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all for lost, shews more of art, than setting right an ordinary sinner. Our apostle takes notice of the wisdom of God in his own conversion here: for when he relates the history of it, he breaks out into an hallelujah, and sends up a volley of praises to God for the grace he hath obtained. And in that doxology, he puts an emphasis on the wisdom of God; Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever, ver. 17. Only wise God; only, which he does not add to any other attribute he there gives him.

text.

This wisdom appears, 1. In the subjects he chooseth; we will go no further than the example in our Our apostle seems to be a man full of heat and zeal. And the church had already felt the smart of his activity; insomuch, that they were afraid to come at him after his change, or to admit him into their company, imagining that his fury was not changed, but disguised; and he of an open persecutor, turned trepanner, Acts 9. 26. None can express better what a lion he was, than he doth himself. Many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities, Acts 26. 10, 11. He seems also to have been a man of high and ambitious spirit. This persecuting probably was acted so vigorously by him, to ingratiate himself with the chief priests, and as a means to step into preferment; for which he was endued with parts and learning, and would not want zeal and industry to attain it. He seems to be of a proud spirit, by the temptation which he had; lest: I should be exalted above measure, 2 Cor. 12. 7. He speaks it twice in that verse, intimating that his natural disposition led him to be lifted up with any excellency he had: and

usually God doth direct his battery to beat down that which is the sin of our constitution.

He was a man of a very honest mind, and was forward in following every point his conscience directed him to; for what he did against Christ, he did according to the dictates of his conscience, as then informed; I verily thought with myself, Acts 26. 9; i. e. in my conscience, that I ought, not that I might, but that it was his duty. His error commanded with the same power that truth does where it reigns. Now it discovers the wisdom of God to lay hold of this man, thus tempered, who had honesty to obey the dictates of a rightly informed conscience, as well as those of an erroreous one; zeal to execute them, and height of spirit to preserve his activity from being blunted by any opposition: and parts and prudence for the management of all these. I say, to turn these.. affections and excellencies to run in a heavenly channel, and to guide this natural passion and heat for the service and advancement of that interest (which before he endeavoured to destroy, and for the propa gation of that gospel which before he persecuted, is an effect of a wonderful wisdom; as it is a rider's skill to order the mettle of a headstrong horse for his own use to carry him on his journey.

2. This wisdom appears in the time. As man's wisdom consists as well in timing his actions, as, con triving the models of them; so doth God's. He lays hold of the fittest opportunities to bring his wonderful providences upon the stage. He hath his set time.to deliver his church from her enemies, Psa. 102. 13. And he hath his set time also to deliver every particular soul, that, he intends to make a member of his church, from the devil. He waits the fittest season to manifest his grace; Therefore will the Lord wait that he may be gracious unto you, Isa. 30. 18. Why? For the Lord is a God of judgment, i. e. a God of wisdom; therefore will time things to the best advan

The Time of Conversion.

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tage both of his glory, and the sinner's good. His timing of his grace was excellent in the conversion of Paul,

(1.) In respect of himself. There could not be a fitter time to glorify his grace, than when Paul was almost got to the length of his chain; almost to the sin against the Holy Ghost. For if he had had but a little more light, and done that out of malice which he did out of ignorance, he had been lost for ever. He obtained mercy, why? because he did it ignorantly, ver. 13. As I said before, he followed the dictates of his conscience; for if he had had knowledge suitable to his fury, it had been the unpardonable sin. Christ suffered him to run to the brink of hell, before he laid hold upon him.

(2.) In respect of others. He is converted at such a time, when he went as full of madness as a toad of poison, to spit it out against the poor christians at Damascus; armed with all the power and credential letters the high priest could give him, who without question promised himself much from his industry. And when he was almost at his journey's end, ready to execute his commission; And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus, Acts 9. 3; about half a mile from the city, as Gulielmus Tyrius thinks*; at this very time Christ grapples with him, and overcomes all his mad principles, secures Paul from hell, and his disciples from their fears of him. Behold the nature of this lion changed, just as he was going to fasten upon his prey. Christ might have converted Paul sooner, either when Paul had heard of some of his miracles; for perhaps Paul was resident at Jerusalem at the time of Christ's preaching in Judea; for he was brought up in Jerusalem at the feet of Gamaliel, Acts 22. 3, who was one of the council, Acts 5. 24. He might have converted him when he heard Stephen make that elegant and convincing oration in his own defence, Acts 7. Or when he saw Stephen's con

Turin. in loc.

stancy, patience, and charity in his suffering; which might somewhat have startled a moral man, as Paul was, and made him look about him.

But Christ omits the doing of it at all these opportunities, and suffers him to kick against the pricks of miracles, admonitions, and arguments of Stephen and others; yet hath his eye upon him all along in a special manner, Acts 7. 58. He is there named, when none else are; And the witnesses laid their clothes at a young man's feet, named Saul. And Saul was consenting to his death, Acts 8. 1; was there none else that had a hand in it? The Spirit of God takes special notice of Saul here; he runs in God's mind, yet God would not stop his fury. As for Saul he made havoc of the church, Acts 8. 3. Did no body else shew as much zeal and cruelty as Saul? Sure he must have some instrument with him; yet we hear none named but. Saul. And Saul yet breathing, &c. Acts 9. 1, yet, as much as to say, he shall not do so long. I shall have a fit time to meet with him presently.

And was it not a fit time, when the devil hoped to rout the christians by him? when the high-priests assured themselves success from this man's passionate zeal, when the church travailed with throws of fear of him. But Christ sent the devil sneaking away for the loss of such an active instrument, frustrates all the expectations of the high priests, and calms all the stormy fears of his disciples; for Christ sets him first a preaching at Damascus in the very synagogues which were to assist him in his cruel design; And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God, and increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ, Acts 9. 20, 22.

Did not Christ show himself, to be a God of judgment here? He sat watching in heaven for this season, to turn Paul with the greatest advantage, His wisdom answers many ends at once, and killed so many birds with one stone, He struck dead at one

Credit of the Death of Christ.

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blow Paul's sin, his people's fears, the high priest's expectations, and the devil's hopes. He triumphs over his enemies, secures his friends, saves Paul's soul, and promotes his interest by him; he disappoints the devil of his expectations, and hell of her longing.

3. This wisdom appears to keep up the credit of Christ's death. The great excellence of Christ's sacrifice, wherein it transcends the sacrifice under the law, is because it perfectly makes an atonement for all sins; it first satisfies God, and then calms the conscience, which they could not do, Heb. 10. 1, 2, for there was a conscience of sin after their sacrifices. The tenor of the covenant of grace which God makes with his people, is upon the account of this sacrifice, This is the covenant I will make with them. And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more, Heb. 10. 16, 17. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin, ver. 18, This covenant extends not only to little sins, for there is no limitation; great sins are included; therefore Christ satisfied for great sins or else if ever they be pardoned, there must be another sacrifice, either of himself, or some other, which the apostle, upon the account of this covenant, asserts there need not be; because this sacrifice was complete, otherwise there would be a remembrance of sin; as the covenant implied the completeness of Christ's satisfaction, so the continual fulfilling or application of the tenor of the covenant, implies the perpetual favour and force of this sacrifice.

And indeed, when God delivered him up, he intended it for the greatest sins; He was delivered for our offences, Rom, 4. 25, тαрdrawμara, which signifies παραπαωματα, not stumbling, but falling. Not a light, but a great transgression. Now if Christ's death be not satisfactory for great debts, Christ must be too weak to perform what God intended by him, and so infinite wisdom was frustrate of its intention, which cannot, nor ought not to be imagined. Now therefore God takes the greatest sinners to shew,