abounding signs of superstition in the streets of Athens. But he had the wisdom to begin bis address to these "men of Athens " by an expression which they would take to be complimentary. He told them that he perceived they were abwndanely r1Jligwus. He did not conclude this from witne~sing their numerous divinities, but from the inscription he had read on an altar, "'fo the unknown God." Adroitly seizing on this as proof positive that they were in ignorance as to the true object of worship, he said that be could declare to them the Deity whom they were ignorantly or unconsciously worshipping. Then be spoke out the everlasting troth concerning the living God~ which he had learned, and in the knowledge of which he stood superior, not only to those degenerate philosophers, but to the wisest man that had ever spoken their lan- guage and immortalized their city. I. THE NATUBE OF GoD. 1. Pan! tanght the unity of the Godhead. " God that ma.de the world," etc. ; a very noticeable singular. He taught, concerning his nature, that this was: 2. Spiritual; such that it is a vain and senseless thing to try to make any like- ness of him. "God is a Spirit,n we ourselves being bis children, and it is not in gold or stone or silver to produce any sort of semblance of him (ver. 29). 3. Independent; so that he does not need the service of human hands. Except as expressions of our feelings of penitence, or trust, or gratitude, or homage, all offerings are an insult to his majesty and his power (ver. 25; and see Ps. 1. 8-13). 4. Omnipresent. vVe need repair to tho interior of no temple walls to find him, for he is "Lord of heaven and earth" (ver. 24), filling immensity with his presence. He is not far from any one of us; he compasses our path and our lying down ; he besets us behind nnd before ; we cannot go where he is not (ver. 27). 5. Sovereign. He is Lord of heaven and earth; he is the Divine Ruler of all. II. Tm: DIVINE RELATION TO MANKIND. We not only want to know generally who and what God is; we also and equally want to know what is the particular relation in which he stands to us. And what, we ask, does he desire we should he to him? Here is the answer: 1. He is the Maker of the world in which we live: he "made the world and all things therein" (ver. 24). 2. He is the Divine Benefactor from whom all bless- ings flow: "He giveth to all life," etc. (ver. 25). 3. He is the Divine Provider and Arranger of all human affairs (ver. 26). His intelligence has foreseen, and his wisdom directed everything. 4. He is the Father of all human spirits: "We are also his off- spring" (ver. 28). And we are so in that (I) he is the Author (ver. 2G) of our common humanity (ver. 26); (2) he is sustaining us all in constant existence: "In him we live," etc. (ver. 28); (3) he is deeply interested in us, and desires our approach to him ; he has so wrought that men should "seek him, if haply they might feel after him and find him." He desires to be sought and found of us, that we may commune with him and rejoice in him, that wo may attain to his likeness and prepare for his nearer presence. If such is the nature of God, and such the relation in which he stands to us, then: (1) How ritijul a thing is (a) heathenism, the ignorance of God; and (b) atheism, the denia of God; and (c) indifference, the rejection of God I (2) How excell,mt and how wise a thing is (a) reverence for God; (b) obedience to God· (c) an earnest effort to obtain the Divine favour, and to live in his love 1-C. '
Ver. 30.-God revealed: his attitude toward the sinner. It is worth while to note, preliminarily, that Paul speaks of the pre-Christian ages as " times of ignorance." We know that these included much human learning. The words of the apostle wcrn uttered on that spot where there was everything to call this to remembrance. But h~ would have said, and would have had us consider also, that any age in which God remained unknown was an age of ignorance. " The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." No art, no philosophy, no science, no literature, no intellectual attainments or achievements of any kind whatever will compensate for ignorance of God; the soul that knows not him is an ignorant man; the time that knows not him is an ignorant age. But the text suggests and answers a very urgent question-What is the attitude ?f the. holy Father of spirits toward his sinful children? His holiness would lead to !mpart1al severity; his fatherhood to exceeding tenderness and clemency. The answer le found in the words of the apostle here. I. Go»'s ATTITUDE IN TllE PRE-CHRISTIAN AGES. This was one of magnanimous for. hearanoo. God "wiuked e.t." (as the text unhappily renders it), he overlooked, bore 70 THE AOTS OF THE APOSTLES. [OH. XVlI, 1-34,