Once when the Persians and the Scythians confronted each other
for battle, there appeared at the Persian camp a messenger
from the Scythians, who said that he had some presents from
the Scythian chief for Darius. The gifts proved to be a bird,
a mouse, a frog, and five arrows. No explanation being given
as to what the message meant, much curiosity on that point
was manifested and many guesses were made. At length it was
suggested that it meant threats and defiance. “It may mean,”
said one, “that unless you can fly like a bird, into the air, or
hide like a mouse in the ground, or bury yourselves like a frog
in morasses and fens, you can not escape our arrows.”
The gospel message to us is not so ambiguous as this, but it is equally
ominous if it be slighted.
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