The life and work of St. Paul

216 THJB LIFE AND WORK O* ST. PAUL.
revelations; and yet even in those days Ho had not left Himself without
witness by the mercies which He then sent, as He sends them now, "by
giving us from heaven rains and fruitful food and gladness."
seasons, by filling our hearts with
Such was the strong yet kindly and sympathetic protest uttered by the
Apostles against the frank superstition of these simple Lycaonians. It was
no time now, in the urgency of the moment, to preach Christ to them, the sole,
object being to divert them from an idolatrous sacrifice, and to show the futile
character of the polytheism of which such sacrifices formed a part. Paul,
who was evidently the chief speaker, does this with that inspired tact which
can always vary its utterances with the needs of the moment. No one can
read the speech without once more pereciviug its subtle and inimitable coin-
cidence with his thoughts and expressions. 1 The rhythmic conclusion is not
nnaccordant with the style of his most elevated inoocls ;
and besides the appro-
priate appeal to God's natural gifts in a town not in itself unhappily situated,
but surrounded by a waterless and treeless plain, we may naturally suppose
that the " filling our hearts with food and gladness " was suggested by the
garlands and festive pomp which accompanied the bulls on which the people
would afterwards have made their common banquet. Nor do I think it
impossible that the words may be an echo of lyric songs 2
sung as the procession
made its way to the gates. To use them in a truer and loftier con-
nexion would be in exact accord with the happy power of seizing an argument
which St. Paul showed when he turned into the text of his sermon at Athens
the vague inscription to the Unknown God.
But the Lyetrenians did not like to be baulked of their holiday and of
their banquet ; and those who had been most prominent in proclaiming the
new epiphany of Zeus and Hermes were probably not a little ashamed.
M. Kenan is right in the remark that the ancient heathen had no conception
of a miracle as the evidence of a doctrine. If, then, the Apostles could work
a miracle, and yet indisputably disclaim all notion of being gods in disguise,
what were they, and what became of their miracle P The Lycaouiaas, in the
sulky revulsion of their feelings, and with a somewhat uneasy sense that they
had put themselves into a ridiculous position, were inclined to aveoige their
were a faithless and
error on those who had innocently caused it. They
fickle race, liable, beyond the common wont of mobs, to sudden gusts of feeling
1
Compare liv. 15, curb TOVTWV rS>V fn.a.ta.itav iirurrpefaiv im Qcov S>vra. with 1 Thess. i. 9,
iirc