceal, whence gûdha, a secret, a mystery. The A. S. word signifies at once God and good; and the a ociation pervades the Teutonic tongues.) The Good; the Author of all goodne ; the Supreme Being; the Eternal and Infinite Spirit; the Creator, and the Sovereign of the Universe; the Almighty. The belief in the existence of some being or beings superior to man, on whom he is dependent, and who demands his worship, is so universal that it may almost be said to be an instinct of our nature. Those who worship many gods are termed polytheists; those who worship one only, monotheists. The department of knowledge which treats of the being, perfections, and government of God, is called theology. Many attempts have been made, by arguments, to prove the existence of one Supreme Being, all-powerful, wise, and good, through whom everything exists. Some of these arguments are à prior i, others are à posterior i. "When we argue from the ideas we have of immensity, eternity, nece ary existence, and the like, that such perfections can reside but in one Being, and thence conclude that there can be but one Supreme God, who is the cause and author of all things," - this is an argument à prior i. When, on the other hand, we argue from the order and regularity that we observe in the objects of nature around us, that there is evidence of design and of a designer, this is an argument à posterior i. Each of these modes of argument, however, is incomplete of itself, and it is only by a combination of the two that we can expect to be able, if indeed the imperfection of our present faculties will ever admit of our being able, to prove by arguments the existence and attributes of God. -A false god; a heathen deity; an idol; a fetish. "Land of lost gods and godlike men." Byron. -A prince; a sovereign; a ruler; a magistrate or judge; an angel. (Chiefly of scriptural application.) "Thou shalt not revile the gods , nor curse the ruler of thy people."- Exod . xxii. 2. -Any person or thing held in over-exalted estimation, or deified and honored as the chief good; as, he makes a god of his belly. "Leaves a gentleman, and makes a god of such a cullion." Shaks. -pl. A term colloquially used to denote the habitués or frequenters of the gallery in a theatre, especially in Ireland; as, the gods hi ed him off the stage. (Cant.) Godal'ming, a town of Surrey in England, on the Wey, which is here cro ed by a bridge, 5 m. S.S.W. of Guild ford. Manuf . Hosiery, blankets, worsteds, cotton cloths, stockings, and gloves, with a considerable trade in hops, coal, timber, and bark. Pop. 6,350. Goda'very, a river of India, rising on the E. side of the W. Ghauts, abt. 70 m. N.E. of Bombay. At Rajamundry in the N. Circars, it divides into two streams; the left flowing into the Bay of Bengal in Lat. 16° 48' N., Lon. 82° 23′ E., and the right in Lat. 16° 18' N., Lon. 81° 46′ E. The entire length of the G. is about 900 m. probity, skill, and prudence, which were of a higher and rarer order. He maintained the most complete discipline among his division of the Christian army, which he brought safely to the appointed muster-place beneath the walls of Constantinople, in the winter of 1096. By his sagacity and firmne he prevented hostilities breaking out between the host of the crusaders and the Greek emperor, Alexius Comnenus; and in the spring of 1097, Godfrey led the Frankish nations into Asia Minor, to the siege of the capital of the Turkish sultan of Nice. This city was captured after a siege in which the personal valor of Godfrey, as well as his generalship, was frequently displayed. He was tall, well-proportioned, and of such remarkable strength and dexterity in the use of his weapons, that he is said in more than one encounter to have cloven his foe by a single sword-stroke from skull to centre. After Nice was captured, the Crusaders marched forward, and defeated a Turkish army in the great battle of Dorylæum. They reached Antioch, in Syria, late in the winter of 1097. The city was captured after an obstinate resistance; and the weakened army of the victors was in turn besieged in its walls by an innumerable host of the Mohammedans. After enduring much suffering and lo , Godfrey led the Crusaders in a sudden sortie upon their enemies, which was completely victorious. The enthusiasm caused among the Christian army by the supposed discovery of the relic of the Holy Lance, was one great cause of this succe . It was not till 1099 that the Crusaders reached Jerusalem; and their numbers were then reduced by the sword and by disease to only 1,500 horse and 20,000 foot fit for service. The Mohammedan garrison was far more numerous, and the city was formidably strong. But the zeal of the Crusaders was indomitable. After a siege of forty days, a succe ful a ault was made, and "on a Friday, at three in the afternoon, the day and hour of the Pa ion, Godfrey of Bouillon stood victorious on the walls of Jerusalem." ( Gibbon ). When the Crusaders were sated with carnage and pillage, they deliberated on the important subject of choosing a ruler of their conquest; and, with the universal consent of the a embly, G. was hailed king of the Christian kingdom of Jerusalem. He showed his humility and piety by refusing to wear a golden diadem in the city where his Saviour had been crowned with thorns, and he desired to be called only Defender and Baron of the Holy Sepulchre. During his short reign he gained several military advantages in the field against the Mohammedans, especially at Ascalon, where he completely routed a large army which the sultan of Egypt had sent to reconquer Jerusalem. G. deserved still higher honor for his exertions in establishing order and justice in his dominions, and in compiling a code of laws for his subjects. Unhappily for the infant kingdom, he D. within a year from his acce ion. Godfrey, in Illinois , a post-village of Madison co. Godha'ven, or GODHAVN. ( god'hawn ,) a town or settlement of Green land, on Disco Island, in Davis Strait; pop . abt. 250.