Newspaper Page Text
July 14, 1909.
Sunday
PAUL'S SECOND MIS
Acti
Lesson for
GOLDEN TEXT.?"God is j
him must worship him in spi
DAILY HOW
M.?Acts 17:16-34.
W.?Isa. 40:18-31.
F.?Psalm 50:1-16. * !
S.?2 C
TOPICAL
Paul's Failure at Athens?
His sermon on Mars Hill,
Attended with small
SHORTER
Q. 6.5?What is forbidden I
A. The fifth commandment
doing anything against the h
to every one in their several ;
LESSON <
When Paul found it n
for obvious reasons, he could
determined to press farther
by way of the Thermaic Gul
and art and philosophy. A
Athens had departed and it i
there was still gathered hen
the seat of philosophy.
Coming to the Agora, he fo
public life of the city, where
poets and artists, to converse
Following his usual custom
own race and disputes in the
are not told with what succec
in Athens was so short that
He did not confine himself
in the market daily with t
market was the Agora of '
market in our sense of the te
of concourse.
It was in this place that Pa
he waited for his companions
impressionable at this time,
those whom he would. befri<
from his fellow-laborers. H
Now more than at any time
when he saw the city wholly
was in his heart that all the
around him were used in the
the honor of the Lord Jehova
Speaking in a public pi
encountered some of the Ej
eureans were virtually athei
system of materialism. If tt
that they were separated fro
them the universe was a grea
governor, no retribution. Th<
finer matter and nothing wi'
soul and body were annihllat<
drink and he merry, for to-mi
end at life, and expediency i
' school the doctrine of the re
was foolishness.
The Stoics were Pantheisl
death would be burnt or be
i the resurrection was irratio:
austere apathy and the repri
passion. Stoicism was the sc
sympathy with a Saviour wh
i of our infirmities.
I.\. Some of these, probably th
will this babbler say"? Th'
would give some attention t
\
THE PRESBYTERIAN
School
SIONARY JOURNEY.
s 17:22-34.
July 25, 1909.
a Spirit; and they that worship
rit and in truth."?John 4:24.
IE READINGS.
r?Isa. 40:9-17.
Th.?Jer. 10:1-16.
S?John 4:19-29. *
or. 5:1-11.
. uu i Line,
, vs. 22-31.
results, vs. 32-34.
CATECHISM.
In the fifth commandment?
forbiddeth the neglecting of, or
ionor and duty which belongeth
places and relations.
COMMENTS.
ecessary to leave Thessalonica,
not go hack to Phillippi; so he
west. Taking boat, he travels
if to the very center of culture
lthough much of the glory of
was now a Roman province, yet
e the best scholars, and it was
und himself in the center of the
met the orators and statesmen
i or to transact their business.
, he makeB himself known to his
i synagogue with the Jews. We
is he met, and probably his time
no Church was established.
! to the Jews, but also disputed
ihem that met with him. This
which we have spoken; not a
rm, but a public square, a place
luI spent much of his time while
. His mind and heart were very
having been roughly treated by
;nd and having been separated
e was alone in the great city,
in his life his spirit was moved
given to idolatry. A great pity
beauty and learning which were
service of the devil and against
,h.
ice and of a new religion, he
>icureans and Stoics. The Epists
and their philosophy was a
ley believed in the gods, it was
m the affairs of the earth. To
.t accident. There was no moral
s soul, if there was one, was but
thout the body. In death, both
ed. Their moral creed was, Eat,
orrow we ate. .Pleasure was the
was the rule of life. To such a
ssurrectlon which Paul preached
ts. They said that the soul at
reabsorbed into God. To them
nal. Their rule of life was an
ession of all human feeling and
:hool of pride and could have no
10 was touched with the feeling
e Epicureans, ask lightly, "What
e more serious Stoics probably
o the Apostle and would weigh
OF THE SOUTH.
his doctrine.
Moved with various feelings,
gus, saying, "May we know wh
thou speakest 1c"? A multitude
time in scholarly disputation at
thing new followed. Paul,
preaches them the most remarl
The place was one which woul
serious attention to what the Ai
that the court of judicature n
greatest criminals and to decide
connected with religion.
Paul, as he took his position i
love for the souls of these mei
false religion; but, with all his
to denunciation nor was he t<
words. His address is remarkal
and was calculated to arrest the
out inciting them to an attitud
attacking their objects of dev<
and would draw their minds
worship to that unknown God v
they knew him not.
In the 22nd verse our Englist
accuse these men as being supei
is: "All things which I behold
ness in religion;" or, "I perceiv
religious worship."
Paul evetywhere shows hims
in his address, and nowhere is
ness. He tells them that he h
known God, erected perhaps t<
ance that they could ascribe to
had heard of the God of the Je
any divinity, had erected this i
his text and tells them that 1
whom they now dimly worshlpp
This discourse was differen
spoken in the synagogues, wher
personal Jehovah. It was not
of Jesus or the prophecies relat
been meaningless to the Athe
living God as opposed to the
tprfnliam nf P.rooco X\7a /> ?,
method was different from, thi
nothing of speculation in it, but
of the existeifee of the one G
eternal and unchangeable in
holiness, justice, goodness and 1
Surrounded as he was by i
imagine the Apostle directing
to each in turn and then leadin
to a higher estimate of the ho
could be had in brazen statu
4uuianuu 11 villi uue Ul meir ow
to point his argument. This
quotation from a heathen poe
rightly used, than a quotatioi
Athenians' had never heard.
While he does not mention
Athenians knew to whom he 1
the words of the 31st verse,
preaching Jesus and the resuri
preach the resurrection of the d
a day and appointed a judge bel
and be judged. This gained ad
of the hearers from the place
Mars' Hill was where the cour
and no doubt the vision of the
oi many o( tncse men.
The effect of this sermon, wh
as we might expect in an aud
largely by curiosity. Some n
"We will hear thee again of tl
clave unto him and believed, a
member of the court of Areoi
Damarls, of whom we know not
15
they took him to the Areopaat
this new doctrine whereof
; of the men who spent their
id in telling or hearing someembracing
the opportunity,
table sermon of his ministry,
d incline the hearers to give
lostle had to say. It was here
set to pass sentence on the
i on the most solemn question
innn 'tho Villi ?,AL
-1 . UIU, nao UU lire Willi
i, who were enslaved by this
i earnestness, he was not led
> be ensnared in any of his
>le for Its tact and Its aptness,
attention of his hearers withle
of antagonism. Instead of
>tion, he uses one as a text,
from the emptiness of their
rhom they worshiDned- thnneh
i translation would have Paul
rstitious. A better translation
bear witness to your carefule
that you are much given to
elf to be a perfect gentleman
guilty of rudeness or boorishad
found an altar to the Un>
commemorate some deliverno
other God, or perhaps they
>ws, and not wishing to slight
altar. Paul uses the altar as
le came to declare that God
ea not, Knowing Him.
t from those which he had
e his listeners believed In the
a sermon on the Messiahshlp
ting to him. This would have
snians. His subject was \he
polytheism, atheism and manot
fail to notice that his
it of the schools* there was
t it was a positive declaration
lod, who is a Spirit, infinite,
his being, wisdom, power,
:ruth.
statues and temples, we can
the attention of the audience
g them to higher thought and
nor and majesty of God than
es or pillared temples. The
m poets, Aratus, he also used
was one sermon in ? which a
t would have more force, if
i from Isaiah, of whom the
Jpflna hv nnmo nr? HnnKf
J UV uv/ui/b tuc
iad reference when he spoke
In the Agora he had been
'ection. Not only did he now
ead, but that he had appointed
'ore whom they all must stand
ditional force upon the minds
where it was uttered. This
t judged and passed sentence,
last assize rose in the minds
ich was interrupted, was such
ience that had been gathered
locked; others more serious,
lis matter." But certain men
mong whom was Dionysius, a
>agus. Also a woman named
hing further.W. D. Hedleston.