beholding any object or receiving any food. That feafon he employed in ferious recollection and fervent prayer, humbly waiting for further deliverance. The Lord graciously remarked the change, and faid of him,. "Behold, he prayeth!" He had repeated many forms of devotion; but never before that period had his heart been raised to heaven with earneft fupplication. It pleases God, in general, to afford young converts opportunity for the exercife of penitential forrow and importunate cries for mercy, before he pours in upon. them the clear light and full comforts of the Gofpel. This may be a time of heaviness, but it furnishes an. ufeful and neceffary preparation of mind; and, at length, joy will certainly fucceed.

A difciple at Damafcus was fent by express rever lation to restore to Saul his loft fight, and confirm him in the Chriftian faith. The coming and defign of that meffenger had also been intimated to Saul by a previous vifion; and this coincidence of circum ftances proved more evidently, that the whole tranfaction was the mighty work of God, and not a delufion or impofture. Ananias was the perfon commiffioned to vifit the "chofen veffel;" and by his. means Saul was inftantly delivered from blindness, filled with the Holy Ghoft, furnished with miraculous powers, and admitted by baptifm into the Church of Chrift.

What a change was this! He, who had intended to harafs and torment the difciples, joined himfelf to them as their friend and brother, and esteemed it the highest honour to become a follower and preacher of Jefus the Nazarene, whofe name he had treated with blafphemous contempt. Having received full information both of the facts and doctrines of the Gospel, by direct communications from heaven, he "conferred not with flesh and blood," confulted not the dictates of worldly prudence or carnal inclinations, but immediately began to declare and maintain, in the fynagogues

fynagogues of Damafcus, what he had learnt by revelation, and proved to the astonishment of thofe, who had known his former character, that Jefus is indeed the promifed Saviour. Thus he "preached the faith, which once he deftroyed," and foon appeared to be "a vefiel unto honour, fanctified and meet for the Mafter's ufet." Shall we not "glorify God in him?" "Bleffed be the Lord God, the God of Ifrael, who only doeth wondrous things: and blessed be his glorious name for evert."

The continuance and good effects of this change demonftrate, that it was no fiction, nor the production of terror or of fancy, but a real converfion, accomplished by the immediate interpontion of the Lord from heaven. From the moment that Saul was first ftruck to the ground, what an aftonishing difference did he manifeft in his whole fpirit and conduct ! Where is now the fury of the perfecutor? and what is become of all his murderous defigns against the believers at Damafcus? "The wolf dwells with the lamb, and the leopard lies down with the kid,” no longer feeking to hurt or deftroy $. Where is the tongue of the blafphemer, fo accustomed to utter profane fpeeches against Chrift? The very mention of Jefus of Nazareth would have provoked his indignation: but no fooner does the Saviour reveal his grace and glory, than the fierce adverfary relinquishes all further plans of oppofition, is afhamed of his former enmity, and alarmed for his future fafety: he cries for mercy, acknowledges the divine character, and defires to follow the directions, of Jesus. “O Lord, what I know not, teach thou me; guide me into that way, in which I have foolishly refused to walk; rescue my guilty foul from deferved wrath, and fhew me what thou requireft to be done. I give

* Gal. i. 23.

+ 2 Tim. ii. 21.
§ Ifa. xi. 6-9.

Pfal. Ixxii. 18, 19.

myfelf

myself to thee, and defire to live in cheerful and unreferved obedience to thy precepts." Such is the purport of his devout exclamation, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" This is the language of converfion; and this effect could no more be produced by any natural caufes, than the fun could be obftructed in its courfe, or the rivers made to flow backward in their channels, without a miraculous interference.

At the period here referred to, as we apprehend, "the commandment came, fin revived, and he died *." While his mind was deeply impreffed with a conviction of the purity and extent of the law, he felt within himself the powerful working of a corrupt nature, and faw that as a tranfgreffor, under condemnation, he was liable to perifh. The haughty Pharifee, therefore, was turned into a weeping penitent. "Through the law," he became "dead to the law† ;” he gave up all the proud expectations, which he had entertained from his own obedience; and "what things were gain to him, thofe he counted lofs for Chrift 1. The ground of his former dependence failing, he relinquished it, and furrendered himself to Jefus, in whom he then trufted for falvation, and to whofe fervice he devoted the whole of his future life. From that moment he continued zealously attached to the caufe of Chrift, though under the ftrongest poffible temptations to defert it, and laboured more abundantly than any others. Shall we not fay with devout affections, "This is the Lord's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes §."

But the benefits were not confined to St. Paul alone. We are not told, how his companions were affected, who, probably, were furious perfecutors like himself. For fome time they remained speechlefs, under an impreffion of great terror; but we know not, that any of them became true converts.

Rom. vii. 9. ↑ Gal. ii. 19. Phil. iii. 7. § Pfal. cxviii. 23.

Yet

Yet there were others, for whofe advantage this fingular interpofition was evidently defigned. Many faw, confeffed, and admired, the change: many were convinced of the truth of the Gofpel, and turned to the Lord. This new preacher, in his zeal to propagate the faith, travelled from city to city, and from one kingdom to another, and thoufands, believing. his teftimony, were added to the Church. No me

naces or fufferings from men could deter them from entering on the fervice of Chrift; in whom they found a fufficient compenfation, and a never failing fource of joy. They "fhone as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life," and thus proved that the Apostle" had not run in vain, neither laboured in vain *.

What fhall we fay to fuch effects as these? They could not proceed from mere imagination; they de monftrate inconteftably, that the Chriftian fyftem is not a delufion or a cheat. Let the declarations of St. Paul be regarded, as they ought to be, and it must be allowed that our faith is divine. He affirms, that he received it by the inspiration of the Almighty, and not by human teaching +. He preached it with zeal and fuccefs, before he had any communication with the other Apoftles: and they all perfectly coincided in their account both of facts and doctrines. Now to what shall we ascribe this exact agreement, if not to the influence of Heaven?

Shall Paul be deemed an impoftor? What motive could induce him to change his party, and contrive fuch a plan of deception? Did he seek for wealth, honour, power, or fenfual gratification? No: all thefe he cheerfully renounced; and, while he patiently endured extreme afflictions, he proved, at least, that he firmly believed the Gofpel. But was he not an enthu

* Phil. ii. 15, 16. Gal. i. 11, &c. See this fubject clearly ftated in Lyttleton's Obfervations on the converfion and Apostleship of St. Paul..

haft? No: the fartheft from it poffible. He betrayed no mark of an enthusiast, except his zeal fhould be reprefented in that light. We obferve, however, it was not the blind and furious zeal of a bigot or fanatic, but the generous ardour of one, who knew the truth, and felt the unfpeakable importance of his commission. Befides, no fuppofition of enthusiasm can ever account for the fuccefs of his labours, which, of itself, evinces that the hand of the Lord was with him.

If it be faid, that, though fincere, he might yet be deceived by others; we afk, By whom? By the difciples of Chrift? They were hardly perfuaded to credit his integrity, and the reality of his converfion; nor could the change originate from them, with whom he had no previous intercourfe. And it will not, furely, be alleged, that he was imposed on by his former affociates, who fought his life for deferting their cause. The only fair conclufion is, that he was conftituted an Apostle by the Lord Jefus, and that the doctrine which he preached is a revelation from heaven. Let us rejoice and give thanks for this interefting event, and pray that the light of the glorious Gospel of Chrift fhine unto us.. may

We admire the divine perfections as difplayed in St. Paul's converfion. We cannot but perceive in it the fovereignty of God, who, without being accountable to us, raifes up what inftruments he pleafes for his own fervice and glory. Let us dispute as we may, "He will have mercy on whom he will have Inercy." It becomes not us to quarrel with his appointments. "Who art thou, that replieft againft God+?" The cafe before us fhews, how feeble is the strongest oppofition to Him. What can the moft furious perfecutors effect?" He that fitteth in the heavens fhall laugh; the Lord fhall have them in derifion 1." He can fuddenly confound their pur