d thou shalt be his witness
unto all men to publish what thou hast seen and heard. Arise, therefore,
be baptized and washed from thy sins, invoking the name of the Lord._
Saul then arose, was baptized,{219} and took some refreshment. He stayed
some few days with the disciples at Damascus, and began immediately to
preach in the synagogues, that Jesus was the Son of God, to the great
astonishment of all that heard him, who said: _Is not this he who
persecuted at Jerusalem those who invoked the name of Jesus, and who is
come hither to carry them away prisoners?_ Thus a blasphemer and a
persecutor was made an apostle, and chosen to be one of the principal
instruments of God in the conversion of the world.

* * * * *

St. Paul never recalled to mind this his wonderful conversion, without
raptures of gratitude and praise to the divine mercy. The church, in
thanksgiving to God for such a miracle of his grace, from which it has
derived such great blessings, and to commemorate so miraculous an
instance of his almighty power, and to propose to penitents a perfect
model of a true conversion, has instituted this festival, which we find
mentioned in several calendars and missals of the eighth and ninth
centuries, and which pope Innocent III. commanded to be observed with
great solemnity. It was for some time kept a holy day of obligation in
most churches in the West; and we read it mentioned as such in England
in the council of Oxford in 1222, in the reign of king Henry III.[18]

Footnotes:
1. Acts, xxi. 29, xxii. 3.
2. Ibid. xxii. 3.
3. Ibid. xxvi. 4.
4. Ibid. xxvi. 5.
5. Rabbi Juda says, "That a parent, who neglects his duty, is as
criminal as if he taught his son to steal." See Grotius and Sanctius
on Acts xviii. 3.
6. These tents were for the use of soldiers and mariners, and were made
of skins sewn together. {} think that his business was that of
making tapestry and hangings for theatres.
7. Gal. i. 14.
8. Serm. 301.
9. Ibid. l. 16, c. 4. Acts, vi.
10. Acts, viii. 3, xxii. 4, xxvi. 10.
11. Acts, xxvi. 9.
12. Heb. x. 32.
13. Acts, x. 1.
14. Acts, ix. xiii. xxvi.
15. So the Greek word [Greek: akoein] is often used in scripture, as in
J{} xiv. 2. And thus the text is very reconcilable with Acts. xxii.
9.
16. Qu. Evang. l. 2, c. 40, et praef. 1, de doctr. Christ. p. 32.
17. St. Austin doubts not but Ananias was a bishop, or at least a
priest. The Greek