that the work

and the praise

to the knowledge of the truth; and these are often seemingly precarious and contingent, may more clearly be known to be his, ascribed to his power and providence. Philip, by the direction of an angel, intercepted the Ethiopian upon the road. He found him well employed, reading the prophet Isaiah, as he sat in his chariot: he had a very confused idea of the passage he was reading; but he knew it contained an important meaning, and was desirous to discover it. Those who have a just sense of the excellence of the scripture, and peruse it, as he did, with a sincere intention to be instructed by it, may be encouraged from this instance to persevere, though they find it at present hard to be understood: he who gave them the desire, will, in due time, provide them a teacher, and make dark things plain to them. When Philip drew near, and asked him, without ceremony, if he understood what he read, he was not offended with the abruptness of his address, but courteously invited him to sit with him, confessing his ignorance, and the need he had of assistance. The passage which had perplexed him afforded Philip a fair opportunity of preaching Jesus: the eunuch believed, and was baptized in a water they were passing by. In this case there seems to have been no exertion of an outward miracle to confirm the word, nor was it necessary; the manner of Philip's meeting with him, the suitableness of the question to the dubious state of his mind, and the discovery he obtained, that the prophetical marks of the Messiah exactly coincided with the history of Jesus, afforded him sufficient evidence. The only extraordinary circumstance was the sudden disappearing of Philip, who, having performed his service, was removed by the Spirit to Azotus, a place thirty miles di

stant; from whence proceeding along the sea coast, he preached at Joppa, Lydia, and all the intermediate places, till he came to Cesarea. In the mean time the eunuch, rejoicing in the Lord's goodness, pursued his journey to Ethiopia. We have no further account of him in the New Testament; but some ancient writers assure us, that he was the means of propagating the faith which he had received, first in his own country, and afterwards in places still more remote.

He

TIBERIUS, A. D. 35.] The church having suffered much from the violence of the persecution, the Lord was pleased to afford them intermission, and to give a remarkable* proof of the power of his grace, by the conversion of Saul, one of their fiercest opposers. had been educated a Pharisee, in a zealous attachment to the law, and, from a mistaken princple of conscience, thought it his duty to suppress the followers of Jesus: The warmth of his temper prompted him to uncommon earnestness against them, and as he was a young man, he was probably further instigated by a desire to ingratiate himself with the Jewish rulers. Not content with the mischief he had done at Jerusalem, he still breathed out threatnings and slaughter against them, and meditated their destruction, even in distant places. With this view, he obtained letters of authority from the chief priests, and set out for Damascus, that, if he found any disciples there, he might bring them bound with him to Jerusalem. Little was he aware of the event of his journey! Little did the believers iniagine that the man who now thirsted for their blood would soon be their companion and leader! The Lord often permits those to whom he shows mercy to run great

* Acts is.

previous lengths in their obstinacy and ignorance: their subsequent change is hereby more noticed; the riches of his grace are more remarkably exemplified for the encouragement of others; and such persons, from a lively sense of their past wickedness, and the undeserved favour they have received, are usually more strongly impressed with a sense of divine love, and more warmly devoted to his service. Some such there have been in every period of the church, and especially whenever there has been a remarkable revival of the power of godliness. When Saul was drawing near to Damascus, perhaps within sight of the city, antieipating his bloody designs, and exulting in thought over the defenceless sheep of Christ, whom he had been taught to consider as schismatics and heretics, who deserved to be extirpated from the face of the earth, he was suddenly surrounded by a glorious light, exceeding the brightness of the mid-day sun, and heard a voice, not of uncertain application, but expostulating with him, by name, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou "me?" If he was alarıned at the question, he was much more so, when, upon asking, "Who art thou, "Lord?" he was answered, "I am Jesus the* Naza

rene, whom thou persecutest." So nearly is the Lord interested in his people, and so dangerous is it to injure them: he accounts their cause, their sufferings, their enemies, his own. The Nazarene was an epithet of contempt affixed to the name of Jesus by those who hated † him; and it is probable that Saul had often spoke of him in these terms: but now he found him

This is the exact import of the Greek, Inous o Napasos, Acts xxii. 8.

† And for this reason inserted in the title which Pilate put over his cross.

self in the Nazarene's power, and unable either to escape or to plead; he fell to the earth, trembling and astonished beyond expression; he not only heard his voice, but saw his * person; an interview which he could not have sustained a moment, if the glory of Jesus had not been tempered with the milder beams of grace and love. The Lord spared him, accepted his feeble surrender of himself, moderated his fears, and dismissed him to Damascus, as a willing trophy of his victorious grace, and a singular instance how easily he can subdue the hardest hearts to himself. The brightness of the vision had overpowered his bodily eyes, so that he was led by the hand; but the eyes of his mind were opened; his heart, his aims were changed; he was become a new man; and, instead of threatenings and slaughter, he now breathed prayer and devotion to Jesus, and love to his people. He remained at Damascus three days without sight or food; but the Lord remembered his distress, and sent to him a disciple, named Ananias, who, from the character he had heard of him, was at first greatly surprised at the command he received to go to such a person; but the Lord condescended to acquaint him that Saul was a chosen instrument, whom he had appointed to do and suffer great things for his sake. When Ananias laid his hands on him, a thick film, resembling scales, fell from his eyes; his 'sight was restored, his mind composed, and he was immediately baptized. Saul had several companions with him in his journey, who saw the dazzling light, heard the sound of the voice which spoke to him, and fell to the ground, with surprise, as he did; they knew enough of the circumstances of the case to witness for

*Acts ix. 27.; 1 Cor. xv. 9.

him, that he neither imposed upon others nor himself; but we have no account that any of them were converted; the most extraordinary occurrences being insufficient to change the heart, without the interposition of divine grace.

Thus the late persecuting Saul was numbered with the disciples, and soon distinguished himself among them. He now knew, by experience, the wickedness and danger of opposing the Gospel, and was desirous to repair the mischief of his former rage and ill example. A sense of the mercy he had received, and compassion for the souls of others, made him seek every opportunity to persuade and convince the Jews, his former companions and brethren; but he soon found the same treatment from them which he himself had often offered to the disciples. They opposed and vilified him as an apostate, and at length consulted to kill him: his former zeal in their cause was forgot, or, if remembered, it was an argument suited to inflame their resentment. But no counsel can prevail against those whom the Lord protects, Saul had timely notice of their designs, and, because they watched the gates of the city incessantly, he was let down by a basket* over the wall; for, though he neitheir distrusted his cause nor his protector, he was not unmindful to employ prudent means for his preservation. But before this, he had made some excursions from Damascus, and visited Arabia; for his own words assure us, that it was not

* 2 Cor. xi. 33. "Through a window, in a basket, was I let "down by the wall." The Lord often confounds the pride of his enemies by the manner in which he delivers his servants: he permits violent oppositions and great preparations to be made against them, and then disconcerts the combinations of the many and the mighty, by feeble and unthought-of means. VOL. III.