one of the great shoe companies that the middle seventy per cent of leath er was taken for the army. The high est quality, fifteen per cent, and the lowest quality, fifteen per cent, as well, were not used. Here is a de scription of our preparedness for action in the conflict with evil. That readiness comes from the gospel of peace. The gospel of peace is the good news of reconciliation to God by the death of Christ on the Cross, thereby making peace. Being justi fied by faith through that gospel, we have peace with God. Moreover, God has provided an inner peace as a manifestation of our relationship of peace with Him. This is called “the peace of God which passeth all understanding.” Well may our Gos- PRAISE YE THE LORD It is remarkable, my friend, What praise to God will do; When you have aches and griev ances— Try this, it's good for you! Sincerely say, and know that He Will hear you night or day— "O blessed Lord, although it hurts, I PRAISE YOU A N Y W A Y !" — Esther Belle Heins pel be called the gospel of peace. This gospel of peace is the founda tion of any preparedness for the holy war. Better not attempt to fight an external enemy if you are already defeated within; but if you have peace with God; if you are recon ciled to Him through the death of His Son; if the peace of God which passeth all understanding keeps your heart and mind in Christ Jesus, you can say, “Ready to go; ready to stay; ready, my Lord, to see.” The fourth element mentioned by Paul is faith, which he compares to a shield. The ancient Roman soldier had a large, oblong piece of wood or metal covered with hides which he used to turn off arrows tipped with some burning substance. I suppose
that these fiery arrows were as ter rible to the men of antiquity as the flame-throwing tank is to the soldier of today. With this shield the soldier could ward off burning arrows and even quench them. Faith is Such a shield for the Christian. Faith is our trust in Christ as Saviour, Redeem er, and Son of God. By faith the Christian is justified. By faith the Christian lives. By faith he grasps the substance of things hoped for. By faith the heroes of old conquered. What darts were cast at them! We read that they suffered affliction; that they were sawn asunder; that they were persecuted, hunted in caves, stalked by famine, and put to death. These were fiery darts of the enemy, but these great heroes of the faith turned them back by the shield of faith. By faith Moses chose to suffer affliction with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleas ures of sin for a season. By faith Enoch was translated. By faith Abel offered a more perfect sacrifice than Cain. By faith Jacob wrestled with the angel of God and prevailed. Thus when these darts of the enemy, whether external or internal, come upon you through evil thoughts or through environment and tempta tion, or through the enemy’s physi cal attacks, you may turn them off through the shield of faith. The fifth element in the defensive section of the Christian’s armor is salvation, which Paul compares to a helmet. The Christian’s helmet is the knowledge of salvation, which re moves from him all sense of con demnation, all doubt, all uncertainty concerning his possession of eternal life. Once one fully understands his position as a child of God, as an heir of the eternal possessions and of his security in the Lord, he has a suffi cient helmet to protect him from all evil. On the other hand, let him rec ognize that there .is no protection in any or all of the theories which are substituted for salvation provided by 32
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