own will begets he us with the word of truth0." From all eternity did he select the objects of his choice, predestinating them to the adoption of children ; that to all eternity they may be "to the praise of the glory of his grace d." All this is alto- gether irrespective of any works of theirs, past, present, or future e. In a word, that is true which the Apostle so strongly states in the Epistle to the Romans, and in such perfect con- formity with the words of my text: " God hath mercy on whom he will have mercy, and hath compassion on whom he will have compassion. So, then, it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy f."]
This being, for the most part, an unpalatable truth, I will not leave it till I have established it beyond the possibility of doubt —
[Behold the persecuting Saul ; and trace, in all its steps, the conversion of his soul. Read the account of it in the ninth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. " Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the Disciples of the Lord, went unto the high-priest, and desired of him (he was altogether a volunteer in this matter) letters to Damascus (a foreign country, not under the government of Judah), to the synagogues ; that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, (such was his humanity !) he might bring them bound to Jerusalem8." I ask, Could any one of his party be further off from conversion than he ? " But, as he journeyed, he came near to Damascus : and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven. And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he, trembling and astonished, said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no manh." To him a man named Ananias was then sent by God himself, in these memorable words : " Go thy way to him ; for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel1." Thus was he con- verted ; the only one of all the party, as far as we know; — he, the most embittered of them all, the ringleader of them all, the most unlikely of all. What a comment was this on the words of my text ! and what an example of the truth contained in them ! The Apostle, speaking of it to the Galatians, puts this very construction upon it all : " It pleased God, who
c Jam. i. 18. (1 Eph. i. 4—6. ■ e 2 Tim. i. 9. Tit. iii. 3—6. f Rom. ix. l.r>, 16. " Acts ix. 1, 2.
11 Acts ix. 3—7. ' Acts ix. 8 — 15.