Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-11-04
The Miracle Worker.


The shipwrecked people were receive
ed with great kindness by the people
of Malta, who. treated both Paul and
his shipwrecked companions with such
courtesy that they could not be ciassed
as barbarians in the modern sense of
the term. although the Greeks called
all who did not speak their tongue
''barbarians." The attitude of the ma
tives to the strangers cast by the storm
upon their coast was not that Of
wreckers. but of brothers. They light
ed the fires SO that all might dry their
clothes and remove the chill OF the
bleak November day.
With characteristic energy and UNI
selfshness, Paul. although he probably
was suffering from exhaustion due to
his efforts to get everybody safe to
shore. commenced to inspire others
with his spirit of service. He collected
fuel with such energy and encouraged
others to do so that he naturally at
tracted the attention of the Maltese to
the fact that. as the chains on his
wrists proved. he was a prisoner.
Among the brushwood that had been
gathered and probably thrown upon
the fire was half-frozen wiper"
which. warmed by the heat, fastened
itself upon Paul's hand, hanging there
until he shook 1T off into the fire
that the snake was a constructor, and
not Gas Luke calls it, a viper. which
darts and strikes with bite. but does
not cling. There is found in Malta a
classification either CoronelIa Austri-
AGA or Leopardinus observers differ, as
to the exact species). which is in APP
pearance SO like viper as to deceive
even a skilled naturalist unless he ex-
amines it.closely, and the action Of this
species would be exactly what luke
described"
The superstitious natives not only
considered. as many do the bite OF any
snake today. the bite dangerous. but
they looked for Paul to die in torture,
They felt certain that they understood
why he was bitten. He must be
great criminal, murderer who de-
served to de- though he had escaped
the sea. yet Divine justice demanded
! that he pay the penalty of his crime;
therefore the gods were Furnishing him.
When he did not die horrible death
they commenced to think Of him as a
god. so that Publius Lentulus. the gov
ernor Of the island, extended the hospi-
ta1ity of his home to Paul and his COM
panions. In all probability it was the
reputation Paul had acquired as a god
that might have attracted the chief
man of the Islands to the apostle, but
he would not have extended the hospi-
tally that he did II the centurion had
not approved of his courtesy to his dis
| tinguished prisoner. whose character
| had won for him the Romans appre-
citation Of Paufs worth and work.
| The kindness extended by the gov
| ernor to the apostle was repaid by the
healing of his father. Paul prayed for
the. recovery OF the father Of Publius.
,, and his cure of a serious Illness was
due to the healing power of God. The
! laying on of the apostles hands was
only incidental. The disaster was
turned by Paul into an opportunity Of
Christian service SO that both he and
Luke. who was physician, found
| many opportunities during their three
months stay on the islands to exercise
a ministry. Of healing. In this they
| followed the example of their Lord,
who went about doing good and healin e
| every manner OF sickness. The modern
missionary work that has accomplished
4 so much for Christ and His church
owes much Of its success to medical
| missions that have cared for mems
| bodies and, by their cures. secured an
| entrance for the gospel, 50 that the
work accomplished in Malta has been
repeated throughout all the mission
fields Of the world.