Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-11-03
November 5, 1916.

Golden Text: Jehovah redeemed the
soul of his servants; and none OF them
that take refuge in him shall be con-
demned." Psalms, 34;22.
When the morning revealed to the
sailors a beach between two rocky
coasts they cast off the anchors, hoisted
the foresail, and made for the shore.
Just at that point there is small
island between which and the main
island the water rushes with terrlRc
force The current where this met tine
rest of the water of the bay was too
much for the old vessel, and they ran
her aground. and the stern was broken
up by the violence of the waves.
The soldiers wanted to kill all of the
prisoners because by the Roman law
they were to forfeit their own lives if
any of their charges had escaped.
julius. however, realized that his life,
as we'll as the lives of all the others,
was due to Paul. and he was not willing
for him to perish in this way after hav-
ing escaped the other perils to which
they had been subjected. So he gave
the order that all who could swim
should cast themselves into the sea,
and that those woh could not should get
to land the best way they could Thus
every one of the 276 souls on board
reached shore safely, although they
suffered the loss of practically every
thing they had.
Landing, they found that it was the
Island Of Malta. 1t must have been a
bedraggled and well-nigh frozen lot that
pulled themselves out of the sea that
early morning 1t was November. and
a cold rain added to their discomfort.
A crowd of the natives had gathered on
the shore to see the wreck. and,
although they were called barbarians,
they showed themselves much less bar
barous than some who are called civ
ilized today; for they took pity upon
them, kindled a fire, and took them all
in. Luke, the historian, speaks of them
as barbarians because the Greeks spoke
of all non-Greeks as barbarianS.
Paul, with his accustomed activity
and self-forgetfulnesS, pitched in to
help gather the sticks to keep the fire
going. The greatest Jew of his time,
and of all times since, proved his great
ness by his f-forgetfulness. In lay
ing the sticks on the fire, however. a
viper which had been alternating was
aroused to activity by the warmth Of
the fire, and before anyone realized 1t
had fastened itself on Pauls hand.
These natives, like many other heather
people, were very superstitious. and de-
cided that the goddess of justice had
effected this upon this man, whom they
saw to be prisoner surmising that he
had been a murderer who had escaped
the storm, but was receiving his just
due in this condemnation of the god
dess. They expected him to drop dead
instantly. or if not, when that did not
happen. they expected him to swell up;
and when this did not happen they
changed their minds entirely and de-
termined that he was god They were
just as wrong in the last instance as
they were in the first. He was neither
god nor criminal.
At any rate, this incident gave him
hearing which he would not otherwise
have had, and we are sure that Paul
made the most of it in giving them the
good news of the Son of God who had
loved them and given Himself for
them, and who had been responsible for
his salvation.
The news Of this undoubtedly spread
throughout the island quickly. The
fact that this Roman citizen, under the
charge of the distinguished Roman
officer had been shipwrecked upon the
island prompted Publius, the governor
of the island, to extend his hospitality
to them; so that Paul and his friends
were entertained three days most cour-
teOusly and in the most lavish way by
this highest official
While there he learned that the father
of Publius was very ill of dysentery.
Upon him Paul laid his hands and
prayed, and a miraculous healing was
effected. The news of this spread so
rapidly throughout the island that Paul
and Luke had all they could accomplish
in taking care of the sick who came to
them during the next few weeks. CThe
pronouns in verse 10 show that Luke
also had part in this way. 1t is more
than probable that most of it was done
by him, for the word cured" in verse s
is different in the Greek from the word
heal" in verse s. The one in verse is
the word from which We get our word
therapeutic" or the ministry to the
sick.)
In gratitude for all that they had re-
ceived the natives honored them in their
way They gave them everything that
they needed, and that was a good deal,
for the shipwreck had left them very lit
tie besides their half-starved bodies
SATAN'S WORK.
When we realize that Paul was the
most influential man in the church at
that time, and that his death would
have been the greatest blow to the
church and to the spread of the gospel