The life and work of St. Paul

ANTIOCH IN PISIDIA. 211
On the following Sabbath a vast crowd, of all ranks, nationalities, and classes,
thronged the doors of the synagogue. Immediately the haughty exclusivenc.ss
of the Jews took the alarm. They wore jealous that a single address of this
dubious stranger, with his suspicious innovations, should have produced a
greater effect than their years of prosolytism. They wore indignant that ono
who scorned to have suddenly dropped down among them from the snows of
Taurus with an astonishing gospel should, at a touch, thrill every heart with
the electric sympathy of love, and achieve more by one message of free salva-
tion than they had achieved in a century by raising a prickly hedge around the
exclusive sanctity of their Law. Paul again the chief speaker no longer
met with attentive and eager listeners ;
he was interrupted again and again by
flat contradiction and injurious taunts. 1 At last both the Apostles saw that
the time was come to put an end to the scene, and to cease a form of ministra-
tion which only led to excited recriminations. Summoning up all their courage
and few acts are more courageous than the unflinching announcement of a
most distasteful intention to an infuriated audience they exclaimed that now
they had done their duty, and discharged their consciences towards their own
countrymen. They had made to them the offer of eternal life, and that offer
had been
"
disdainfully repudiated.* Lo ! you may be astonished and indignant,
but now we turn to the Gentiles. In doing so we do but fulfil the
prophecy of Isaiah, who said of our Lord that He was ordained for a Light of
the Gentiles, and for salvation to the ends of the earth."
Gladly and gratefully did the Gentiles welcome the mission which now
to them exclusively made free offer of all, and more than all, the blessings
of Judaism without its burdens. All who, by the grace of God, decided to
3
range themselves in the ranks of those who desired eternal life accepted the
faith. More and more widely* the word of the Lord began to spread. But
the Jews were too powerful to bo easily defeated. They counted among
their proselytes a large number of women, of whom some were of high
rank. 6 Their commercial ability had also secured them friends among
the leading people of the city, who were the municipal Roman authorities.
Tolerant of every legalised religion, the Romans had a profound distaste
for religious embroilments, and so long as the Jews behaved peaceably, were
quite willing to afford them protection. Knowing that all had gone smoothly
l Acts xiii. 45,
* Acts xiii. 46, OVK ifc'ovs Kpivtrt iavrovs r>} alavCov
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