HOMILY XXIV.] HOMILIES ON EPHESIANS. 169 must believe that He is, and that He is a re- warder of them that seek after Him." (Heb. xi. 6.) Faith is a shield ; but wherever there are quibbles, and reasonings, and scrutinizings, then is it no longer a shield, but it impedes us. Let this our faith be such as shall cover and screen the whole frame. Let it not then be scanty, so as to leave the feet or any other part exposed, but let the shield be commensurate with the whole body. " Fiery 1 darts." For many doubtful reason ings there are, which set the soul, as it were, on fire, many difficulties, many perplexities, but all of them faith sets entirely at rest ; many things does the devil dart in, to inflame our soul and bring us into uncertainty ; as, for example, when some persons say, " Is there then a resurrec tion?" "Is there a judgment?" "Is there a retribution?" "But is there faith?" the apostle would say, " thou shalt with it quench the darts of the devil. Has any base lust assaulted thee ? Hold before thee thy faith in the good things to come, and it will not even show itself, yea, it will perish." " All the darts " ; not some quenched, and others not. Hearken to what Paul saith, " For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed to us-ward." (Rom. viii. 18.) Seest thou how many darts the righteous quenched in those days? Seemeth it not to thee to be " fiery darts," when the patriarch burned with inward fire, as he was offering up his son? Yea, and other right eous men also have quenched " all his darts." Whether then they be reasonings that assault us, let us hold out this ; or whether they be base desires, let us use this ; or. whether again labors and distresses, upon this let us repose. Of all the other armor, this is the safeguard ; if we have not this, they will be quickly pierced through. "Withal," saith he, "taking up the shield of faith." What is the meaning of "withal"? It means both "in truth," and "in righteousness," and " in the preparation of the gospel " ; that is to say, all these have need of the aid of faith. And therefore he adds further, " and take the helmet of salvation".; that is to say, finally by this shall ye be able to be in security. To re ceive the helmet of salvation is to escape the peril. For as the helmet covers the head per fectly in every part, and suffers it not to sustain any injury, but preserves it, so also does faith supply alike the place of a shield, and of a hel met 2 to preserve us. For if we quench his 1 [" The aim of this predicate is to present in strong colors the hostile and destructive character of the Satanic assaults; but more special explanations of its import are inappropriate." Meyer. G.A.I 2 [Faith is not the helmet. Chrysostom s exegesis of the parts of the armor is not clear. Salvation is the helmet; for TOV cnonjpioi is a genitive of apposition. Receive the helmet, which is salvation. darts, quickly shall we receive also those saving thoughts that suffer not our governing principle 3 to sustain any harm ; for if these, the thoughts that are adverse to our salvation, are quenched, those which are not so, but which contribute to our salvation, and inspire us with good hopes, will be generated within us, and will rest upon our governing principle, as a helmet does upon the head. And not only this, but we shall take also " the sword of the Spirit," and thus not only ward off his missiles, but smite the devil himself. For a soul that does not despair of herself, and is proof against those fiery darts, will stand with all intrepidity to face the enemy, and will cleave open his breastplate with this very sword with which Paul also burst through it, and " brought into captivity his devices" (2 Cor. x. 5) ; he will cut off and behead the serpent. " Which is the word of God." By the " word of God " in this place, he means on the one hand the ordinance of God, or the word of command ; or on the other that it is in the Name of Christ. For if we keep his commandments, by these we shall kill and slay the dragon himself, "the crooked serpent." (Isa. xxvii. i.) And as he said, "Ye shall be able to quench the fiery darts of the evil one " ; that he might not puff them up, he shows them, that above all things they stand in need of God ; for what does he say? "With all prayer and supplication," he says, these things shall be done, and ye shall accom plish all by praying. But when thou drawest near, never ask for thyself only : thus shalt thou have God favorable to thee. " With all prayer and supplication, praying at all seasons in the Spirit, and watching thereunto in all perseverance for all the saints." Limit it not, I say, to certain times of the day, for hear whathe is saying ; approach at all times ; " pray," saith he, "without ceasing." (i Thess. v. 17.) Hast thou never heard of that widow, how by her importunity she prevailed ? (Luke xviii. 1-7.) Hast thou never heard of that friend, who at midnight shamed his friend into yielding by his perseverance? (Luke xi. 5-8.) Hast thou not heard of the Syrophcenician woman (Mark vii. 25-30), how by the constancy of her entreaty she called forth the Lord s compassion? These all of them gained their object by their impor tunity. " Praying at all seasons," saith he, " in the Spirit." That is to say, let us seek for the thingswhich are according to God, nothing of this world, nothing pertaining to this life. This salvation," says Ellicott, " is not any ideal possession, as s. Salvation in Christ forms the subject of faith; in faithMeyer holds. it is apprehended, and becomes in a certain sense a present pos session. "- -G. A.] TO rjyt