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THE KING’S BUSINESS
190 kindness and praise. Paul went through the world with his eyes open,, watching for something that would serve as a point of contact to preach Jesus unto men. Athens was full of statues, of objects of worship; and of temples. Among them was this altar “to an unknown God,” and Paul had seized upon it at once as a starting point to proceed to tell about the Lord Jesus. There is something very pathetic and touching in the inscription on this altar, “To an unknown God.” There are many today who are reaching out blindly and yet longingly toward a God of whose exist ence they have a vague apprehension, and of whom they have a feeling of deep need, but of whose name, 'character and person they have little clear knowledge. But there is no need that God be “unknown,” for He has fully revealed Himself (John 1:18; John 14:9; 2 Cor. 4:6), and has made per fectly clear how we may come to know Him (John 7:17; Jas. 1:5-7;. John 20:31). It is of the highest importance that we should know. Him, for knowing Him is eternal life (John 17:3), and not to know Him brings eternal destruction (2 Thess. 7:8, 9). If we do not know Him it is because Satan has blinded our minds (2 Cor. 4:3, 4), and it is our own fault (Rom. 1:20, 22, 28). It was an apt stroke upon Paul’s part to begin with this well-known object in their own streets, and then to lead on to the great truths with which his soul was filled. Monday, February 26 . Acts 17 : 24 , 25 . Paul’s aim was to carry with him the philosophers in his audience, and at the same time bring in new and higher thoughts about God than even they.had, and step by step lead them face to face with God Him self, and make them feel their personal responsibility to Him. He would lead them to See that God was not merely a philoso phical conception, but a person against whom they had signed, and who- was 'now calling “Repent.” So he starts with the great fundamental truth of God being the creator of the world and every individual
thing in it, a truth that many of them already believed. Then he passed on to the Lordship of God, both in heaven and earth, then looking out from the Areopagus upon the sea of temples that was visible from that point, and doubtless pointing at them with his hand, he goes on to the thought that no temples could contain Him. All this would find a response in the minds of his thoughtful hearers. Then he passed on to the thought that all the offerings with which their temples were full, were not needed by Him, as He Himself was the great Giver, giving to all the very life they lived and the breath they breathed, and all things that they possessed. His words do not so much need exposition as profound It is a great truth that Paul declares here that God “made of one all nations of men.” Do we really believe it? Do we believe in our kinship to the negro, the Chinaman, the Hindoo, and men of every other race ? There certainly never has been a time in all history when this unity of all races of men needed more to be emphasized than in this day in which we are living, when nations, on every hand are rising up against nations, and men almost every where throughout the world are murdering their brothers. The present war arises' ehtirely from the fact that men have lost sight of this truth and the truth that Paul couples with -it, that God has determined the bounds of the habitation of the differ ent races of men. The desire for terri torial expansion beyond divinely set bounds has had much to do with the origin of the present war. The purpose for which God has made men and determined' the appointed seasons and the bounds of their habitation is “that they should seek God.” How little the nations have fallen in with this benevolent purpose of God (Rom. 1:28)., It is for man’s own highest interest that he should fall in with God’s purpose in His creation and seek God (Amos 5 :4, 6; Ezra 8:22; Prov. 28:5; 2 Chron. 26:5; and prolonged meditation. Tuesday, February 27 . ' Acts 17 : 26 , 27 .
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