the Jews designated as zealots, as Simon the apostle was another-men, who,-after the pattern of Phineas, their alleged founder,-were ready, with hand and deed as well as word and speech, to do and suffer in the cause of their nation and their GOD. This attachment of Saul to the Jewish cause was not a mere narrow-minded prejudice, but the deliberate choice of a man that had taken a wide survey of the world around him, and knew what other attracting influences were abroad, and how the mighty and the wise regarded his countrymen. His birth at Tarsus gave him the privileges of a Roman citizen, aud ambition might have induced him to strive after a place in the system of that mighty empire. Never was it more imposing than now, when, after the contests of rival factions and centuries of opposition, it had finally established itself in unquestioned dominion over the nations, and was preparing for its ages of rule, for its mighty works of peace, for the moulding of the nations into its own character, and for the triumphs of its law and language. If thus we conjecture what, with his energy and courage, he might have been among the Romans, as a soldier or a politician, we may conclude more certainly, that he might have entered with success on that other most inviting field, opened to him in the philosophy of the Greeks. We see that he was acquainted with their literature; often, no doubt, had he been tempted to betake himself to Athens, to master those truths which its wise men professed to have made their own; he, too, felt in himself a longing to grapple with the problems which have ever exercised the highest minds; he, too, felt a capacity for dealing with the questions which concern the attainment of the Supreme Good-the rule of life, the origin of evil, and the nature of the soul. These beckoned him towards vaunting Greece.

Yet he saw cause for clinging, in spite of the sneers of the refined, to the despised teaching of his fathers' house. He saw that there was no heart, no spirituality in Roman power; that it was earthly, not heavenly; so he chose to cast in his lot with the conquered, not with the conqueror, trusting one day to see the tide of empire turned. He saw that there was no authority, no certainty, in Greek speculation; that it availed not to arrest vice, or to stay the degeneracy and effeminacy of their nation; that it was more and more passing off into mere contests of words and names; that it was of man, not of GOD. What were these dreams, and disputations, and abstractions to the living personal GoD of his fathers? What was the Roman empire to the Jewish theocracy? Doubtless he clung more closely to the traditions of his country from his knowledge of the heartlessness, hollowness, and unreality of all besides: old religions were worn out and losing their hold. Surely at that above all periods must many a Jew have felt that the time of his nation was next to come; that the spiritual sceptre of the world must soon be resigned into their hands; that it wanted but a word from heaven, and they were ready at the sword's point to proclaim-"There is but one GOD, and Moses is his prophet." And yet, with truth in their hands, and prophecy exciting the most glowing expectations, Saul and other thinking men must have felt that they were very weak, divided amongst themselves, partially corrupted by Gentile manners, trodden down by the Romans. To earnest Jews, who flocked up to Jerusalem from a distance full of reverence and loyalty, how miserable must have seemed the gross hypocrisy and polluted lives of the rulers-men that could hardly themselves believe their own system, could not be earnest for it, fight or die for it. But Saul was not

one of these.

He knew not yet his need

He seems to have been a man of blameless life, striving after the righteousness of the law, thinking it within his grasp, ever expecting to attain it, ever surprised at his own failures-surprised, but not humbled, not yet seeing the law in its awful and high strictness, not yet seeing the need of being in another in order to stand before GOD. of mercy; and not knowing the love of God, he knew little of love to man. He knew not of a common misery, a common deliverance, a common interest in a new brotherhood-of the one body, one spirit, one heart, one mouth. Still GOD seemed to dwell at a distance from those who were not his children but his servants; and man had not yet gained his value and honour in his brother's eye from the exaltation of humanity in CHRIST. Thus Saul became a persecutor—that is, because he was proud and unloving, and because men were yet, as men, unhonoured in his sight. What darker shades were mingled in his character, whether personal pique at being defeated in argument by St. Stephen, or love of power, had hardened his heart, we know not. Certainly, he looked back to this time as a time of madness; spoke of himself as afterwards not fit to be called an apostle, as the chief of sinners, as less than the least of all saints, because he had persecuted, blasphemed, insulted; and surely we must take a severe view of his conduct. breathed out slaughter more like a beast than a man, when he was even fresh from the sight of the calm sufferings of the blessed Stephen. He was probably guilty of suborning men, and setting on false witnesses. At best he was a melancholy spectacle of human perversity, setting itself counter to the intentions of GOD-a sad contrast to the humble-minded who had been easily and peaceably transferred from the Synagogue to the Church,

He

to John Baptist, and Simeon, and Anna, and the blessed Virgin, and the holy Apostles: for here was a man in the pride of human learning reading quite a wrong lesson from the law: prizing the type, and rejecting the antitype; strenuous for the resurrection of the dead, and yet denying that which alone made it possible; zealous for the law, and yet refusing that which could alone enable others, or even himself, to keep it; professing to love GOD at a distance, and yet, when He was come near, hating Him; ready to curse the Gentiles, when GOD would that they should be blessed; thinking to love his nation, and yet its worst enemy; zealous for a CHRIST of his own imagining, and persecuting the actual CHRIST; destroying the souls of them he won, and weaving a crown of life for those whom he overwhelmed with death. What darkness and contradiction were about him! Doubtless, he felt something of this in his own heart. The angel face or meek prayer of Stephen would trouble him; a report of the Apostle's courage, or a trace of the Saviour's goodness, would make an impression on him; the awful hypocrisy of his leaders would startle him; or some interpretation of the ancient rabbins would perplex him; or the weakness of his own resolutions, and the deterioration of his own character, would disturb him; but onward he rushed into action headlong, to escape from himself, and would no doubt have, year by year, grown harder and coarser, more deaf to conscience, lowering his standard to his practice, and catching the tone of those with whom he acted, obliged to suppress Jewish truth in order to weaken its testimony for Christianity, till at length he would have been one of the bloody fanatics who prowled about in the last days of the possessed city; or would have become a cold, worldly, bitter sceptic; miserably sneering at the enthusiasm of

his own youth, and disbelieving in virtue because he had so often prevailed over it. But the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant; for this cause he obtained mercy, that in him first CHRIST JESUS might shew forth all long-suffering, and therefore to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise GOD, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. Gently was he dealt with; few were the words of upbraiding, with far more of grief than of anger. The message was plainly sent to him alone, for the men that were with him understood not the voice. He was known by name, separated from his mother's womb. At the very first he was told, that he might look for more than bare forgiveness-that for him was prepared the honour of being a minister and a witness-that he should be delivered in danger—should open eyes as his own were now opened-should turn men as he was himself now turned-should preach that forgiveness of sins, the sweetness of which he was about to taste, that sanctification of which, in his better moments, he had caught a glimpse.

The LORD was merciful to him, but he could not be merciful to himself: three days was he without food, in solitude and darkness of mind and body. What a work was going on in these three days!—a reversing of every judgment he had formed, an entire revolution in all his feelings. The dead then was alive; the crucified was glorified; the CHRIST had come, and he had insulted the Lord of Glory; he had been doing Satan's work, and had brought that blood on his head. Where was now his righteousness? Where was his self-exaltation above others? He felt himself the vilest wretch that ever crawled on the earth. Where was now his high proficiency in the law,—his subtle arguments,-his convincing demonstrations? The fabric of his mind seemed