walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth, commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God."

This Gospel, this treasure, "is committed unto us in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us;" "God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen; yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought the things which are." God hath appointed ministers, as soldiers of Jesus Christ, to destroy the works of the devil. They are like polished shafts in the hands of the giant, and being wielded by his Almighty hand, they give a death-blow to the powers of darkness, but cause life to the children of men.

We should bear in mind, that our 66 adversary, the devil," is ever attempting to oppose the progress of the Gospel, by taking "the word out of the heart of them which believe not, lest they should believe and be saved." "He blinds the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." He draws a veil over the mirror, so that no image is reflected to them; and thus he excludes the light of the

Gospel. He places before them a thousand different objects, that draw off their attention from beholding Christ the image of God, which is reflected in the mirror of the Gospel, and which reflects its glorious rays back upon the attentive beholder, and changes him "into the very same image, from glory to glory, even by the spirit of the Lord." By thus beholding in the Gospel, as in a mirror, the moral beauty, loveliness, and perfection of Christ, the believer becomes gradually and insensibly like unto Jesus. His features now assume the features of the Son of God; he becomes the reflected image of Christ, the picture of the great original. The resemblance at first may be only an outline imperfectly sketched, but it becomes gradually more and more filled up, every touch increases the likeness, till it becomes a full length portrait, and reaches "to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ."

But Satan hoodwinks the mental eyes" of them which believe not." By his instrumentality a thousand objects, more lovely and precious to them, are conjured up, and pass in array before their deluded imaginations, like the more palpable visions which flitted before the deluded Saul. They gaze upon these airy forms and phantoms with increasing delight, though they are continually vanishing from their presence, and eluding their grasp, like Euridice from the arms of the loving Orpheus.

The cup of intoxication, presented by the devil to the drunkard, is dearer to him than the full and overflowing cup of consolation in Christ, which we can offer and present. The pleasures of sin, which are but for a season, are more charming to the sensualist than pure and spotless chastity. The riches of the mine are more precious to him than the gold of Orphir, and the pearl of great price. The sound of the harp and viol sounds sweeter in the ears of the worldly than the notes of those golden harps that are tuned and prepared for those who shall one day "sing the song of Moses and of the Lamb," whose chords, struck with ten thousand hands, shall fill the echoing vaults of heaven.

While we ministers offer to you the inestimable riches of Christ, which ye covet not, and present to your view the mirror of the Gospel, whose glorious and effulgent light is too dazzling for the eyes of your understandings to regard and look upon; our great opponent, the devil, presents to you those riches of mammon, which you so earnestly covet, and holds up to your view the most pleasing pictures of pleasure and of hope. We can present nothing pleasing to you, if we exhibit Christ in all his offices and characters, and propose him to be your example, as he is our theme. We may indeed soften, perhaps even disarm, prejudice by softness of language, and measured melody of diction, so that truth may thus secretly steal upon your

quieted and unruffled minds, like slumbers on the senses, or gentle music on the soul; but, however the sweet may for a time conceal the bitter, it will prove like the little book in the Apocalypse, presented by the angel to the apostle John, ،، to thy belly bitter, while it may be sweet as honey in thy mouth." Though our adversary cannot perhaps prevent the word descending upon the understanding, like dew upon the mountains, or as distant melody on the ravished ear; yet he may sift the word of every germinating grain, leaving you only the husks and chaff of flowing words and easy periods, that fall upon the fancy and imagination, but which can never fructify the heart. While I am now unbarring the gates of the light of the Gospel, so that some ray may penetrate your minds, and dissipate the darkness of your souls; he is now blinding the eyes of your understandings, shutting out from the chambers of your heart, the light, that never yet has visited them, which continue dark and gloomy, like the very mansions of the dead.

The dominion of the prince of this world reaches from pole to pole, and from one end of heaven to the other. There is no language or climate, where his power is not known, for all countries are under the government of his iron sceptre. All people, nations, and languages, fall down and worship the image, which the god of this world hath set up; except indeed, a chosen few, who, like the three

children of Israel of old, refuse to pay him the homage, that is due only to the God of heaven.

With this mighty king do we wage war; from his grasp we would wrest the sceptre; from his throne we would expel the usurper, knowing that the prince of this world will soon be cast out, when the kingdoms of this world shall become "the kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ." The rightful heir of this kingdom has already been presented to the Ancient of days, who has "given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him;" "his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which "shall not pass away;" and his kingdom that which "shall not be destroyed."

Under these promises of the ultimate success of our labours, and the universal extension of the great Messiah's kingdom, we ministers, as good soldiers of Jesus Christ, having drawn the sword, have thrown away the scabbard. With the strength given, and knowledge and skill imparted to us, we

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fight the good fight of faith," being clad "with the armour of righteousness on the right hand, and on the left." "Our weapons indeed are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down the strong holds of Satan." The weapons that we wield, are not our own, but the Lord's, "who teaches our hands to war, and our fingers to fight." We fight the fight, but leave the victory to him: we draw