THE CONVERSION OF SAINT PAUL.

SAUL, excited by a furious zeal against the Christian converts, had obtained letters of authority from the high priest, permitting him to proceed to Damascus, for the purpose of bringing to Jerusalem in chains, any persons, whether men or women, whom he might find professing the new doctrines. "And as he journeyed, he came near 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 said, who art thou Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 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 man. And Saul arose from the earth, and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus." There was residing in this city a devout man named Ananias, whom God commanded in a vision to repair to the house of a Jew, by name Judas, to inquire for one Saul of Tarsus, upon whom he was to lay his hands, in order that Saul might receive his sight. Knowing the character of Saul, he hesitated; but God informed him that the furious bigot was about to become a powerful instrument in propagating the Gospel among Jews and Gentiles; and that though Saul had been hitherto a bitter enemy to Christianity, he would henceforth be its earnest advocate, and even die in testimony of that truth which he had been accustomed to deny, and had made such unavailing efforts to obstruct. Ananias, obeying the command, went and cured Saul of his blindness.

SATAN BOUND IN THE BOTTOMLESS PIT.

"AND I saw an Angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season*." As the space does not allow me to enter at large into the subject of the accompanying illustration, I must content myself with giving Lowman's paraphrase of the three first verses of the chapter which forms the subject of it. "After I had seen in prophetic visions the downfall and punishment of the last persecuting power of Rome, the state of the church which was to follow upon it was represented in a new vision; for I beheld an angel descending from heaven, like one sent on a message from the throne of God. His commission was expressed by a double symbol. He had a key in his hands, which was the key of the great abyss or bottomless pit, and he brought also with him a great chain, such as prisoners were used to be bound with to prevent an escape. I soon perceived in my mind on what errand this angel was sent; for he seized on the dragon, the old serpent, by which the devil was signified, the great adversary of mankind, the enemy of truth and righteousness, the great seducer of the world into error and wickedness. The angel arrested him, bound him, and committed him to close custody for a thousand years. The angel committed him to close custody in a strong prison; he locked him fast in the bottomless pit, and put a firm seal upon it, that he might not escape or go about as before to deceive the nations. Thus was the devil to be confined for a thousand years, though after that time should be expired, the wise and holy providence of God should take off this restraint, but it should be for a very short space of time.”