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154
ST.
PAUL'S
tIVTNE
COMMISSION
[DISC
if,
Acts
xxii.'
17,
18,
21, when
Christ sent
hìm to
preach
to
the gentiles.
,
'
2.
He
felt a wonderful
change
in himself,
both
in
his
body and soul, after
he
had the first
vision
of Christ:
Ile
was
struck
blind,
and after
three
days
had
his
sight
restored;
by
the
laying
on
of
the hands
of
Ananias,
a
christian, according
to
the
vision which was given him
;
Acts
ix. 8,
18.
He
had a
new
scene
of
things set before
his understanding,
even the whole scheme
of
christianity.
Some suppose that,
in
the three
days
of
his blindness, he
was
taught
the
gospel.
And accordingly
it
is
said
;.Acts
ix.
20,
22.
That
he
straitway
preached
Christ
in
the
synagogue,
that
he
is
the
son
ofGod;
Gal.
i.
1.
Paul
an
apostle,
not
of
man
nor
by
man,
but
by
Jesus
Christ.
He
had a
new
heart
given
him,
and
was
made
a
new
man.
I
neither
received
it of
man,
neither
was
I
taught
it,
but
by
the revelation
of
Jesus
Christ.
God called
me
by
his
grace, and
revealed
his
Son
in
me; Gal
i.
15, 16.
And
of
an enemy
he
became a friend, and
preacher
of
the
gospel
;
Gal.
i.
11-16,
23.
3.
He
found strange
powers
communicated
to
him,
and
he
could speak
many unknown languages, and
gave'
this
gift
of
tcinguès
to
other
men
;
he
could
heal the sick
with
a touch
of
his
hand, or
a
word
of
his
mouth
he could
make
the lame
to
walk,
as
at
Lystra
;
Acts
xiv.
8,
10,
and strike
men blind with a
reproof,
so .Elymas
;
Acts
xiii.
11,
12,
and could raise the
dead
;
so
Lutÿchus, Acts xx.
10, 12.
and
:
besides all
this, he had a
power
of
communicating these miraculous
and healing
gifts
to christians
;
which
eminently
appears
among the Corinthians to
which he
appeals
in
his
dis-
putes
with them
;
1
Cor.
xiv.
1$.
Now
was
it
possible for
a
man
who
felt
such amazing
changes wrought
in him,
and such amazing powers
corn
municated
to
him by
Jesus
Christ, to
doubt
whether
Christ
was
risen from the dead,
whether
Jesus
were
alive
or
no
?
Or
would
God
have
communicated such
powers
to
a
man,
who went
about
to
preach
the
resurrection of
Christ,
if
Christ
had
never been raised from the grave
?
Would God
have
afforded such favours to a man
who
preached the christian
religion,
if
it
had not
been
true
and
approved
of
God
?
Nor
could
St.
Paul
be
deceived in his
frequently ex..