The Pulpit Commentary — Ephesians — Section 283

took effect, and was fiery enough in its consequences. What the Christian combatant is to do, when he is thus assailed, is not certainly to under-estimate the force that is brought ag~inst him, but it is also by faith rightly to estimate the force that is placed at bis service. What can he do against the principalities and powers and the fiery darts they send out for his destruction? If he look to himself, he can <lo nothing. Ilut he looks away to the power which placed Christ above all the principalities and powers, and he places it as a shield between him and the fiery darts, and in it their fire is quenched, their force is lost. 5. The helmet. "And take the helmet of salvation." The helmet is not, as in 1 Thess. v. 8, the hope of salvation, but salvation itself, i.e. salvation enjoyed. 'l'he Christian has an important piece of defensive armour in the assmance of salvation. The Lord rebuked Satan, and encouraged Joshua the high priest (Zech. iii. 2), by pointing to him as one of his saved ones. When one can think of grace going out toward him in the changing of his position to all eternity, he can feel triumphant; he has salvation as a helmet on his head. 6. The sword. "And the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God." The Bible is the sword of the Spirit. Furnished it is by the Spirit; for it was under the inspiration of the Spirit that the Word was written. And, as the Spirit inspired men to write it, so it is only he who can enable men to make a right use of it. To this we may apply the words of the hymn- "God is his own interpreter, And he will mo.ke it plain." In the temptation of our Lord, what Satan did was to misrepresent the character of the Father, to put a gloss upon Scripture. And what our Lord, in meeting the tempta- tion, did was to confront him with the pure truth, and the truth opposed to his decep- tions. And he was so skilful in the use of this sword that he could fix upon the particular Scripture that suited the occasion. And the Christian combatant, too, must not only see the truth, but the truth for the occasion, the truth that slays his doubts, that exposes the fallacies with which Satan would compass his destruction. And he must bo able to do this in connection with some sure, incisive word of Scripture. That is the offensive weapon, the weapon which caJTies the war against the adversary. This Christian combatant who has been described is what every Christian is bound to be. The Church militant is.to have, in every one of its members, a combatarrt. And the apostle lays stress upon every one taking the whole armour (and not merely some of its parts). No onC', for instance, is a worthy combatant who feels no responsibility in the carrying of the gospel message. If we would have the strength our Captain wouhl see in us, wo must use all the pieces of the Christian armour. v. 'l'HAT WHICH ACCOMPANIES THE USE OF THE CHRISTIAN ARMOUR. 1. .Prayc1·. "With nil prayer and supplication, praying at nil seasons in the Spirit." \Ve are not to think of "all prayer" as a separate weapon. We are rather to think of it ns that which conditions the right uso of the whole :umour. Without prayer we cannot gird ourselves for the conflict, but are cumbered as with loose robes. With- out prnyer we cannot have that pnrification of motives, thnt rectification of life, which the conflict demands. Without prayer we cannot have swift-footedness in carrying the gospel. Without prayer wo shall not have faith to ward off the enemy's darts. Without prayer we shall not be able to lift our head in the assurance of our salvation. Without prayc-r we shall be unskilful in the use of the Word. Con- Rtant use and prayer, then-that will keep the helmet from being dulled, the swonl from being rusty. But: (1) Prayer must not be mere repetition. "And in praying," says our Lord, "uso not vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do." If we aro bent on having our request from God, it will come up again and again, and under now aspects. Prayer is using arguments with Goel, and, ns our mind works on our need, we shall ever be discovering new grounds on which to press our request. So, while wo arc to havo prayer for ourselves and prayer for others (supplication), it is to bo all prnycr and supplication, i.e. to say, it is to hnvc that vnriety which come~ from nn abumht11c1) of lifo, from aclivo thou«ht and fcelin~, and not that sameness which comes fron: lifelessness. (2) .Prayer ~ust not be irregular. 'l'he apostle teaches that it is to bo connected with all seasons (to vitalize them, to redeem them from nnpnfitablcnc,~). It is true that we aro not always in a moo,\ for praying; but let us keep the appoint eel season, Prayer is one of the means by which we aro to get into the right moou, And  284: THE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. toH. VI. 1-24,