they pronounce the course that led to it to be good also. But although God may, in the exercise of His wise sovereignty, bring good out of evil, it is altogether contrary to the principles of Christianity for a man to do evil with the idea that good may come of it. Faith will keep steadily along the path of duty, and maintain, under all circumstances, a bold and consistent course. And if this be the principle on which the Christian always acts; if, notwithstanding every temptation to the contrary, he maintains a bold and unflinching resolution to act in all respects as becometh the gospel of Christ, firmly believing that in this manner he will best promote God's glory and secure His blessing, he will find that the "fiery darts" of the enemy are quenched, and that by the habit of

resistance it is all the more easy to maintain the conflict.

Let it be added that faith is the gift of God, the fruit of His indwelling Spirit in the heart. If, therefore, through the infirmity of human nature, faith at any time fails, and the enemy gains in consequence the advantage, SO that temptation is yielded to, and the religion of Christ dishonoured by sinful compliance, the Christian combatant must not be discouraged; on the contrary, he must, with greater distrust of self and with more implicit reliance on Divine strength, make a fresh stand against his adversary, uttering with repeated supplication the apostles' prayer to their Divine Master—a petition which never has been offered up in vain— "Lord, increase our faith."

CHAPTER VI.

The Helmet.

T is very necessary that the head of

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a combatant engaged in conflict should be well protected. A wound in one of of the limbs may be for the time painful, but it is frequently not difficult to cure, whereas a wound upon the head is likely to be of fatal consequence. It very often affects the intellect; very often it destroys life. The helmet, therefore, that piece of defensive armour which protects the head,

is of especial value. In ancient times the helmet was made most generally of steel, and was so contrived as to screen the face both from missiles of the archer at a distance, and from the swordblow or spear-thrust of the combatant at close quarters; and although defensive armour of any kind can be of but little service against the deadly weapons of modern warfare, yet even now the helmet as a means of defence is not totally disused.

The apostle Paul, amongst the other portions of the Christian armour, is careful to make mention of the helmet. "Take," says he, "the helmet of salvation." In a nearly parallel text (1 Thess. v. 8) he explains more fully what he means; for he admonishes the Thessalonians, in their conflict, to put on "for an helmet, the

hope of salvation." The helmet, therefore, which the Christian combatant must take is a hope which reaches far beyond the present scene of spiritual strife. It is the confident assurance that his exertions in conflict with the enemy will be successful, and that he will certainly be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. A hope thus full of immortality is a hope also full of joy. It strengthens the hands, and confirms the knees, of him who would otherwise faint. It enables him even now to realize to some extent the glory of conquest, and to know that his labours are assuredly not in vain in the Lord.

There is sometimes a difficulty in accurately distinguishing between faith and. hope. These are sister graces, and as