When Paul stood in the midst of Mar’s hill, he boldly declared the ignorance and superstition of the Athenians, before the gospel, and stated to them, that “in the times of this ignorance, God winked at,” or that he did not hold them to a strict account. He concedes, here, the principle expressed by the Savior, that where there is but little given there is but little required; and on this ground, admits that God would not deal with them strictly according to their works. But he approaches a different state of things. A change was about to take place in the dealings of God with that people. How is it to be now? The apostle responds, “But now he commandeth all men everywhere to repent.” In the times of the ignorance before the gospel, this command to all men every where, to repent, did not exist. But, now that the gospel is preached to every creature, he commands all men everywhere to repent. But he does not stop here, but proceeds to give us the reason why God commands men to repent. That reason is not, that there is no day of judgment to come, which might serve as a reason why men need not repent. Why, then, does God now command all men everywhere to repent? The apostle answers, “Because he hath appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained.” It is not strange, with this passage before us, that preaching Universalism never causes anybody to repent. The preachers of that doctrine deny the cause of repentance; and while the Lord calls upon men to repent, because he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness, they spend their time in preaching that there will be no judgment to come. In this they set aside the grand reason why men should repent. While the preaching of the true gospel leads men to sorrow that they have sinned, in view of a righteous judgment to come, the preaching of that disgraceful doctrine—which we are sorry to have necessity to mention upon our pages—leads wicked men to laugh and trifle, both in view of their sins, and all that the Bible says of the great judgment day. The apostle, however, does not merely state that God has appointed a day in which he will judge the world, but he alleges that he has given assurance of the fact. His words are, “Whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.” Here he arrives at the foundation of all—the resurrection of Christ from the dead. His logic runs thus: Christ rose from the dead. What assurance does that give? It is the assurance that God has given that he has appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained. And what if that is the case? Why, then, he commands all men everywhere to repent. As certain as Christ rose from the dead, there will be righteous judgment; and because there will be a righteous judgment, men are commanded to reform and become righteous.