a few. # God blefling his own gifts, and giving ſtill unto them that had,
and ſuperfluity of naughtineſs,and receive with meeknelſs the ingraft- ed Word, which is able to fave our ſouls, James 1. 21. we ſhould hnd the hand of the Lord not to be ſhortned, but his Word as pow- erful, as piercing, as converting as ever.
1; But when the Jews of Theſlalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Beraa, they came thither alſo, and & ſtirred up the people.
k As the Waves are ſtirred with the Wind; a fit Meraphor to repreſent the fickle multitude by ; that as the Sea now rolls one way , then another ; or as tottering buildings that ſhake with every wand.
14 And then immediately the brethren ſent away Paul /, to go as it were to the fea : but m Silas and Timotheus abode there til].
{ That they might give overthe purſuit of him; or at leaſt, be diſappointed if they did purſue him, being he went on foot to -2thens. » The fury of the perſecurors not being lo hot againſt them as a- gainlt Paul,wtho was more known or maligned than S:/zs or Timothems. Or, thele might abide there longer , having their Relations in Macedonia,
15 aAnd they that conducted Paul, brought him un- too Athens : and *receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timotheus, for to come to him with all ſpeed, they departed,
» Who accompanicd him,
and had undertaken ro ſecure him. 0 The Greece of Greece, or the Eye of Greece ;, as Greece was accounted the Eye ofthe World ; and yer with all its Learning did not attain to ſaving knowledge. unti} Pau! came and preached it. Satan's j malice fiJl cauſes the Goſpel to ſpread.
16 © Now while Paul waited for them at Athens,
his fpiric wasp ſtirred in him, when he ſaw the Cityq | wearied themſelves with their ſupplications unto all the gods of
wholly given [| to idolatry. Þ Moved, and ſhargned, being highly afſeQted with divers paſ- | fiuns; 1. With grief for fo learned, and yer blind and miſerable ! a place. 2. With zeal, and an holy deſire to inſtruc and inform ! 'f 3 With anger and indignation againſt the idolatry and fin that | bounded jinit. g Or as the marginal reading hath, fu of Taols. | For we rezd, that there were more Idols in A4thens, than in all Greece belides; and that it was eaſier to find a God there ( thar is, : an Ido}) than a man; their Images being as numerous as their In- ! habitants, 17 » Therefore diſputed he in the ſynagogue with the Jews, and with s the devout perſons, and in 7 the market
daily with them that met with him.
r AS ver. 2. ſtill giving the Jews, if there were any, the priority ; or having by that means an opportunity to ſpeak unto the Pro- ieiyres of the Gentiles. s Who are the devout perſons here meant, ſee Chap 13.43. 7 Becauſe of the concourſe thither; throwing the Net of the Goſpel where there were moſt Fiſh , and he himſelf proving, as he exhorted others to do, in ſeaſon and out of ſeaſon, = 4547). 4.2,
15 Thencertain « philoſophers of the Epicureans,and ot the Stoicks, encountred him: And ſome faid. What WwWwill this [|babler ſay ? Other ſome, He ſeemeth to be a letter forth of x ſtrange gods : becauſe he preached Uto them » Jeſus, and the reſurretion,
_ « Yoth theſe fects of Philoſophers were the moſt oppoſite to £1irſtianity of all iliery : 1. The Epticureans ( fo called from one
f
| olds 6- Chap, Nr
Epicuru) did generally deny, that the World was made, or that ir governed by God ; as alſo, that there were any Rewards or Punit,. ments for men after death, holding nothing co be good but wy}... was io to their ſenles : And if fo, were indeed {wine rather than _ 2. - The Storcks were ſo called ' from the place where the firſt ; and held as bad Opinions asthe other did ; and denied, t, rthe:r Wife men were inferior to their Gods; and in fome reſhed preferred them before their Gods ; which their Seneca was nor þ.., trom, Epiſt. 73, And no wonder if ſuch men oppoſe the Colps whar they may. w They make Paul ſo contemptible, comp, him to ſuch as live by the off: falls of Corn, which was ufeg tobe gathered up as they fell down in meaſuring, and left to be {eq upon by the meaneſt and pooreſt of the people. x They might aigongf the Athenians bring in by publick Authority as many Gods as they would, bur none out of their private Opinions; which was the &' charged upon Socrates. y So ignorantly, or maliciouſly did the, pervert St. Pau/'s words, that they accuſe him for makingcheR.. ſurre&ion a God too. Probably they heard him often Naming the word, and magnifying of the RelurreCtion, as without which, y, were without hope. | ;
19 And they took him, and brought him z yy | Areopagus, ſaying, May we know what this new dy. /q,, ctrine, whereof thou ſpeakeſt, x ? my
z The city of Athens was divided into five Wards, or parts; on; tle ly of which wascalled Areopagus, from the Temple of Mars. Which Civ, ſtood upon an hill init ; nigh unto which Temple, orin ſome pur 4iy of it, was their chiefeſt Court kept ; and here they judged of al] Re. ligious Affairs : here they condemned Diagoras, Protagoros, 1 Socrates ; and hither they bring Pau!, though rather to enquire of him (there beingthe reſort of Learned men) concerning his Dottrine, than to condemn him forit. :
20 Forthou bringeſt certain a ſtrange things toquy ears: we Would know therefore what thele things mean.
a The greateſt Obje&tion which theſe men had againſt the Goſye| was, that it was ſtrange and new. That 1t 1s not new, wasapparent, it having been inthe Old Teſtament (as the ripe fruit 15in the bloſſom) ſolong ago ; and their own Superſtitions were but fo many Api imitations of God's Worſhip. . And if theſe things were ſtrange unty them, they might thank themſelves, who had not made due en. quiring after them ; and had by their not improving the light ofN,, tire, provoked Goll to with-hold further manifeſtations unto then, Rom. 1. 24, 28.
21 For all the Athenians, and 6 ſtrangers which wer there, ſpent their time in nothing elſe, bur either totel or to hear ſome new thing. |
6 Which muſt needs have been a conſiderable number, 4th; he. ing then a famous Haven-Town and Univerlity ; and theſe ſtranger
might eaſily take this itch after News from the Natives, who xr noted for it by Theophraſius, Demoſthenes, &c.
22 © Then Paul ſtocd in the midft || of c Mars-hill;q, and ſaid, Yemen of Athens, I perceive that in all things#1# ye are d too ſuperſtitious. Gi