V. Hope.—“And take the helmet of salvation.” The hope of salvation. God brings salvation. We appropriate it by hope. We must fight the good fight of faith in hope that the Captain of salvation will support us in the conflict and lead us to victory.
VI. Knowledge.—“The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” The Divine Word is called the sword of the Spirit because it is rendered effectual by the Spirit in slaying the fleshly lusts and repelling the outward temptations which war against the soul.
Reflections.—1. We see of what importance it is that we have the power of religion in our hearts. 2. It concerns us to live much in the exercise of faith. 3. Let us exercise our courage according to the various exigencies of the Christian life.—Lathrop.
The Duty of Believers in the Evil Day.
I. The time to which the exhortation refers—the evil day.—1. By the evil day we are clearly to understand the season of temptation. When “we wrestle.”
2. The evil day may be understood of life itself.—“Few and evil have been the days of my pilgrimage.” Man is tempted till his death.
3. The evil day may refer to seasons during which temptation is peculiarly strong.—With our first parents whilst they listened to Satan. With Christ in the wilderness—near death (John xiv. 30).
4. Of such seasons we have many examples in Scripture.—The lives of Noah, Abraham, Moses, Job, Lot, Samson, David, Asa, Hezekiah, Peter, Demas.
5. Such seasons each believer can mark in his history.—They are generally turning points. They are attended by every variety of outward circumstances, prosperity, adversity, society, solitude, health, sickness.
6. With the wicked such days are evil.—Days of suffering, of danger, of backsliding, of apostasy, of dishonour to Christ, and triumph to the world and to all the enemies of Christ.