They contend not in their own strength; nor by means and instruments of their own devising. As St. Paul observes in the verse before the text, " Though they walk in the flesh, yet they do not war after the flesh.' Though they live in the body, and so far in the common concerns of life act like other men, yet, in their warfare in the work of their ministry, they are not governed by worldly motives, or carnal policy: they do not aim to please men, nor rely for success on an arm of flesh. "For (as the Apostle adds in the text) the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong-holds.'

From these words, let us take occasion to consider,

I. The Object of the Christian Ministry. II. The Means appointed for accomplishing it.

I. The Object of the Christian Ministry is here briefly stated to be "the pulling down of strong-holds.

We have already observed, that the Apos-. tle is comparing his ministry to a warfare; and it is in allusion to this comparison, that he uses the term "strong-holds." A stronghold is a place of defence, fortified by nature or art, and intended for security and pro-. tection in a time and state of warfare. It is a place in which people entrench them

selves, for the purpose of resisting an invading army, and of keeping possession of their territory. For so long as the strong-holds, the fortified places, remain untaken, so long as garrisons continue in them, and defend themselves, the country is not conquered. The enemy may lay waste, or occupy the open parts; but he has not got possession of the country. He is not master of it. In order to perfect his conquest, and to make his triumph complete, he must take and pull down the strong-holds. He must not leave any place unsubdued, in which his opponents may shelter themselves, and set his authority at defiance.

In applying these remarks, with a view of explaining the Apostle's meaning in the text, let us bear in mind this important truth, that Jesus Christ is "the Author of Eternal Salvation to all them that obey Him." Having "come into the world to save sinners," He offers to confer on them pardon, peace, holiness, and everlasting life. But He promises these blessings to none, but to those who obey Him; to those who believe his word, and, submitting themselves to his will, suffer Him to reign within. This is the great demand of the Gospel. And till this demand be complied with; till the heart be Christ's; till the whole man, body, soul, and spirit, be brought into subjection to Him; there can

Wherever He reigns,

be no real Salvation. there is light, and liberty; but where He reigns not, there is darkness, and slavery. His kingdom is a kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost: and to every soul, in which it is established, He communicates these blessings, and sheds them abroad in the heart.

But does every soul submit to Jesus Christ? Is every heart willing to receive, and obey Him? Alas! far otherwise. When He comes to take possession of the soul, He finds it already occupied. He finds it under the dominion of other lords, even of Sin and Satan, who have fixed their residence, and set up their own kingdom therein. These are Foes, who being directly opposed to Christ, and anxious to maintain their own usurped authority, try every means to exclude Him from the heart. To this end they stir up against Him its secret enmity and unbelief. They fill the mind with prejudices against Christ, and His Religion. They excite against Him the lusts and passions of the natural man. They take advantage of the prevailing habits and evil dispositions of the heart, whether pride, or covetousness, or sensuality, or worldly-mindedness, to arm it against Christ, and to oppose his conquests. And what, then, are all these lusts and passions, these prejudices and habits, and evil dispositions

of the heart, but the strong-holds of which the Apostle speaks; but those fortified places, behind which Sin and Satan entrench themselves, and by means of which they keep possession of the soul? Christ comes to the Sinner in the Gospel, and says to him, "Give me thy heart." Submit thyself to my will. Lay hold of my covenant, and receive the blessings which I bring.' But the strongholds of sin in the heart resist these gracious assaults. Unbelief says, "How do I know that all these things are true ?"- Pride says, "I will not submit to be saved like a common sinner." - Covetousness says, "Must I part with my treasures? No. I will keep them." Lust says, "I will never renounce my sensual gratifications and pleasures." Worldly-mindedness says, "I love the world, and the things of it. What compensation will Christ give me for them?"— Prejudice says, "I do not see that religious people are better or happier than others. I believe that they are all either hypocrites or madmen; for my part, I will have nothing to do with them, or their ways.

Such is the state of the conflict between Christ and sinners. He demands submission, while they, refusing to submit, defend themselves within these strong-holds. What then is the object of the Christian Minister, but to pull down these strong-holds: to take away,

and destroy these fastnesses, by which the dominion of sin is maintained in the heart? What is His office but to deliver the soul from the influence of Unbelief and Pride, of Covetousness and Lust, of Worldly-mindedness and Prejudice, that so Christ may be admitted within, and may obtain full possession there? What is his endeavour, but as St. Paul expresses it in the verse following the text, "to cast down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ ?"

Such, then, is the Object of the Christian Ministry. I will now set before you,

II. The Means appointed for accomplishing it.

St. Paul, in agreement with the figurative language before noticed, calls them Weapons, these being the Means adapted to a state of warfare, and to the pulling down of Strongholds. Let us enquire, then,

1. What these Weapons are.

2. What is the Apostle's description of them. 1. The Weapons, indeed, by which this. Warfare against the Strong-holds of sin is to be carried on, are not stated in the text, but they are to be plainly gathered from other parts of Scripture. In fact, they are these three, Preaching, Prayer, and Faith.