made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in ite." In his resurrection and ascension he completed his triumphs, "leading captivity captive f," ana* " putting all his enemies under his feet6."]
2. By the ministry of others — [When first our hlessed Lord sent forth his twelve Apostles, he gave them a commission, not to preach only, but to " cast out devils11 :" and to such an extent did they execute this, that they were quite surprised, and said with wonder, " Lord, even the devils are subject to us through thy name :" to which our Lord replied, " I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven'." We have lately seen that St. Paul cast out a spirit of divination k; and in the chapter from whence our text is taken, we are told, that handkerchiefs or aprons were carried from the body of Paul, and were made effectual by the power of God to the casting out of many evil spirits1. In ejecting them from the souls of men he was more honoured than any other of the Apostles. When first he received a commission to preach the Gospel, it was said to him by our Lord, " I send thee to turn men from darkness unto light, and from the power of Satan unto Godm:" and how successful he was in destroying Satan's empire, and in enlarging the kingdom of Christ upon earth, his history, as recorded in the New Testament, together with his different epistles, abundantly testify. For many hundreds of years, it must be confessed, this great adversary of God and man has re-established his dominion almost over the whole world, as well where Christ is named, as in those regions where the light of his Gospel has never shined. But still the Lord Jesus has not left himself without witness, that he has vanquished Satan, and can render the weakest of his people vic- torious over him : " his word is yet quick and powerful, and sharper than a two-edged sword ;" and it is still as " mighty as ever to pull down the strong-holds of sin, and to cast down every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of Christ"." Indeed at this very hour the Lord Jesus is " riding on in the chariot of the everlasting Gospel, conquering and to conquer ;" so that Satan must still repeat his former acknow- ledgment, " Jesus I know, and Paul I know :" yes, he does know, that Christ is " Lord of lords and King of kings," and that " his Gospel is still the power of God unto the salvation " of men.]
But though Christ and his Gospel are so powerful, experience proves,
e Col. ii. 15. f Eph. iv. 8. s Vs. ex. 1.
>> Mark iii. 14, 15. ' Luke x. 17, 18. k Acts xvi. 18.
1 ver. 12. '" Acts xxvi. 18. n 2 Cor. x. !. .r>.