He was a native of Tarsus, a city of Cilicia, in Asia-Minor; a citizen, that is, a freeman of no mean eity; of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews,' that is, descended both by father and mother from the race of Abraham 6 ; as touching the law a Pharisee,' a sect remarkable for their zeal, austerity, and outward observance of all religious commandments and ceremonies, but withal peculiarly self-righteous. In his youth he was sent to Jerusalem for a more finished education, and was brought up in that city at the feet of Gamaliel a learned doctor of the Jewish law-and was taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers. He was a person of great natural talents, and profited in the Jew's religion above many his equals in his own nation, not being of the race of Aaron, and consequently not intended for the priesthood. According to

the custom of the Jews to teach the rich as well as the poor some trade, (it being their standing maxim,

That he who teacheth not his son a trade, teacheth him to be a thief,') he was instructed in the trade of a tent-maker. Never was the soundness of this custom more clearly shewn than in the life of this distinguished Apostle. His peculiar character was energy and zeal, as he says of himself, he was zealous toward God, exceedingly zealous of the traditions of the Fathers. This energy and zeal was sadly misdirected. It was a bigoted zeal untempered with discretion, a mad zeal, an ignorant zeal. Whilst he was persecuting the church of God he thought he was doing God service. At the martyrdom of St. Stephen he held the clothes of his murderers. I persecuted, says he, this way unto the death, binding, and delivering

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into prisons, both men and women. "I verily thought with myself that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth; which thing I also did in Jerusalem. And many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death I gave my voice against them. And I punished them oft in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme. And being exceedingly mad against them, persecuted them even unto strange cities." He describes himself in his unconverted state as a "blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious;" and the Holy Ghost expresses his fiery persecuting zeal in the srongest language, as "making havoe of the Church," and as "breathing out threatening and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord." Full of this spirit of bitterness, and unsatiated with the blood of the saints, he goes "unto the high priest, and desires of him letters to Damascus, to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way,"-that is, any of the religion of Jesus," whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem." And now, like a hungry wolf, the persecuting Saul, with a band of men, pursues the trembling sheep of Jesus. Furious zeal and unsatisfied rage urge him onward, the towers and walls of the city are in sight. "As he journeyed he came near Damascus." Already in imagination the work of wrath is began, he sees the followers of the despised Galilean flying before him; their cries and lamentations are music in his

ears.

With malicious triumph he sees them bound and led as sheep to the slaughter. "Fear not little flock!" What stops the headlong course of raging

Saul? What scatters the midnight darkness from his soul? "And suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven. And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice." Mercy breathes in the language of reproach. O Saul thou deceivest thyself! Do deeds of slaughter glorify God? Dost thou despise and seek to destroy the scattered followers of Jesus the Nazarene? In persecuting them thou persecutest him. And who is he? The Lord of Glory! The cause of his suffering saints is his; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them, and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old; in all their afflictions he is afflicted. "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" The ignorant, unbelieving, Saul, who would not acknowledge Christ as the Messiah, or that the Gospel was from God, or that those were his servants whom he persecuted, acknowledges the Lord, and with trembling astonishment enquires, "Who art thou Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest!" and since thou wilt but injure thyself by opposing one who hath all power in heaven and earth; be not disobedient to the heavenly call, “It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks." Convinced of his guilt, deprived of all excuse, driven out from his refuges of lies, enlightened and humbled, he who but lately breathed out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, and was speeding forward to the work of blood, the blaspheming the persecuting Saul, trembling, astonished, and submissive, asks, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" With very different feelings from those with which he commenced his journey, the now humbled, inquiring, and sight-stricken Saul," arises from the earth," and

according to the divine command, is "led by the hand and brought into Damascus." There for three days in darkness, solitude, and fasting, he communes with his own heart; there his sins are brought to remembrance, and wounded in spirit he neither eats nor drinks; there he who was well acquainted with the letter of the law is reminded of his spiritual blindness. "Behold," saith Jesus to Ananias, "behold he prayeth!" The self-righteous Pharisee, the ruthless. oppressor, the daring blasphemer, bends the knee to Jesus! And what, is this so wonderful? Did Saul never pray before? Did not the Pharisees make long prayers? And was not Saul a Pharisee?

He was,

and after the most strictest sect of the Jews' religion lived a Pharisee; but the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart he will not despise. Before he only used the form of prayer, now he used the form with the power; now he prayed really" Behold he prayeth !"-and he "who breaketh not the bruised reed, nor quencheth the smoking flax," hears the praying penitent, and sends a messenger of peace, his instrument, to convey light and grace. "And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized." Reconciled to God by the blood of his Son, baptized into the faith of Jesus, his professed disciple, partaker of Gospel hope and Gospel peace, and ordained to be a

Minister and a witness for Christ, he unites himself with those he came to persecute, and boldly preaches that faith which once he destroyed. "Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at DamasAnd straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God."

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From that hour to the end of his Ministry, through evil and good report, this was the grand subject of his preaching, and the spring of all his labours," For I determined," says he to the Corinthians, "not to know any thing among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified." To the Galatians, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." "God forbid that I should glory, save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world." And to the Philippians, "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." To him to live was Christ."

And what, brethren, may we learn from the conversion of St. Paul? We should have his wonderful conversion in remembrance as displaying the wisdom of God in the choice of an instrument fitted, by his characteristic zeal and energy for, the great work he was appointed to perform.