ready to grow mad yourfelves at the madness of this horrible perfecutor ?" But God's ways are not as our ways, neither are his thoughts as our thoughts." Paul is ftruck to the ground as he is going on one of these bloody errands to Da mafcus. But in what way is he ftruck? Is it then in vengeance? Is it with a thunderbolt, fo as never to rife again? Is he doomed never to lift up his eyes any more, except " in hell, being in torments?" No; the time which I am now to fpeak of, is the time when, as he thankfully expreffes it in one of his epiftles, he is permitted to fee Fefus. "Suddenly there appeared a light in the firmament, above the brightness of the Sun, and a voice from heaven faying, Saul, Saul, why perfecuteft thou me! And he faid, who art thou, Lord? and he faid, I am Jefus, whom thou perfecuteft. It is hard, for thee to kick against the pricks. And he faid, Lord, what fhall I do? And the voice faid, arife, and ftand upon thy feet, for I have appointed thee to be a chofen veffel to go unto the people and to the Gentiles, to whom I now fend thee, to open their eyes, and to bring them from darknefs to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, and to give them an inheritance among them that are fanctified through faith that is in me."

We know from the fcriptures what were the confequences of this wonderful Converfion of St. Paul. He was numbered from this time among the apoftles of Chrift, and though in one

fenfe he confidered himself as "the leaft" of them all, and as not even "meet to be called an apoftle, because he had perfecuted the church of God;" yet he tells us, nevertheless, that in point of apoftolic rank and authority, he was "not a whit behind the chiefeft of them;" and he also "labored more abundantly than they all," every where fuffering the most cruel perfecution from his old friends the Jews, and every where "preaching that faith which once he deftroyed."

And now, what are we to learn from this extraordinary ftory?-In the first place it appears to me, that we may gain from it a very strong argument in favor of the general truth of Christianity.

It is fair, I think, when any one quits his party, and goes over to the contrary fide, to allow that he does it honeftly, and on conviction, provided it is plain, he has no reafon to expect to gain any thing by the change. Now Paul had nothing to gain; on the contrary he had much to lofe by becoming à Chriftian; and it is therefore reasonable to fuppofe, that he was very fincere as to his converfion. In general, it must be a large bribe that muft tempt a man to bear the reproach and mortification which follow him when he goes over from his party. But what was the bribe offered to Paul? What in the world could he gain by his converfion? Could he get by it, either wealth or honor, or ease, or earthly fatisfaction? No, he well knew that he

was now likely rather to facrifice his wealth and all his worldly honor, that he was now about to bid adieu to ease and every earthly comfort and enjoyment; he well knew that all his best and dearest friends were now about to turn agains him, and that as he had once perfecuted others. fo now he was about to fuffer the most bitter perfecution in his turn. "For this caufe," fays he, in one place, the Jews fought to ftone -me!" and no wonder, for who is there whom, in general, people are more ready to flone than a deferter from their own party? Were not all the other apoftles alfo at this time expofed to a variety of fufferings? Had not Chrift himself been crucified? And had pot Paul, therefore, every reafon to expect the fame "great fight of afflictions," whenever he should profefs himfelf converted into an apofile. Accordingly we find. him afterwards giving the following defcription of himfelf:- He was ftoned, he was beaten with rods, twice he fuffered fhipwreck; he was perfecuted from city to city; he was in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of his own countrymen, in perils by falfe brethren, in perils of the fea, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in weariness and painfulness, in watching often, in cold and nakedness." Such was his treatment now he was become a Chriftian; and let us just ask also, how did he bear it? "Being defamed," fays he, "we entreat; being perfecuted, we Tuffer it," "We are accounted the very filth of the earth,

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and the offscouring of all things to this day."-But none of thefe things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, fo that I may finish my courfe with joy, and the miniftry which I have received of the Lord Jefus, to teftify the gofpel of the grace of God." When we confider further how every temper of Paul's mind was alfo changed, how the lion was turned into a lamb, and how he, who had been once a perfecutor, became "gentle and affectionate among his people, even as a nurfe cherisheth her children;" furely, it must be owned, that we have in Paul a ftriking evidence, both of the truth, and alfo of the excellence of Christianity. But I think we may gain from the fame story of St, Paul's converfion, a confiderable degree of infight into fome of the chriftian doctrines; I mean for instance, that we may learn fomething of the fovereignty and power of God, and of his long forbearance and forgivenefs, and of the Exceeding riches of his grace in Jefus Chrift. is the opinion of fome who have never attendled to the peculiar doctrines of the gospel, that every man is faved by the merit of his own works, and by ufing merely his own natural power and ftrength, and not by any act of paron, or by any fpecial help or grace of the Almighty. Now how remarkable does the ftory of Paul's converfion fly in the face of every fuch opofition! for what had Paul done, in order, ther to merit, or in any degree to procure that Mercy which was fhewn him? What had he

done, in order to induce God to ftop him on his way to Damafcus ? The cafe is a very ftriking one in this view. Paul was breathing flaughter at the very time when the voice from heaven spoke to him; "Saul, Saul, why perfecuteft thou me!" Thefe words imply that he was at that moment perfecuting Chrift. God in this cafe, very evidently exerted his own fovereign power, and bestowed freely on Paul, the moft unmerited grace, in agreement indeed with thofe other paffages of fcripture. "For I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compaffion on whom I will have compaffion; fo then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy." In like manner, God is faid to have "faved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace." But we obferved also, that the long forbearance and forgiveness of God, are here remarkably manifeft: Paul was intended to ferve as an eminent and most encouraging example to the believers of all ages in this refpect. "For this caufe," fays he, "I obtained mercy, that in me first, Jefus Chrift might fhew forth all long-fuffering, for a pattern to them which fhould hereafter believe on him to life everlafting." It was by this deep fense of his guilt, and by the remembrance of his own infinite obligations, that Paul was now qualified for his work. When be went about preaching to the Gentiles, if he had to encou