enthusiasm, not in direct contradiction to all thofe notions, while they remained in their full force. This is fo clear a propofition, that I might reft the whole argument entirely upon it: But, ftill farther to fhew that this vifion could not be a phantom of St. Paul's own creating, I beg leave to observe, that he was not alone when he faw it; there were many others in company, whose minds were no better disposed than his to the Christian faith. Could it be poffible that the imaginations of all these men fhould at the fame time be fo ftrangely affected, as to make them believe that they faw a great light Shining about them, above the brightness of the fun at noon-day, and heard the found of a voice from heaven*, though not the words which it fpake, when in reality they neither faw, nor heard any fuch thing? Could they be fo infatuated with the conceit of their fancy, as to fall down from their horfes together with Saul and be Speechless through * Acts ix. 3. xxii. 9. fear, fear, when nothing had happened extraordinary either to them or to him; efpecially confidering that this apparition did not happen in the night, when the fenfes. are more easily impofed upon, but at midday? If a fudden frenzy had seized upon Saul, from any distemper of body or mind, can we fuppofe his whole company, men of different conftitutions and understandings, to have been at once affected in the fame manner with him, fo that not the distemper alone, but the effects of it, fhould exactly agree? If all had gone mad together, would not the frenzy of fome have taken a different turn, and prefented to them different objects? This fuppofition is fo contrary to nature and all poffibility, that unbelief muft find fome other folution, or give up the point. I fhall fuppofe then, in order to try to account for the vifion without a miracle,' that as Saul and his company were journeying along in their way to Damafcus, an *Acts xxvi. 14. -ix. 7. F 2 extra extraordinary meteor did really happen, which caft a great light, as fome meteors will do; at which they being affrighted,' fell to the ground in the manner related. This might be poffible; and fear, grounded on ignorance of fuch phænomena, might make them imagine it to be a vifion from ' God. Nay even the voice or found they heard in the air, might be an explosion attending this meteor, or at least there are those who would rather recur to fuch a fuppofition as this, however incredible, than acknowledge the miracle. But how will this account for the diftinct words heard by St. Paul, to which he made answer? How will it account for what followed upon it when he came to Damafcus, agreeably to the fense of thofe words which he heard? How came Ananias to go to him there, and fay, He was chofen by God to know his will, and fee that just one, and hear the • voice of his mouth*? Or why did he propofe to him to be baptized? What con- *Acts xxii. 14. + Acts xxii. 16. 9 nection nection was there between the meteor which Saul had feen, and these words of Ananias? Will it be faid that Ananias was fkilful enough to take advantage of the fright he was in at that appearance, in order to make him a Christian: But could Ananias infpire him with a vifion in which he faw him before he came*? If that vifion was the effect of imagination, how was it verified, fo exactly in fact? But allowing that he dreamt by chance of Ananias's coming, and that Ananias came by chance too, or, if you please, that having heard of his dream, he came to take advantage of that, as well as of the meteor which Saul had feen, will this get over the difficulty? No, these was more to be done. Saul was ftruck blind, and had been fo for three days. Now had this blindness been natural from the effects of a meteor or lightning upon him, it would not have been poffible for Ananias to heal it, as we find that he did, merely by putting his hands on him and speaking a few words. This undoubtedly furpaffed the power of nature; and if this was a miracle, it proves the other to have been a miracle too, and a miracle done by the fame Jefus Chrift. For Ananias, when he healed Saul, fpoke to him thus; Brother Sau!, the Lord, even Jefus that appeared unto thee in the way as thou cameft, has fent me, that thou mightest receive thy fight, and be filled with the Holy Ghoft*. And that he faw Christ both now and after this timet, appears not only by what he relates, Acts xxii. 17, 18, but by other paffages in his epiftles, 1 Cor. ix. 1. xvi. 8. From him (as he afferts in many places of his epiftles) he learned the Gofpel by immediate Revelation, and by him he was fent to the Gentiles, Ats xxii. 31. xxiii. 11. Among those Gentiles from Ferufalem, and round about to Illyricum, he preached the Gospel of Christ with mighty Jigns and wonders wrought by the power of the Spirit of God, to make them obedient to bis preaching, as he teftifies himself in his Epistle to the Romans, and of which + Acts ix. 17. * Acts ix. 17, 18. xxii. 13. a par |