uctive fact that their city continued
for several centuries afterwards to be one of the strongholds of Gentile
superstition. But the labours of Paul at this time were not entirely
unproductive. "Certain men clave unto him and believed, among the which
was Dionysius, the Areopagite, and a woman, named Damaris, and others
with them." [107:1] The court of Areopagus, long the highest judicial
tribunal in the place, had not even yet entirely lost its celebrity; and
the circumstance that Dionysius was connected with it, is a proof that
this Christian convert must have been a respectable and influential
citizen. He appears to have occupied a very high place among the
primitive disciples; and the number of spurious writings ascribed to him
[107:2] shew that his name was deemed a tower of strength to the cause
with which it was associated. He seems to have been long at the head of
the Athenian presbytery; and to have survived his conversion about forty
years, or until the time of the Domitian persecution. [107:3]

From Athens Paul directed his steps to Corinth, where he appears to have
arrived in the autumn of A.D. 52. Nearly two hundred years before, this
city had been completely destroyed; but, after a century of desolation,
it had been rebuilt; and having since rapidly increased, it was now
flourishing and populous. As a place of trade, its position, near an
isthmus of the same name, gave it immense advantages; for it had a
harbour on each side, so that it was the central depot of the commerce
of the East and West. Its inhabitants valued themselves much upon their
attainments in philosophy and general literature; but, whilst, by
traffic, they had succeeded in acquiring wealth, they had given way to
the temptations of luxury and licentiousness. Corinth was, in fact, at
this time one of the most dissolute cities of the Empire. It was the
capital of the large province of Achaia, and the residence of the Roman
proconsul.

When Paul was at Athens he was led to adapt his style of instruction to
the character of his auditors, and he was thus obliged to occupy much of
his time in discussing the principles of natural religion. He
endeavoured to gain over the citizens by shewing them that their views
of the Godhead could not stand the test of a vigorous and discriminating
logic, and that Christianity alone rested on a sound philosophical
foundation. But the exposition of a pure system of theism had
comparatively little influence on th