818 The NEW and COMPLETE LIFE of 02íY BLESSED LORD now affured to be the true Meílìah, Saul afked, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? On which the bleffed Jesus informed him of the true intention of his appearance, Arife, faid he, and fland upon thy feet ; for Ihave appeared unto thee for this pur- ple, to make thee a miner and a witnefs, both ofthefe things which thou hall feen, and of thole things in the which I will appear unto thee; delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I fend thee, to open their eyes, and to turn themfrom darknefs to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may re- ceive forgívenefs offins, and inheritance awong/t them which are fanllzed by faith that is in me, Aas xxvi. 16, 17, 18. And for further inftruaion, the immaculate JEsus referred him to one ofhis followers, named Ananias, commanding him to re- pair immediately to the city, and receive further inftruaion from that difciple. The men who were with him heard the voice, but did not fee the perfon who fpake from heaven: in all probability they were ignorant of the Hebrew language, and therefore only heard a confufed found ; for the apoffle himfelf tells us, that they heard not thevoice of him that fpake, that is, they did not hear it with a proper de- gree of underftanding. Saul now arofe from the earth, but found himfelf deprived of fight, the refplendent brightnefs of the vifion being too intenfe for mortal eyes to behold. His companions therefore led him by the hand to the city of Damafcus, where he entered the houfe ofJudas, and remained there three days without fight, nor did he eithereat or drink, but fpent his time in prayer to the Almighty, befeeching him to pardon the fins of his paf life, and be gracious to him. Our bleffed Saviour, in the mean time, appeared in a vifion to Ananias, á very devout and religious man, highly effeemed by all the inhabitants of Damafcus, though he profeffed the religion of the crucified JESUS, commanding him to go into fuch a lireet of the city, and inquire in the houfe 3 of Judas, for one Saul of Tarfus, then offering up the molt fervent prayers to the throne of grace. Ananias, who was ever ready to obey the commands of the Molt High, ttartled at the name, having heard of his bloody praaices at Jerufalem, and what commiffion he was now come to execute in Damafcus : he therefore fuf- peaed that his pretended convection was nothing more than a fnare artfully laid for the Chriftians. But our bleffed Saviour foon removed his apprehenfions, by telling him that his fufpicions were entirely defti- tute of foundation; and that he had now taken him as.a chofen veffel to preach the gofpel both to the Jews and Gentiles, and even before the greateft monarchs of the earth ; acquainting him at the fame time with the great things he fhould do and fuffer for the fake of the gofpel, what chains and imprifonments, what racks and fcourges, what hunger and thirft, what fhipwrecks, and that, at Taft, he fhould even fuffer death itfelf. , The fears of Ananias being thus quieted, he immediately obeyed the heavenly vifion, repaired to the houfe of Judas, and laid hands upon Saul, faying, " That Jesus who appeared to thee in the way, hath fent me to reftore thy fight, and, by the infufion of his fpirit, to give thee the know- ledge of thofe truthswhich thou haft blindly and ignorantly perfecuted ; but who now is willingto receive thee by baptifm into his church, and make thee a member of his body." This fpeech was no fooner pronounced, than there fell from his eyes thick films refembling fcales, and he received his fight, and after baptifm converfed freely with the Chriflians of Damafcus. Nor did he only converfe with them; he alto, to the great aftonifhment of the whole church, preached the gofpel to thofe Chriftians he came down with an intention to deftroy, boldly afferting, that Jefas was the Chripl the Son of God; and proving it to the. Jews with fuch demonftrative evidence, that they wem confounded, and found it impoffible
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