insignificance, as it should seem, the historiographer was saved from it. From the relation, given to him by Paul or Silas, and in particular by Paul,--must this conception, formed by the historiographer of what passed on the occasion, have of course been derived. It was coloured of course in Paul's manner: and in his colouring, there was of course no want of the marvellous. By the earthquake, not only were "foundations shaken" and "doors opened," but "bands loosened." The "feet" of the two holy men had been "made...fast in the stocks," ver. 24: from these same stocks, the earthquake was ingenious enough to let them out, and, as far as appears, without hurt: the unholy part of the prisoners had each of them bands of some sort, by which they were confined; for, ver.
26, "everyone's bands were loosed:" in every instance if they were locked, the earthquake performed the office of a picklock. Earthquakes in these latter days, we have but too many, in breaking open doors they find no great difficulty; but they have no such nicety of touch as the earthquake, which produced to the self-constituted Apostle a family of proselytes: they are no more able to let feet out of the stocks, or hands out of hand-cuffs, than to make watches.
These elucidations being furnished, the reader is desired to turn to the text, and lay before him: to reprint it would require more paper than he might choose to see thus employed.
As to the name of God and the name of Jesus, the two names, it should appear, were not--on the occasions in question--used at random. When the fortune-telling damsel was the subject of Paul's holy labours, she having been in some way or other already gained, ver. 17, the case was already of a sort, in which the name of Jesus Christ, the name under which the self-constituted Apostle enlisted all his followers,--might be employed with advantage.
When Paul and Silas were committed to prison, no such name as that of "Jesus Christ" would as yet have served. Of "Jesus Christ" neither had the keeper as yet heard anything, nor had the other prisoners. But, of God, in some shape or other, they could not but have heard all of them: _God_ accordingly was the name, by which at this time the sensibilities of the persons in question were to be worked upon. When the earth trembled, the jailor trembled likewise: he "came trembling and fell down," ver. 29, before Paul and Silas. And brought them out, ver. 30, and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" Now then was the time come for the enlistment--for the enlistment in the spiritual warfare against the devil and his angels: in the as yet new name of "the Lord Jesus Christ" were these recruits accordingly enlisted, as now, for the purpose of carnal warfare, in the name of King George. "And they said," continues the narration, ver. 31, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."
SUPPOSABLE MIRACLE V.--AT CORINTH, PAUL COMFORTED BY THE LORD IN AN A vision, being a species of miracle, could, no more than a pantomime, have place without some expense. In the present case, as in any other, a natural question is--What was the object to be accomplished, upon which the expense--whatever it was--was bestowed? The answer is--The keeping his attendants, whoever they were, in the necessary state of obsequiousness: for no other is perceptible. To the dependants in Paul's train, it was no very uncommon sentiment to be not quite so well satisfied with the course he took, as he himself was. Corinth was at this time the theatre of his labours: of the men, whoever they were, who had staked their fortunes upon _his_, some,--the historiographer, as it should seem, of the number,--there were, whose wish it was to change the scene. In that Gentile city,--the chief ruler of the Jewish synagogue, Crispus by name--this man, besides another man, of the name of Justus, "whose house joined hard to" that same synagogue, had become his converts: "and many of the Corinthians hearing, believed and were baptized." Eyes, however, there were, in which the success, whatsoever it was, was not yet enough to afford a sufficient warrant for his stay.
A vision was necessary, and a vision accordingly, or at least a something, which was called by that name, made its appearance. "Thus spake the Lord," says the historiographer, ver. 9, "Thus spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace.----For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee; for I have much people in this city." Nor was the vision without its effect; for, as the next verse informs us, ver. 11, "He continued _there_ a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them."
That which, on this occasion, may be believed without much difficulty is, that the word thus taught by Paul was Paul's word: and, that which may be believed with as little, by those, whoever they may be, who believe in his original conversion-vision, is--that it was God's word likewise. From Paul himself must the account of this vision have been delivered to the historiographer: for, unless at the expense of a sort of miracle, in the shape of an additional vision at least, if not in some more expensive shape, no information of any such thing could have reached him. In these latter days, no ghost is ever seen but in a _tete-a-tete_: in those days, no vision, as far as appears, was ever seen but in the same degree of privacy. A vision is the word in these pages, because such is the word in the authoritative translation made of the historiographer's. That which Paul is related to have heard, is--what we have just seen as above: but that, upon this occasion he saw anything--that he saw so much as a flash of light, this is what we are not told: any more than by what other means he became so well assured, that the voice which he heard, supposing him to have heard a voice, was the Lord's voice. In these latter days,--inquiries, of some such sort as these, would as surely be put, by a counsel who were against the vision,--as, in the case of the Cock-lane Ghost, which gave so much exercise to the faith of the archlexicographer, were put by the counsel who were against the ghost; but, by a sort of general understanding,--than which nothing can be more convenient,--inquiries, such as these,--how strictly soever in season when applied to the 19th century of the vulgar ear, are altogether out of season, as often as they are applied to the commencement of it.
As to the speaking by a vision, the only intelligible way, in which any such thing can really have place, is that, which under the pressure of necessity has been realized by the ingenuity of dramatists in these latter days. Such is the mode employed, when the actors, having been struck dumb by the tyranny of foolish laws, and consequently having no auditors, convey to the spectators what information seems necessary, by an appropriate assortment of gold letters on a silk ground: whether the Lord who, on this occasion, according to Paul, spoke to the eyes of Paul, came provided with any such implement, he has not informed us.
Without much danger of error, we may venture to assert the negative: for, if such was the mode of converse, there was nothing but what might happen without sign or wonder: and, on this supposition, no addition was made by it, to those signs and wonders, which, as has been seen, it was his way to make reference to, in the character of evidence.
SUPPOSABLE MIRACLE VI.--AT EPHESUS, DISEASES AND DEVILS EXPELLED BY At Ephesus, Paul makes a stay of between two and three years; for "two years" together, disputing "daily in the school of one Tyrannus," "so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.
"And God," continues the history, "wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul."
These "_special_ miracles," what were they? Of the whole number, is there so much as a single one particularized? No; not one. _Special_ as they are, the following is the account, and the only account given of them. "So that," continues the history, "from his body were brought unto the sick, handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them."
No circumstances whatever particularized, name of the person, name of the place, description of the time--nothing, by means of which, in case of falsity _in toto_, or incorrectness in circumstance, the misstatement might have been exposed,--to what degree of credence, or so much as consideration with a view to credence, vague generalities such as these, can they present so much as the slightest claim? If allusions such as these are to pass proof, where is the imposture, to which proofs--proofs sufficient in number and value--can ever be wanting?
Opposed as Paul was, wherever he went,--by gainsayers or persecutors, or both--sometimes successful, sometimes altogether unsuccessful,--sometimes in a slight degree successful--in so much as any one occasion, either in this history, or in any one of his own numerous Epistles, do we find so much as a single one of these "_special miracles_," any more than of any other miracles, brought to view by him, or so much as alluded to by him, in the character of proofs of the commission to which he pretended? Answer: No, not one.
Diseases cured, evil spirits driven out, by handkerchiefs and aprons!--by handkerchiefs and aprons brought from a man's body! Diseases cured and devils seared away by foul linen! By Jesus--by any one of his Apostles--were any such implements, any such eye-traps ever employed?
No; never. As to diseases, if by such means a disease had been _propagated_, the case would have been intelligible enough. But what was wanted was a miracle: and this would have been no miracle. The price, received by the holy wearer for any of these cast-off habiliments--the price, of the precious effluvia thus conveyed--by any such little circumstance, had it been mentioned, some light might have been cast on what was done.
One thing, indeed, may be stated with some assurance: and this is--that, after a man, well or not well, had received one of these same dirty handkerchiefs, or of these same dirty aprons, no evil spirit in him was visible.
One other thing may also be stated with no less confidence:--this is that, infection out of the question, and supposing Paul free from all contagious disease, if, without handkerchief or apron, the disease would have had its exit,--by no such handkerchief or any such apron was the exit of it prevented.
Note, that all this time, according to this man, the author of the Acts, he himself was in Paul's suite. Yet, taking credit for all these miracles--taking credit thus for miracles out of number, not so much as one of them all does he take upon himself to particularize.[78] SUPPOSABLE MIRACLE VII.--AT EPHESUS, EXORCISTS SCEVAS Thus it is that, as under the last head has been observed, of all these alleged successful exhibitions, not so much as a single one is particularized.
In lieu, however, of these successes of Paul's, something of a story to a certain degree particularized we have. But this is--what? a successful performance of Paul's? No: but an unsuccessful attempt of certain persons,--here termed exorcists,--who took upon themselves to act against him in the character of competitors.
Well, then: when the time came for demonstrating supernatural powers by experiment, these exorcists--these impostors, no doubt it was intended they should be deemed--made a very indifferent hand of it. Good: but the true man, Did he go beyond these same impostors? Not he, indeed: he did not so much as attempt it. But, let us hear his historiographer, who all this while was at his elbow. Acts 19:13-20. "Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits, the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus, whom Paul preacheth.
"And there were," continues the narrative, ver. 14, "seven sons of Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so." Thus far the narrative.
The sons of the chief of the priests? Such men styled not only _exorcists_ but _vagabonds_? If they are not here, in express terms, themselves styled _vagabonds_, at any rate, what is here imputed to them is the doing those same things, the doers of which have just been styled, not only _exorcists_, but at the same time _vagabonds_. But let us continue, "And the evil spirit," ver. 15, "answered and said, Jesus, I know, and Paul I know, but who are ye?--And the man, in whom the evil spirit was, leaped on them and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded." Thus far the narrative. To whatsoever order of beings the hero of this tale may have belonged;--whatsoever may have been his proper appellative,--a man with two natures, one human, the other diabolical,--a man with a devil in him, a madman,--or a man in his sound senses counterfeiting a diabolized man or a madman,--the tale itself is surely an eminently curious one. Of these human or superhuman antagonists of his--of these pretended masters over evil spirits--the number is not less than seven: yet, in comparison of him, so feeble and helpless are they all together, that he not only masters them all seven, but gets them down, all seven together, and while they are lying on the ground in a state of disablement, pulls the clothes off their backs: but whether one after another, or all at the same time, is not mentioned. Be this as it may, hereupon comes a question or two. While he was stripping any one of them, what were the others about all that time? The beating they received, was it such as to render them senseless and motionless? No: this can scarcely have been the case; for, when the devil had done his worst, and their sufferings were at the height, out of the house did they flee, wounded as they were. "Jesus I know, and Paul I know," says the mysterious hero, in the fifteenth verse. Hereupon an observation or two calls for utterance.
Supposing him a man, who, knowing what he was about, counterfeited the sort of being, who was half man, half devil,--one-half of this speech of his, namely, _Paul I know_, may without much difficulty be believed.
But, upon this supposition, forasmuch as he acted with so much effect against these rivals of Paul's,--a supposition not less natural, to say the least of it, is--that to Paul he was not unknown, any more than Paul to him: in a word, that on this occasion, between the evil spirit and the self-constituted Apostle, a sort of understanding had place. Be this as it may, how extraordinary a person must he not have been, to undertake the complete mastery of seven men at once! Seven men, all of them young enough to have a father, not only living, but officiating as a priest: and at the same time, all of them old enough, if not to exercise, mastery over evil spirits, at any rate to undertake it!
In Paul's suite, all this time, as far as appears, was the author of this narrative. The scene thus exhibited--was he then, or was he not, himself an eyewitness of it? On a point so material and so natural, no light has he afforded us.
Another circumstance, not less curious, is--that it is immediately after the story of the unnamed multitudes, so wonderfully cured by foul clothes,--that this story of the devil-masters discomfited by a rebellious servant of theirs, makes its appearance. Turn now to the supposed true devil-master--on this score, what was it that he did? Just nothing. The devil,--and a most mischievous one he was,--_he_ was doing all this mischief:--the man, who had all such devils so completely in his power, that they quit possession, and decamp at the mere sight or smell of a dirty handkerchief or apron of his;--he, though seeing all this mischief done,--done by this preëminently mischievous as well as powerful devil,--still suffers him to go on;--and not any the least restraint in any shape, does he impose upon him; but leaves him in complete possession of that receptacle, which, according to the narrative, he wanted neither the power nor the will to convert into an instrument of so much mischief. Was it from Paul himself, that, on this special occasion, for this special purpose, namely, the putting down these presumptuous competitors, this mysterious being received so extraordinary a gift? This is not said, but not improbably, as it should seem, this was the miracle, which it was intended by the historian should be believed.
Occasions there are--and this we are desired to believe was one of them--in which the impossibility of a thing is no bar to the knowledge of it.
"And this was known," continues the narrative, ver. 17, "And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus: and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified."
Now, supposing this thing known, the fear stated as the result of it may without difficulty be believed:--fear of being treated as those sons of the chief of the Jewish priests had been: fear of the devil, by whom those, his unequal antagonists, had been thus dealt with: fear of the more skilful devil-master, under whose eye these bunglers had been thus dealt with.
But the name here said to be _magnified_--the name of the Lord Jesus--how _that_ came to be _magnified_: in this lies all the while the difficulty, and it seems no small one.
The _name_, on this occasion, and thus said to be employed, whose was it? It was, indeed, the Lord Jesus's. But was it successful? Quite the contrary. It made bad worse. In the whole of this business, what was there from which the name of Jesus could in any shape receive magnification? Yes: if after the so eminently unsuccessful use, thus made of it by those exorcists, a successful use had, on the same occasion, been made of it by Paul. But, no: no such enterprise did he venture upon. Madman, devil, counterfeit madman, counterfeit devil,--by proxy, any of these he was ready to encounter, taking for his proxy one of his foul handkerchiefs or aprons: any of this sort of work, if his historiographer is to be believed, he was ready enough to do by proxy.
But, in person? No; he knew better things.
"And many that believed," concludes this part of the narrative, ver. 18, "came and confessed, and showed their deeds." Yes; supposing there were any, by whom all this or any part of it was believed,--that they spoke and acted in consequence, may be believed without much difficulty: and, with this observation may the story, and the sort of elucidation endeavouring to be given of it, be left to close.
SUPPOSABLE MIRACLE VIII.--MAGICAL BOOKS BURNT BY THE Such as it was, the supposable miracle last mentioned was not without its supposed fruit: destruction of property, such as it was--destruction of property, and to an amount sufficiently wonderful for the satisfaction of any ordinary appetite for wonders. But let us see the text. It follows in the verse 19, next after that, in which mention is made, as in the last preceding section, of what was done by the "many who believed."
"Many of them also," ver. 19, "which used curious arts, brought their books together, and burned them before all men; and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver." "So mightily," ver 20, "grew the word of God, and prevailed." And there ends the story of the books of curious arts.
As to the sum total, nothing can be more precise: as to the items, could the list of them be but produced, this would be indeed a treasure. As to the denomination _magical_, given in the title of this section to those books, styled books "_of curious arts_,"--in the text, short is the only apology that need be made for it. Of the number of those _curious arts_ could not, most assuredly, have been any of the arts included at present under the name of _fine arts_; of the character of the _arts_ here designated by the appellation of _curious_, a sufficient indication is afforded by the story, by which the mention of them is, as above, immediately preceded. They were the arts, by which effects were undertaken to be produced, such as the self-constituted Apostle undertook to produce by so much more simple means. How vast soever were the collection, what would be the value of it,--the whole taken together,--when so much more than could be done by everything which it professed to teach, could be done by about a score or a dozen words, on the single condition, that the lips by which they were uttered were properly commissioned lips, not to speak of the still more simple operation of the touch of a used handkerchief?
Of the state of art and science in the wake of the great temple of Diana, the representation here given is of itself no small curiosity.
Books of curious arts--all of them arts of imposture--books, employed, all of them, in teaching the most secret of all secrets--books of this description, so well known to all men, as to bear a market-price! a market-price, so well known to all men, as if it were the price of bread and butcher's meat: and, in the single town of Ephesus, these books so numerous,--such the multitude or the value,--or rather the multitude as well as value, of them taken in the aggregate, that the price, that had been given for such of them as were thus given up, and which are only part, and, as it should seem by the word _many_, not the larger part, of the whole number, of those, which, at that same place, were at that same time in existence,--was, upon summing up, found actually to amount, so we are required to believe, to that vast sum.
Of the aggregate, of the prices that had been paid, we are told, for this smaller part of the aggregate number of the books, then and there existing on this single subject,--inadequate, indeed, would our conception be of it were we to regard it as not exceeding the value of the whole library collected by King George the Third, and given by his successor to the English part of his subjects. _Data_, though not for numeration, yet sufficient for conception, are by no means wanting. To consult Arbuthnot, or any successor of his, would be mere illusion; in so far as the value of money is unknown, prices in money serve but to deceive. History--and _that_ the most appropriate history--has furnished us with much surer grounds. Thirty pieces of silver, Matt. 28:3-10, was the purchase-money of the field, called _the potters' field_, bought for a burying-ground, with the money received and returned by the traitor, Judas, as the reward for his treachery. Suppose it no more than half an acre. What, in English money of the present day, would be the value of half an acre of land in or close by a closely built metropolis? A hundred pounds would, assuredly, be a very moderate allowance. Multiply the hundred pounds by fifty thousand, you have five millions; divide the five millions by thirty, you have, on the above supposition, 166,666_l_.
and odd for the value of these books. Look to the English translation, look to the Greek original, the pieces of silver are the same.
SUPPOSABLE MIRACLE IX.--AT TROAS, EUTYCHUS FOUND NOT TO BE In this story may be seen another example, of the facility with which, when men are upon the hunt for miracles, something may be made out of nothing: the most ordinary occurrence, by the addition of a loose word or two, metamorphosed into a miracle.
Paul, one evening, was treating his disciples with a sermon: he was at the same time treating them, or they him, with a supper. The architecture of the house was such, that, under favourable circumstances, a fall might be got from the top of it, or thereabouts, to the bottom, without much difficulty. If any difficulty there was, on the occasion in question it was overcome. According to circumstances, sermons produce on different minds different effects: from some, they drive sleep; in others, they produce it. On the occasion in question, the latter was the effect experienced by a certain youth. His station is represented as being an elevated one:--so elevated that, after the fall he got from it, it may be believed without difficulty, he lay for some time motionless. Paul "went down" to him, we are told, and embraced him. The youth received the embrace; Paul, the praise of tender-heartedness:--this is what may be asserted with a safe conscience, though it be without any special evidence. Trifling, however, is the boon he received from that congregation, in comparison of what he has been receiving from so many succeeding ones--the reputation of having made so brilliant an addition to the catalogue of his miracles. By the accident, whatever may have been the interruption, given by it to the festivity, no end was put to it. Sermon and supper ended, the rest of the congregation went their way: and with them went the youth, to whom had anything serious happened, the historian would scarcely have left us uninformed of it.
On this occasion, between the hero and his historian, there is somewhat of a difference. The historian will have it, that when Paul reached the body he found it dead. Paul's own account of the matter is the direct contrary: so the historian himself informs us. Here then the historian and his hero are at issue. But, the historian, having the first word, makes, if we may venture to say so, a rather unfair advantage of it, and by this same first word gives a contradiction to what he makes his hero say in the next. "He was taken up dead," says the historian, who was or was not there: "His life is in him," says the preacher, who was there beyond dispute.
But let us see the text. ACTS 20:7-12.
7. And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow, and continued his speech till midnight.--And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together.--And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.--And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him, said, Trouble not yourselves, for his life is in him.--When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed.--And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.
At this time of day, any such contrariety might produce some embarrassment; but, when it is considered how long ago the thing happened, no such uneasy sensation is experienced. A supposition, by which all embarrassment is excluded, is so immediately obvious, as to be scarce worth mentioning. When Paul reached the body, the soul was already in the other world; but, with the kisses goes a whisper, and the soul comes back again. Whether from indolence or from archness, there is something amusing in the course the historian takes for enlivening his narration with these flowers: he sketches out the outline, but leaves it to our imaginations to fill it up.
SUPPOSABLE MIRACLE X.--ON SHIPBOARD, PAUL COMFORTED BY AN ANGEL.
ACTS 27:20-25.
And when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be preserved was thenceforth taken away.--But after long abstinence Paul stood in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened to me, and not have loosed from Crete, but have prevented this harm and damage.--And now I exhort you to be of good courage: for there shall be no loss of life among you, but of the ship, _there shall be loss_.--For there stood by me this night an angel of that God, whose I am, and whom I serve, saying,--Fear not, Paul, thou must be brought before Caesar; and lo, God hath graciously given to thee all who sail with thee.--Wherefore, Sirs, be of good courage: for I believe God, that it will be as it hath been told me.
The sea being stormy, the crew are alarmed. The storm, however, is not so violent, but that Paul is able to make a speech, and they to hear it.
To keep up their spirits, and, at the same time, let them see the sort of terms he is upon with the Almighty, he tells them a story about an angel. The angel had been sent to him upon a visit, and was but just gone. The business of the angel was to quiet the mind of the Apostle.
The matter had been settled. The precious life was in no danger: and, not only so, but, out of compliment to him, God had been pleased to grant to him the lives of all who were happy enough to be in his company.
In the situation, in which so many lives are represented as being placed,--no very severe condemnation can easily be passed upon any little fraud, by which they might be saved. But, is it really to be believed, that this angel, whom, in a deckless vessel, for the vessels of _those_ times were not like the vessels of present times, no person but Paul either saw or heard, was really sent express from the sky by God Almighty, on such an errand? If not, then have we this additional proof,--if any additional proof can be needed,--to help to satisfy us,--that, where a purpose was to be answered, falsehood, or as he would have called it _lying_, was not among the obstacles, by which Paul would be stopped, in his endeavours to accomplish it.
SUPPOSABLE MIRACLE XI.--AT MALTA, A REPTILE SHAKEN OFF BY PAUL A fire of sticks being kindled, a reptile, here called a viper, is represented as "coming out of the heat," and fastening on Paul's hand.
On beholding this incident,--"the barbarous people," as the inhabitants are called, whose hospitality kindled the fire for the relief of the shipwrecked company, concluded that Paul was a murderer: and were, accordingly, in expectation of seeing him "swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly." Nothing of this sort happened, their next conclusion was, _that he was a God_. As such, did these barbarians, as did the civilized inhabitants of Lystra, sacrifice to him, or in any other way worship him? No: these conceptions of theirs reported, there the story ends.
Of this story, what is to be made? At this time of day, among Christians in general, what we should expect to find is, that it passed for a miracle. But, if by miracle is meant, not merely an accident, somewhat singular and extraordinary,--but, by a special act of Almighty power, an effect produced, by means disconformable to the uniform course of nature,--it might be too much to say, that even by the reporter himself, it is for the decided purpose of its being taken for miracle, that it is brought to view.
If, however, the design was not here, that the incident should be taken for a miracle,--the story amounted to nothing, and was not worth the telling. But, if it _is_ to be made into a miracle, where is the matter in it, out of which a miracle can be made?
The reptile--was it really a viper? Neither the barbarians of Malta, nor the reporter of this story, nor in a word, at that time of day, any other persons whatever, were either very complete or very correct, in their conception of matters belonging to the field of natural history.
At present, reptiles are crawling creatures. At this time of day, when _leeches_ are excepted, to fasten upon the part they have bitten is not the practice with any reptiles that we know of. If, instead of _viper_, the Greek word had been one that could have been translated _leech_,--the story would have been probable enough, but, were it only for that very reason, no miracle could have been made out of it. Shaken down into the fire, that is, into the burning fuel,--a small reptile, such as a leech, how brisk soever in the water, would be very apt to be overpowered by the heat, before it could make its escape: with a reptile of the ordinary size of a viper, this would hardly be the case.
Be this as it may, "he felt,"--so says the story,--"he felt no harm."
How came it that he felt no harm? Because the Almighty performed a miracle to preserve him from harm? So long as eyes are open, causes out of number--causes that have nothing wonderful in them--present themselves to view before this. "The beast," as it is translated, "was not a viper":--if really a viper, it happened, at that moment, not to be provided with a competent stock of venom: it had already expended it upon some other object:--by some accident or other, it had lost the appropriate tooth. Not to look out for others,--any mind that was not bent upon having a miracle at any price, would lay hold of some such cause as one of these, sooner than give itself any such trouble as that of torturing the incident into a miracle.
To bring under calculation the quantity of supernatural power necessary to the production of a given effect is no very easy task. At any rate,--without more or less of expense in a certain shape, nothing in that way could ever be done. In the case here in question, what could have been the object of any such expense? Was it the saving the self-constituted Apostle the pain of a bite? The expense then, would it not have been less--the operation, so to speak, more economical--had a slight turn been given to Paul's hand, or to the course of the reptile?
But, in either case, neither would the name of the Lord, nor--what was rather more material--that of his Apostle, have received that glorification which was so needful to it.
Any such design, as that of giving an unequivocal manifestation of Almighty power, such as should stand the test of scrutiny, testifying the verity of Paul's commission to the end of time,--any such design could the incident have had for its final cause? A more equivocal,--a less conclusive,--proof of the manifestation of supernatural power, seems not very easy to imagine.
Here then comes once more the so often repeated conclusion:--the narrative began to be in want of a miracle, and the miracle was made. In those days, among that people, miracles were so much in course, that without a reasonable number of them, a history would hardly have obtained credence: at any rate it would not have obtained readers, and without readers no history can ever obtain much credence.
SUPPOSABLE MIRACLE XII.--AT MALTA, DEPUTY PUBLIUS'S FATHER "In the same quarters," says the story--it follows immediately upon that of the viper. "In the same quarters were possessions of the chief man of the island, whose name was _Publius_, who received us and lodged us three days courteously.--And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever, and of a bloody flux, to whom Paul entered in and prayed, and laid his hands on him and healed him.--So when this was done, others also which had diseases in the island, came and were healed.--Who also honoured us with many honours, and when we departed, they laded us with such things as were necessary."
Of the fevers, which, within the compass of any given spot, and any given space of time, have place, it almost always happens, that a certain number go off of themselves. Of, perhaps, all sorts of fever,--at least of almost all sorts at present known, thus much is