The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-07-24

| hearing for himself from the whole
city. He was borne to Mars Hill be-
fore the court of the Areopagus, the
| center of philosophic debate. He knew,
| when he was called upon for full
| statement of his principles, that the
| whole crowd would resort thither and
Athens would be set to humming with
! a discussion of the Crucified. We may
| easily imagine how Paul prepared for
| that speech. His every thought was
| an tnarticulate prayer for divine guild
ance. Near and far he sought for
: phrases and metaphors and illustra-
| tions. If he failed to be interesting
he would fail altogether. And if he
! failed to be tolerant he would get no
| hearing. He would have to reason
! from what was known to them up
/ into the realm of what they had yet
to learn. How well he succeeded we
know from so much of the speech as
| has been preserved to us.
a Classic Speech.
"And Paul stood in the midst of the
| Areopagus. and said:
'Ye men of Athens. in all things I
For as I passed along, and observed
the objects of your worship, I found
also an altar with this inscription, TO
an Unknown Cod What therefore we
worship in ignorance, this I set forth
unto you. The God that made the
world and all things therein, he, be-
ing Lord of heaven and earth, dwell
leth not In temples made with hands;
u6lIIleT Is ne served Dy men ndIOSs
as though he needed anything, seeing
he himself giveth to all life, and
breath, and all things; and he made
of one every nation of men to dwell
on all the face of the earth, having de-
termined their appointed seasons. and
the bounds of their habitation; that
they should seek God, If haply they
might feel after him and find him,
though he is not far from each one
of us for in him we live, and move
and have our being; as certain even
of your own poets have said,
For we are also his offspring
Being then the offspring of God,
we ought not to think that Godhead
craven by art and device of man. The
times of ignorance therefore God over
looked; but now he commandeth men
that they should all everywhere re-
a day in which he will judge the world
in righteousness by the man whom he
hath ordained; whereof he hath given
assurance unto all men, in that he
hath raised him from the dead"
A Great Efforts Small Effect.
When the speaker began to bear
home upon the convictions of his hear
ers the crowd grew FESTIVE. Some jeer-
ed at his teaching of the resurrection
They did not like anything so crude
and unrefined. Others, with the i'm
memorial procrastination of the
cowardIy, promised to hear more at
a later season. The general impress
sion made by this masterpiece of ora
tory was comparatively slight. The
hardest kind of soil for gospel sowing
is among semi people who
feel themselves confident to sit in
judgment upon all things above and
below. Possessed of shallow edu-
cation which comes short of intense
conviction, they feel themselves be-
yond the moving power of teacher or
preacher. Better is it to preach to
company of prisoners or OF rank pa
gans than to attempt to quicken to
action and to newness of character
the average congregation of dilettanteS
and doctrinaireS.
There were a few converts from the
Mars Hill speech. 1t was not fail
ure The time later came when the
Parthenon on Mars Hill was a Chris
tian church Even one of the mem
bers of the court of Areopagus, Diony-
sius and a noted woman named De-
maris, were among the converts. The
speech no doubt established the re-
Hgion Il Jesus in that community as
worthy Of respectful attention and con-
Into the midst of the null
titude of PHILOSOPHERS was projected
this new one, challenging attention
and holding forth its sublime claims
to supremacy and allegiance.
An Old Nation, a New Problem.
Terse Comments Upon the Christian
Endeavor Topic for July rs, He i
roes of Missions in China" Matt. |
5:1S-16.
BY WILLIAM T. ELLIS.
Some persons still think of China |
only in terms of Chinese laundrymen.
They assume an attitude of rather |
Indifference toward the !
"heathen Chinese" and rather take |
credit to themselves for it. They have |
no knowledge of the real China, with |