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258 CITY OF GOD
occasion of sin,
fall.
and thus they soon again stumble and
274. But the Apostle was a true and living example of
one converted by the light of grace, not only because he
passed from an extreme of sin into that of wonder
ful grace and friendship of God ;
but also because he co
operated to his utmost with the call of God, departing at
once and entirely from all his evil dispositions and selfseeking
and placing himself entirely at the disposal of the
divine will and pleasure. This total denegation of self
and surrender to the will of God is contained in those
words:
"Lord, what dost Thou wish to do with me?"
and in it consisted, as far as depended upon him, all his
salvation. As he pronounced them with all the sincerity
of a contrite and humbled heart, he renounced his own
will and delivered himself over to that of the Lord, re
solved from that moment forward to permit none of his
faculties of mind or sense to serve the animal or sensual
life into which he had strayed. He delivered himself over
to the service of the Almighty in whatever manner or
direction should become known to him as being
the divine
will, ready to execute it without delay or questioning.
And this he immediately set about by entering the city
and obeying the command of the Lord given through
searches the
the disciple Ananias. As the Most High
secrets of the human heart, He saw the sincerity, with
which saint Paul corresponded to his vocation and yield
ed to his divine will and disposition. He not only
received him with great pleasure, but multiplied exceed
ingly his graces, gifts and wonderful favors, which even
Paul would not have received or ever have merited with
out this entire submission to the wishes of the Lord.
275. Conformably to these truths, my daughter, I de
sire thee to execute fully my oft-repeated commands and
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