gainst him! And should have brought on myself a more intolerable doom, had not a miracle of power and mercy arrefted me in my courfe!" That fuch confiderations and a recollection of the fhare which he had formerly taken in ftrengthening the prejudices of his nation against the truth, fhould deeply affect him, and draw fuch expreffion from him as we find in the text and context, is not ftrange. They appear natural for a perfon circumstanced as he was at that time; and efpecially to one divinely forewarned of the devafta. tions then coming on his place and nation.

THESE We conceive to be the feelings and views expreffed by the apostle in the beginning of this chapter-but that he fhould wish to be put into the place of Chrift; or madly with evil to himfelf, from which nobody could be benefited, cannot be fufpected; unless with Feftus, we fuppose him to have been "beside himself," and not to have known what he wrote, when he expreffed himself as in the text.

REFLEXIONS.

I. IN Paul's converfion how wonderfully apparent are the wifdom and power of God? When we view Saul of Tarfus making havoc of the church in Judea, and foliciting permiffion to pur. fue its scattered members even into exile, we confider him as a determined enemy of Chrift. Who then would fufpect that he fhould be made to feel the power of divine grace ? That he would become a Christian? Yea, a prime minister of Immanuel! But lo! For this caufe did God raise

him up! For this work was he training while drinking at the fount of Science, and learning the Jews' religion in the school of Gamaliel! While unfanctified he was a destroyer; but when melted by divine influence into the temper of the gospel, all his powers and all his acquifitions were confecrated to the service of God and the Redeemer.

To affect this change in Paul, however unexpected, was not beyond the power of God; and it was done of God! Neither was it delayed till Paul had spent his best days in the fervice of Satan. At fetting out to deftroy, he was met of the afcended Savior, transformed by the renewing of his mind, and from that time devoted to the fervice of God; and continued faithful unto death. Many were his trials-fevere his fufferings for the gospel which he preached; but "none of these things moved him; neither did he count his life dear to himself, that he might finish his courfe with joy, and the miniftry which he had received of the Lord Jefus, to teftify the gospel of the grace of God."

II. THE temper manifefted by St. Paul when contemplating the ftate of his nation, how worthy of imitation? Like his divine Lord, "when he beheld them he wept over them." Neither was the view unprofitable. It ferved to remind him of his own paft guilt and danger, and the mercy which had been exercised toward him. His guilt and danger had been great. In high handed op. pofition to heaven, he had even exceeded "his kinfmen according to the flefh." Witnefling their

ftate brought these again to his remembrance, and the grace of God which had ftopt him in his course, and faved him from deftruction, caufing him at ence, to rejoice and tremble!

MANY of the children of God when they witness the security of finners; how they neglect the great falvation, and harden themselves in fin, may remember when they did the fame themfelves; and fome of them, in a higher higher degree than most of those who appear to be walking the downward road.

THOSE Who have found mercy cannot refrain from mourning over those whom they fee harden. ing themselves in fin; nor fhould they cease to warn them from their way, and to cry to God in their behalf. But their attention is not wholly taken up from home; it often reverts thither, and ftirs them up to grateful acknowledgments of divine goodness to themselves.

WHO is he that maketh me to differ from the thoughtless finner? is a confideration which often rifes in the good man's mind, while looking on the careless and fecure. It is a proper and a profitable confideration-tends to keep him humble and mindful of his dependence.

SENSE of past dangers ferve to enhance the value of present fafety. The greater dangers we have escaped, and the more wonderful our deliverances have been, the greater fhould be our love to our deliverer, and the greater our care to make him fuitable returns. If we entertain juft views of these things, fuch will be the effect. Thofe to whom most is forgiven love the moft.

By reflecting on the riches of divine mercy, we fhould ftir up our fouls to love the Lord. If witneffing the unconcern of others, while in the broad road, ferves to excite us to gratitude for divine goodness shown to us, "the wrath of man is thereby made to praise the Lord." Such was the effect which a view of Ifrael's hardness had on Paul--May all Chrift's difciples cultivate the same temper.

III. IN Paul's converfion we fee God diftinguifhing among his enemies, and calling one into his kingdom who was, from principle, a deftroyer of his faints. Paul was a Pharifee and the son of a Pharifee. No fect among the Jews was more bitter against Christ-no other fo eager and active in their endeavors to crufh his caufe and fubvert his kingdom. Yet numbers of that fect obtained mercy. The fame did not happen respecting the Saducees. No inftance of a Saducee brought to repentance, can be adduced. Why this difcrimi

nation ?

THERE may be reasons not revealed; but fome are difcernible,

THE Pharifees "had a zeal for God, though not according to knowledge." Saul, the Pharifee, "verily thought, that he ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus" he did not fin against the light of his own mind. The fame was doubtlefs the cafe with many others of that feck. The Saducees were devoid of principle-had rejected first principles-those taught by the light of nature. While first principles are retained, fuch as the belief of a divine exiftence-a difference

between good and evil-a future ftate, in which men will receive the deeds done in the body, and the like, there remains a foundation on which reli. gion may rest; but where these are rejected, the foundation is deftroyed. Of the former who have erred in leffer matters of faith, and been thereby feduced into practical errors, many have been reclaimed, and brought to repentance: Not fo the latter. "One among a thousand have we not found." And those whofe fentiments border on atheism, or infidelity, are feldom called of God. THERE is a certain point of error in opinion, from which a return is rare. Those who reach it are commonly given up to ftrong delufions, which lead to deftruction.

AND practical errors, especially those which are opposed to conviction, are highly criminal, and exceedingly dangerous-they fear the confcience, and provoke God to leave finners to themselves"My spirit fhall not always ftrive with man-the times of ignorance God winked at, but now commands all men every where to repent."

SAUL of Tarfus fpeaks of himself as a chief of finners" because he perfecuted the church of God;" yet he obtained, mercy! But those who fin against the light of their own minds, can draw little encouragement from thence. He hath declared the reason of the distinguishing mercy shown to him-" because I did it ignorantly in unbelief."* No fooner was he convinced of his mistake, than he returned, with, "Lord what wilt thou have

1 Timothy i. 13.