Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-07-24

Epicurean and Stole PHILOSOPHERS. They
neither knew nor cared anything about
the Old Testament and its teachings. AS
a rule the Jews were desp.sed people,
and if Paul had preached to the Athen-
ians as he preached to the jews he
would but have intensified the prejudices
OF his audience and have made success
impossible. The law is unvariable. The
lecturer. the preacher, the Sunday school
teacher must adapt his instructions to
the capacity of his hearers. Paul began
his sermon with compliment to his au-
dience. Our King James translation is
here exceedingly unfortunate. Paul
would never have begun an address to
any people with a slap in the face. He
began every epistle with praise. Cen
sure, IT 1t must come, would be given at
the last Paul meant to praise the Athe-
mans as much as was possible. And SO
he said. as our American revision has it.:
"fe men OF Athens. in all things / per-
ceNc that We are very religious" This
would dispose them to listen as he said:
AS ! passed along, and observed the OBJ
jects of your worship, I found also an
altar with this inscription, To an In
known Col What therefore. We worship
In ignorance, this | set forth unto your
This was his text. furnished by them
selves, reared by their own hands.
And from this he proceeded to tell them
OF the one true and living God, the
maker of all things. source of ali life, di-
rector of all seasons: who has made of
one all the nations of the earth. and who
sets the bounds to their habitations. This
God should be sought by all men though
he is not far from every one of us: for
in Him we live. and move. aud have our
being. And now, to prove the truth Of
His teaching, from their own authors He
quotes .Aratus. one of their poets, who
said. And we are also His offspring .
audience with him. But now he assailed
their idolatry. He showed the supreme
folly OF men who are the offspring OF
God supposing that the godhead is like
the art of man. In the past it may be
that even idolatry was permissible. For
sins of ignorance God winks at. But
now that the light has come He com
see what Paul means by this word re-
pentance. 1t means two things. sorrow
for the past. and abandonment of the
past. 1t was as though he had said.
ever. From henceforth be worshipers Of
the one God only" We are not to sup
pose that Luke has here given US the
whole of Paul's sermon Its trend and
Its main points are doubtless preserved.
Its closing thought is Enthusiastically gem
uiDe. Paulfs gospel had ever in it a
tfnge of terror. 1t was not matter of
indifference to them either here or here
after whether they would accept his in
vitation. There was coming time in
'iiSh wv "Ouiu Juo6C tiS WOIu
righteousness. And the judge shall be
that man whom He hath ordained and
whom He raised from the dead" It Is
an old trick of the unregenerate man.
when he is unable to evade the truth, and
when he is unwilling to accept it, to lay
hold of some one statement OF the
preacher. and In denouncing thai seek to
forget the entire message. Now the res
direction of the dead is doctrine which
was denied and held to be impossible by
both the Epicureans aud Stoics. This was
made their breastwork against the truth.
To change the figure. they used it as the
farmer uses the lightning rod to avert
the lightning. Some Knocked" This is
a cheap and ancient subterfuge. Some
used 1t on the day of, Pentecost, some
used it here. The Epicureans, who taught
that this life was all. were probably the
Knockers. The Stoics. who taught the
doctrine of absorption. may have been
they who said: 1--WE will hear thee yet
again concerning this But the preach
ers work was well and faithfully
done. The responsibility for Its rejection
from whatever cause lay with those who
turned away. This is truth, that every
scholar should face and seriously ponder.