whether these things were so. Accordingly many of them believed; also of honourable women who were Greeks, and of men, not a few.

But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached by Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the populace. And then, immediately, the brethren sent away Paul to go as it were to the sea: but Silas and Timotheus remained there still. And they that conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens:* and receiving a commandment to Silas and Timotheus that they should come to him with all speed, they departed.

Now, while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred within him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. Therefore he disputed in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons,† and in the market-place daily with them that met with him. Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoics,‡

*Athens. One of the most celebrated cities of Greece, and indeed of the world. It was the very seat of literature and the arts. The people in the days of Paul were gay and dissipated, fond of speculation and disputation on all subjects, entertaining a high opinion of themselves, and holding all other nations in contempt. No state of mind could be more unfavourable to the reception of the gospel than this.

+ Devout persons. Gentiles who worshipped the God of Israel along with the Jews.

Epicureans and Stoics. These were two opposing sects of philosophers. Epicurus, the founder of the former sect, taught that all happiness lay in pleasure; by which, as he explained himself, he meant well regulated affections, and the proper use of external things. His followers, however, soon adopted the more grovelling view of pleasure, and gave themselves up to the grossest profligacy. They denied the immortality of the soul, a future state, and a Divine providence. The Stoics were called so from Stoa, which signifies a porch, because Zeno their founder held his school in a porch or portico. The Stoics were an austere sect,

*

encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? Others, He seemeth to be a proclaimer of foreign gods: because he proclaimed to them the good tidings of Jesus, and the resurrection. And they took him, and brought him to Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine is whereof thou speakest, for thou bringest certain strange things to our ears; we would know, therefore, what these things mean. (For all the Athenians and strangers who were there spent their time in nothing else, but either in telling or hearing some new thing.)

Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are more than others given to the fear of your Gods. For, going through the city, and observing your sacred things, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Him, then, whom ye know not, while ye worship I declare unto you;-the God that made the world and all things therein.

He, being Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands. Neither is he served with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, for he himself giveth to all life, and breath, and all

affecting to set themselves above all causes of pain and distress, by mental efforts. They held that all events happen by a fatal necessity, and that happiness consists in living agreeably to nature and reason. The leading characteristic of the Epicureans was sensuality; that of the Stoics was pride.

*

Areopagus,-i. e. The hill of Mars; which was a hill in Athens, on which was held one of the most celebrated courts of that city. Whether Paul was brought before the court of Areopagus, or only to the hill of Areopagus, is not very clear.

+ Strangers. Athens was a great resort of strangers, who were attracted by its celebrity for elegance and politeness.

Fear of your Gods,-i. e. The Gods of the heathen, which are no Gods but dæmons, supposed invisible spirits.

things; and hath made of one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the limits of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if indeed they would grope after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us for by him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Deity is like to gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. And the times of this ignorance God overlooked;* but now commandeth all men every where to repent; because he hath appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath offered assurance to all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

Now, when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked:+ but others said, We will hear thee again about this matter. So Paul went out from among them. Yet, certain persons adhered to him, and believed: among whom was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

* Overlooked, rendered also winked at. The meaning is not that God disregarded the sin of idolatry in these times of ignorance; still less that he connived at it; but merely that he did not directly interpose to prevent it. He suffered it to go on, without any immediate remedy applied to it. But now he does interpose directly, commanding all men every where to repent of it.

+ Some mocked. They thus rudely interrupted Paul's discourse before he had even mentioned the name of Jesus.

Areopagite. A member of the court of Areopagus, in some respects the highest and most honourable public body in Athens.

WORDS, &C. TO BE EXPLAINED IN LESSON XV.

Devout,

Areopagus,

Limits,
Overlooked,

Areopagite.

QUESTIONS ON LESSON XV.

WHERE did the apostle go to after leaving Philippi?

In what kingdom was Thessalonica ?

How long did he continue there ?

How was he employed?

What circumstances led to his removing from it?
Where did he go from Thessalonica?

How did the Jews at Berea receive him?

What character is given of them, and why?

What circumstances constrained him to leave Berea?
Where did he then go?

In what country was Athens?

What did he see remarkable in Athens ?

How was he affected by seeing this?

What did he do in consequence of this?

Who encountered him?

Where did they bring him to?

What was Areopagus?

What did they say to him there?

What did he tell them he had seen remarkable in Athens?

Whom did Paul propose to declare to them?

How did he describe God whom he declared to them?

What inference did he draw from what he had said about God?

How did they receive his discourse?

Did any one believe?

What were their names?

Who was Dionysius?

LESSON XVI.

Paul leaves Athens and goes to Corinth, where he meets with Aquila and Priscilla-The Jews of the synagogue oppose him, and he goes to the house of Justus-The Jews bring him before Gallio the deputy-After remaining some time, he returns to Antioch in Syria.

FROM ACTS XVIII.

AFTER these things, Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth ;* and found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla (because Claudius + had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome) and came to them. And because he was of the

* Corinth had been a large, commercial, wealthy city of Greece, situated on an isthmus between two inlets or gulfs, the one of which, called the Corinthian gulf, opened towards the Adriatic; the other, called the Saronic gulf, opened into the Archipelago. Corinth had been the capital city of Achaia, one of the most celebrated states of the Peloponnesus, that peninsula which is now called the Morea. It had two ports, that which was upon the western, or Corinthian gulf, called Lechæum, and that which was on the eastern or Saronic. gulf, called Cenchrea. It had also been celebrated for its splendour, its luxury, and the dissolute profligacy of its inhabitants. When the Romans took possession of Greece they destroyed the ancient city of Corinth; but the site of it being important in a military and commercial point of view, they afterwards rebuilt it, sent a colony of Romans to occupy it, and made it the capital of their province of Achaia, which included the whole of Greece except Macedonia.

+ Claudius, the Roman Emperor, banished the Jews from Rome, in consequence of tumults raised by them. Suetonius, a Roman Historian, says it was at the instigation of one Chrestus. This was a common Greek name, and he probably mistook it for Christus or Christ. The tumults might probably be occasioned by the assaults made on the Christians by the unbelieving Jews, similar to those at Lystra, Thessalonica, Berea, Corinth, &c.