om his own point of view. He would
certainly have attributed it to the wiles of the demon, even as the
Pharisees are said to have done with regard to the miraculous cures
performed by Jesus. A "miraculous" occurrence in those days did not
astonish as it would at present. "Miracles" were rather the order of the
day, and in fact were lavished with such extreme bounty on all hands,
that their convincing power was very slight. Neither side ever thought
of disputing the reality of the miracles supposed to be performed on the
other; but each side considered the miracles of its antagonist to be the
work of diabolic agencies. Such being the case, it is useless to suppose
that Paul could have distinguished between a true and a false miracle,
or that a real miracle could of itself have had any effect in inducing
him to depart from his habitual course of belief and action. As far
as Paul's mental operations were concerned, it could have made no
difference whether he met with his future Master in person, or merely
encountered him in a vision. The sole point to be considered is whether
or not he BELIEVED in the Divine character and authority of the event
which had happened. What the event might have really been was of no
practical consequence to him or to any one else. What he believed it
to be was of the first importance. And since he did believe that he had
been divinely summoned to cease persecuting, and commence preaching the
new faith, it follows that his state of mind must have been more or less
affected by circumstances other than the mere vision. Had he not been
ripe for change, neither shadow nor substance could have changed him.

This view of the case is by no means so extravagant as Mr. Rogers would
have us suppose. There is no reason for believing that Paul's character
was essentially different afterwards from what it had been before.
The very fervour which caused him, as a Pharisee, to exclude all
but orthodox Jews from the hope of salvation, would lead him, as a
Christian, to carry the Christian idea to its extreme development, and
admit all persons whatever to the privileges of the Church. The same
zeal for the truth which had urged him to persecute the Christians unto
the death afterwards led him to spare no toil and shun no danger which
might bring about the triumph of their cause. It must not be forgotten
that the persecutor and the martyr are but one and the same man under
different circumstances. He who is ready t