and an appointed day of judgment. And what was the effect of these truths? what was the power of this Gospel? Some mocked, it is true-the prejudiced-the self-wise-they with whom the wisdom of God was foolishness; but others were anxious to know more, to enquire further; "we will hear thee again of this matter." While others "clave unto the Apostle and believed; among which was Dionysius the Areopagite, one of the judges; a woman named Damaris, and others with them."

Now this subject concerns us, it may be, much more deeply than we suppose. It was not in Athens only that God was unknown, not in that refined city only that he was worshipped in ignorance. Athens is now in ruins! The Areopagus stands no more; the altar to the Unknown God is swept away. Before the light of the Gospel of truth, many a shrine, and oracle, and grove has trembled and disappeared. The temples of Jove have become hallowed ground to Jesus; and the doctrines proclaimed by the Apostle have been heard in almost every language under heaven. But God is still unknown, still ignorantly worshipped. Yes! even where the Gospel is preached! Yes! even where Christ is acknowledged! Yes! even where prayer is offered in his name! Yes!

even here, I fear, there are some to whom the Lord is an unknown God, and who with the appearance of worship, worship in ignorance! Does this sound strange! Does it fall upon your ears as harsh and uncharitable! I speak as to wise men, judge ye what I say. Let us review together two or three different characters, and let us view them-when we have reviewed themwith the light of the Gospel, and I think we shall be constrained to confess that on many a heart devoted to some idol, the inscription is To THE UNKNOWN GOD; and that its worship is the worship of ignorance!

In proof of this I will take three characters, which the listening group around the Apostle suggests.

I.-The man of learning, whose learning is merely of this world. It may be that what he considers wisdom is foolishness with God. He knows not, perhaps, that the wisdom from above, God has hidden from the wise and prudent, and reveals unto babes. He may have yet to learn "that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." He may be diligent in tracing out effects and causes, he may be able to descant upon all the systems of belief which have obtained amongst men, he may even learnedly expound the

Scriptures in their general bearing, and in the letter; but all this time the Scriptures in the spirit of them may be a sealed book, and he may have no inward and experimental knowledge that Christ "is the way, and the truth, and the life." And if so, he does not yet know God; for God is only known through Christ, He must reveal Him. To know God and Jesus Christ whom He hath sent is Life Eternal; but the evidence that we are heirs to this life eternal is given by God's Spirit to our spirits, testifying that we have the Life of God in our hearts, and bearing witness that we are the children of God and taught of God. And if there is no such testimony-no quickening of soul by the Spirit—no evidences of life through Christ— no proofs that we are alive unto God-no heartknowledge of Him, as well as head-knowledge— profess what we may, and let may, and let men think of us as they may-the Deists' God we may suppose we know, but the Christian's God we do not know. We may imagine we have reared an altar in our hearts to Him, but His eye reads there the cold, condemnatory inscription-to the unknown God. No spiritual sacrifice is there offered to Him; no love, no zeal, no affiance, no trust; with all our professed knowledge, His searching eye sees but learned foolishness; and

in the very homage presented to Him, he is ignorantly worshipped.

II.-And so, too, with the mere curious manthe man of bustling, worldly spirit—whose eagerness is to hear some new thing. His mind is too distracted to be in earnest about one pursuit. He is carried away with every blast of vain doctrine. A mere rumor, a whisper of change, disturbs him. Credulous, he receives whatever presents itself; and whatever he receives, unsettles him. You shall find him in the week, it may be, full of speculation-giving an attentive ear to every novel scheme-easily borne away by a specious talker— full of the arguments of the last speaker-unstable in his opinions-wavering in his plans, readily influenced by any new undertaking, however wild and unaccomplishable. And if this be his character for six successive days, can he wholly lay it aside with the seventh? If this be his disposition with worldly things, will it not be so, to a certain extent, with spiritual things? Will he not bring to the contemplation of the things of God-will he not bring to the consideration of the truths of the Gospel-a mind somewhat distracted, and a spirit somewhat unsettled-and a heart whose soil is too light and shifting to receive permanently the engrafted seed of God's Word which is able

to save his soul? He is in the House of God, it may be, but where is His heart? On the last rumor-on the chances of success or failurerestless to know the last opinion in the last leading article of the favoured journal which is his oracle. Believe me, I am sketching no person, but a characteristic resemblance; the ideal of a large class of persons; and you know the sketch is life-like. And I ask of your hearts in faithfulness, think you that distractedness of character, that wavering of character, indicates a heart where God is known? Think you there can be such indecision, and yet God acknowledged as the allpresent disposer of all things? Think you that the same mind can be cumbered, like Martha's, with many things; and yet, like Mary's, be in calm, quiet possession of the one thing needful-"A knowledge of the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent," and a firm reliance upon His promise, that "all things shall work together for good to those that love God?"

III. In the indifferent man—the Stoic, apathetic character-the cold, chill, icy surface of whose heart is unruffled, or ungladdened either with sorrow or with joy-think you that there God is known? The true Christian spirit is "peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good