The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-04-11

peculiar circumstances. lie was
standing in the Areopagus, or great
council hall of the Athenians, situated
on Mars Hill. He was surrounded by
the chief officers of the city, by sages
orators, poets and philosophers. Not
one of them, possibly, had ever heard
Of Jesus of Nazareth. There were
some Jews in the city, but they were
still looking for the promised Mes
siah.
Nearly all the inhabitants were
gross idolaters = worshiping fully
10000 deities. And yet, with all the
yagaries of their endless mythology,
their thousand and one superstitions,
the Greeks had looked with suspicion
upon any strange teacher, and held
to strict account any one who taught
any new doctrine.
When Paul first visited Athens he
entered the city unheralded and
alone. While awaiting the arrival OF
his companions in travel, whom ne
had left at Berea, he improved the
time in wandering about the city and
inspecting the beautiful works of art
which met the eye at every turn. He
also went to the Jewish synagogue,
the market place, and places of daily
concourse, disputing with the Stoics
and Epicureans, and with the scribes
and rabbins, and everywhere preach
ing "Jesus, and the resurrection"
His boldness soon gave him notoriety.
Everywhere he was characterized as
ga babbler, and setter forth of strange
gods" So he was taken to the Are
opagus on Mars Hill, and called upon
to give an account of himself.
He then began a discourse, the
opening words of which only have
been given us by the sacred historian,
but in them we have enunciated the
great fundamental doctrines of
Christianity as set forth by the Saw
Jour himself, viz: the Fatherhood OF
God, and the brotherhood of man;
also, the true doctrine concerning
the resurrection.
His discourse produced varied
effect upon his auditors. Some be-
lieved, among whom was Dyonisius,
one of the judges of the court; others
Knocked, and said, 1--WE will hear thee
again of this matter" Among these
were doubtless the Epicurean phil
osophers who did not believe in any
future existence, or possibly some
Stoics who taught insensibility to
pleasure or pain in this life, but be,
lieved in future rewards and punish
ments.
No wonder the sublime truths of
Christianity were strange doctrines
to these men. They are strange doc
trines today to many in Christian
lands, and we need not go very far to
find men entertaining as contradic-
tory views concerning God and duty
and destiny as were held by these
idolatrous heather.
Universalists constantly assert their
strong belief in the Divine Paternity,
and the Scriptures abundantly prove
the doctrine. The prophet Malachi
asks, "Have we not all one Father
Hath not one God created U.S." And
Paul, writing to the Corinthians, tes-
titles: "To us there is but one God,
the Father, of whom are all things"
and to the Ephesians he says: "For
this cause 1 bow my knees unto the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of
whom the whole family in heaven
and earth is named" And you all
remember the opening words of the
Lords Prayer, "Our Father who art
in heaven;" not your father nor my
father, exclusively, but "Our Father"
the Father of the whole human race.
And we believe, too, in the brother
hood of man; all created in the image
of God, on an equality, as final des-
tiny; all endowed with reasoning
faculties; all possessing an immortal
soul; all subject to the same law of
being; all capable of improvement
and advancement; all children of one
common parent.
And we believe, too, in the resur-
rection to higher life. Not recus-
citation of our physical bodies; not
gathering together again of our per-
ishable elements; but that resurrec-
ton described by Paul when he says,
''This corruptible shall put on incor-
ruption, this mortal, immortality"
Again, we believe that virtue should
be rewarded, and vice punished. We
believe in the certainty of retribution;
we believe that every transgression
should receive its just recompense of
reward. We firmly believe in the
Divine government, and humbly bow
to the equity of its administration,