is he, their head, who is chiefly persecuted in his
servants. Saul answered: _Who art thou, Lord?_ Christ said: _Jesus of
Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. It is hard for thee to kick against the
goad:_ "to contend with one so much mightier than thyself. By
persecuting my church you make it flourish, and only prick and hurt
yourself." This mild expostulation of our Redeemer, accompanied with a
powerful interior grace, strongly affecting his soul, cured his pride,
assuaged his rage, and wrought at once a total change in him. Wherefore,
trembling and astonished, he cried out: _Lord, what wilt thou have me to
do?_ What to repair the past? What to promote your glory? I make a
joyful oblation of myself to execute your will in every thing, and to
suffer for your sake afflictions, disgraces, persecutions, torments, and
every sort of death. The true convert expressed this, not in a bare form
of words, nor with faint languid desires, nor with any exception lurking
in the secret recesses of his heart; but with an entire sacrifice of
himself, and an heroic victory over the world with its frowns and
charms, over the devils with their snares and threats, and over himself
and all inclinations of self-love; devoting himself totally to God. A
{218} perfect model of a true conversion, the greatest work of almighty
grace! Christ ordered him to arise and proceed on his journey to the
city, where he should be informed of what he expected from him. Christ
would not instruct him immediately by himself, but, St. Austin
observes,[16] sent him to the ministry[17] which he had established in
the church, to be directed in the way of salvation by those whom he had
appointed for that purpose. He would not finish the conversion and
instruction of this great apostle, whom he was pleased to call in so
wonderful a manner, but by remitting him to the guidance of his
ministers; showing us thereby that his holy providence has so ordered
it, that all who desire to serve him, should seek his will by listening
to those whom he has commanded us to hear, and whom he has sent in his
own name and appointed to be our guides. So perfectly would he abolish
in his servants all self-confidence and presumption, the source of error
and illusion. The convert, rising from the ground, found that, though
his eyes were open, he saw nothing. Providence sent this corporal
blindness to be an emblem of the spiritual blindness in which he had
lived, and to signify to him that he wa