Though St. Paul as we have just seen, has himself taken care to shake
the credit of the author of the Acts of the Apostles, it is nevertheless
on the word of this writer that Christians think themselves obliged to
believe in the miracles of our great Apostle. In fact, like all those
who have endeavoured to establish new sects, our preacher could not
dispense with performing prodigies: this is the most certain method
of exciting the admiration of the vulgar. Incapable of reasoning, of
judging of the soundness of a doctrine, and frequently unable in the
least to comprehend it, miracles always become the most powerful of
arguments; they are indubitable proofs that he who works them is the
favourite of the divinity, that consequently he cannot be in the wrong,
nor capable of a wish to deceive.
Miracles were more especially necessary amongst the Jews; they demanded
signs from all those who spoke to them in the name of the Lord, and
there was little difficulty in working them, before an ignorant and
credulous people, ready to receive as such every thing that was shewn to
them. In spite of a disposition so favourable to miracle-mongers, we
do not find that those of Jesus himself and afterwards of his apostles,
produced on the Jews those effects which we have a right to expect from
them. We find that at the time they were performed they convinced nobody
and drew those who worked them, into difficult situations. It was
not until a long time had elapsed that these prodigies produced their
effects, and by a miracle that we can never cease to admire, we find,
that these prodigies, which were discarded by those who saw them, were
most firmly believed by those who did not see them, and are now ranked
amongst the strongest evidences of the divinity of the Christian
religion. There are only some reasoners who persist in judging of these
ancient miracles in the same manner as the contemporaries who did
not see them, or who, if they did see them, regarded them as so many
instances of deception and slight of hand, incapable of imposing on
them. It is only the simplicity, of faith, that is to say, an implicit
confidence in the assertions of our guides, which can make us see
miracles, or cause us to believe in those we have not seen. But this
simple faith is the effect of an especial grace that God grants only to
those who are poor in spirit, and harshly refuses to those who think and
reason. As soon as we want confidence in the operators, we see no more
miracles, or at least we doubt of those that are shewn to us.
It does not appear that St. Paul performed miracles at Jerusalem after
his conversion; this city was not in his department: it belonged to St.
Peter and the other Jewish apostles, who, according to the Acts, did not
cease to work miracles there. Our Apostle of the uncircumcised, or of
the district in which the Gentiles were converted, having quitted his
brethren, commenced his course of miracles at Paphos. He was upon the
point of converting Sergius, proconsul of the province, had not a cursed
sorcerer of a Jew, named Barjesus, and surnamed Elymas, i.e. magician,
endeavoured to prevent the magistrate from believing in Jesus Christ.
Indignant at the obstacle that this man opposed to the divine will,
instead of converting and convincing him, Paul abused him according
to the present practice of theologians, and called him a child of the
devil, and finished with striking him with blindness. If this conduct
was conducive to the salvation of the proconsul, who according to the
author of the Acts, having seen this miracle, believed, being astonished
at the doctrine of the Lord, there are many who will not be so edified,
at this prodigy, so contrary to Christian charity and mildness. In fact
would it not have been more kind of St. Paul armed with divine power,
to have enlightened the eyes of the sorcerer's mind, than to have struck
those of his body with darkness? But we always see that the miracle
that the apostles as well as their divine master had most difficulty in
working was that of convincing those who were not disposed to believe
every thing.
It appears that on the present occasion, the sorcerer was stronger, in
point of reasoning, than St. Paul, which put him in a passion. Logic was
not in fact, the most prominent quality in our Apostle, any more than
in his brethren and successors. Besides, this holy Missionary was of too
impetuous a temper to reason with moderation, and argue in a clear and
precise manner. Thus to terminate the dispute with Elymas, he abused
him, and perhaps relying on the protection of the proconsul, whom he saw
wavering in favour of his doctrine, ventured to strike his antagonist,
which deprived him of his sight for a period, for it is easy to deprive
a man of the use of his eyes without a miracle*.
* This, it must in candour be acknowledged, is an inference
which the text will not warrant us to draw, and is unworthy
Boulanger's pen. It seems to be compromising the dignity
of truth, to impose upon itself the necessity of accounting
for all the hocus pocus tricks, or wilful falshoods, which
the ignorance, bigotry, and knavery of a deplorable
superstition, have handed down through the mist of eighteen
centuries.--Translators
We learn that our Apostle and his associate Barnabas, wrought such
miracles at Iconiura, that all the city was divided, one part being
in favour of the Jews, and the other for the Apostles. But immediately
after we are informed, that "when there was an assault made, both of
the Gentiles and also of the Jews, with their rulers, to use them
despite-fully, and to stone them, the Apostles were aware of it, and
fled to Lystra and Derbe."
This conduct of the inhabitants of Iconiura is certainly inconceivable.
Pagans and Jews unite to ill treat and stone our Apostles, who in spite
of the divine power which they possess have no other expedient, than to
seek safety in flight.
In spite of the inutility of his miracles, Paul worked more at Lystra; he
there cured a lame man, in whom by mere inspection he discovered much
faith. This gives rise to a suspicion that this might have been a
miracle concerted between them. He said to him, with a loud voice, stand
upright on thy feet, and he leaped and walked. The people of Lystra
were so struck by this prodigy, that they took our two missionaries
for gods, and would have offered them sacrifices, but Paul and Barnabas
forbade them with great modesty. This great miracle must have been
believed, even by the priest of Jupiter, since it is said, that he
brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have sacrificed with
them. This circumstance clearly proves that nobody at Lystra doubted the
truth of this miracle. However some Jews who had arrived from Iconium
were able to undeceive a whole city, which had seen the miracle of the
lame man. The poor St. Paul, who had just before been taken for Jupiter,
was stoned, and dragged out of the city for dead; he revived, however,
and, in spite of his miracle, he saved himself, with Barnabas by fleeing
to Derbe.
The miracle wrought by our saint at Philippi in Macedonia, did not meet
with more success, he there cured a girl, who had a spirit of Python,
and being by that means possessed of the power of divination, gained
great profit to her masters. These, far from acknowledging and admiring
the power of a man who reduced to silence Apollo, one of the
most powerful gods of paganism, brought Paul and Silas before the
magistrates, and excited the people against them. It is right to
remark in this place, that Apollo (i. e. the Devil) who resided in this
prophetess, laboured to destroy his own empire. In fact having perceived
Paul and his comrade, the girl followed them, crying, these men are the
servants of the Most High God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.
And this did she many days. But Paul being grieved, turned and said to
the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of
her, and he came out the same hour*.
It is surprising that Paul was grieved at a declaration so favourable
to his mission, and that he should impose silence on a demon, whose
testimony was so honourable, and likely to draw adherents! but the
conduct of saints is always inexplicable.
In these unhappy times in which faith is so cold, no credit is given,
either to those possessed, or to soothsayers; it is difficult to know
what the nature of the spirit of Python, which inhabited the Macedonian
girl could have been**. If we might hazard a conjecture on the subject,
it might be supposed that our Apostles, to give themselves some relief,
gained her over, and employed her to play her part, by giving her to
understand that it would be her interest to attach herself to the new
sect, rather than work for masters, who, probably, paid her very poorly
for her services from which they drew all the profit.
* Acts xvi. 17, 18.
** Some critics have been very much embarrassed, to
conjecture what the nature of this spirit of Python could
have been: several have thought that those who had this
spirit, were such as are known to us in the present day by
the name of ventriloquists, who have the power of
articulating words, more or less distinctly, without any
motion of the lips being perceptible. There are such
persons, who create much surprise to those unacquainted with
this faculty, and we cannot be astonished that the vulgar,
who doat upon the marvellous, should attribute this power to
supernatural causes.
The magistrates of Philippi on the complaint of those masters, as we
have seen, caused our exorcists to be flogged, and sent them to prison.
An earthquake happened very opportunely, the jailor was gained over
or converted; the magistrates, thinking the Missionaries had been
sufficiently punished, permitted them to depart; but then, as we have
seen, they declared themselves Roman citizens, and refused to go, until
the magistrates, who were now intimidated, consented to make them an
honourable reparation.
Notwithstanding the miracles wrought by Paul during his mission,
disagreeable reports every where accompanied him, or followed him, so
closely in all the cities through which he passed, that neither himself
nor his comrades could remain long in the same place. They only passed
through Amphipolis and Apollonia, and repaired to Thessalonica, where,
in a very short time, the whole city was in an alarm. Jason, their
host, was, as we have already seen, ill treated on their account, it was
alleged against our Missionaries, that they overthrew every thing, and
in preaching another king than Caesar, seemed desirous of plotting a
conspiracy. In consequence of this, as it was a serious accusation, the
brethren contrived the escape of Paul and Silas during the night.
Arrived at Berea, our two adventurers, soon excited similar
disturbances. Paul repaired to Athens, where the philosophers who heard
him, took him for a talker whose brain was unsound. However in spite of
his success, which was doubtless very slow, he had the mortification of
being compelled to labour at his original trade of tent-making, which
was very hard for a preacher ordained to live by the altar, that is to
say, one whose trade it was to sell spiritual wares, to those who
bound themselves to provide him, wherewith to subsist on credit Such is
clerical traffic. Further, St. Paul takes special care to boast to the
Corinthians of his great disinterestedness. He makes them understand he
would not be chargeable upon them; by which he appears to have intended
some indirect reproaches, calculated to pique their pride and
excite their generosity, towards the holy man who laboured for their
salvation*. The Corinthians probably imagined that men who performed
miracles, had no need of assistance: but our miracle-mongers were under
the necessity of satisfying their wants by ordinary methods. They were
like the adepts, who were always in poverty though offering to others
the secret of making gold.
There is reason to believe that Paul performed great miracles amongst
the Corinthians, at least he says to them himself "Truly the signs of
an apostle, were wrought among you in all patience, in signs and wonders
and in mighty deeds**." However we find that these miracles had not yet
sufficiently convinced the Corinthians, since Paul says to them "Seek ye
a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you ward is not weak, but is
mighty in you***."
* See 2. Corinthians, chap. xi. ver. 7, 8, 9, 16. Chap. xii.
ver. 13, and also 1. Corinthians chap. ix. ver 11,13, 14,
** 2 Corinthians xii. 12.
*** 2 Corinthians xiii. 3.
Respecting the miracles wrought by St. Paul at Corinth, we have only his
own evidence, and that is sufficient; the author of the Acts though very
free upon this article does not inform us, that he wrought any in this
city, this was most likely the case, since he remained there a long
time, an unusual circumstance, where he condescended to perform
miracles, which generally compelled him to remove, in consequence of the
disturbance they excited. He was obliged to quit Ephesus, where we are
assured, that he performed a great number, and where handkerchiefs,
linen, &c. which had touched him, cured the sick, and expelled devils.
He departed from Troas directly after having raised a dead man to life,
or at least after having asserted that a young man, who was thought so,
was in reality not so. In short in the isle of Malta he cured himself of
the bite, either because the reptile had not in fact bitten him, or
by applying fire to the wound, a remedy which though common, might be
unknown to the inhabitants of the island, as we have already remarked.