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them all; and in the former chapters he teacheth them severally how they
should behave themselves, in every estate, one to another; how they
should obey their rulers; how wives should behave themselves towards
their husbands; children towards their parents; and servants towards
their masters; and husbands, parents and masters should behave them, and
love their wives, children, and servants; and generally each to love
other.

Now cometh he forth and comforteth them, and teacheth them to be bold,
and to play the men, and fight manfully. For they must fight with
valiant warriors, as appeareth afterward in the text. And against they
come to fight he comforteth them, saying, "My brethren." He calleth them
brethren; for though he taught them before to be subject to kings and
rulers, and to be obedient to their superiors, yet he teacheth them that
in Christ we be all brethren, according to the saying in this same
chapter, "God is no accepter of persons." "My brethren," saith he, "be
ye comforted, be ye strong;" not trusting to yourselves; no, but be bold,
and comforted "by our Lord, and by the power of his virtue:" not by your
own virtue, for it is not of power to resist such assaults as he speaketh
of hereafter. "Put on, or apparel you with, the armour of God." Armour
is an apparel to clothe a man, and maketh him seemly and comely; setteth
forth his body, and maketh him strong and bold in battle. And therefore
Saint Paul exhorteth generally his brethren to be armed; and as the
assaults be strong, and not small, so he giveth strong armour, and not
small: "Put on," saith he, "the armour of God." He speaketh generally of
armour, but afterwards he speaketh particularly of the parts of armour,
where he saith, be armed complete, whole; be armed on every part with the
armour of God; not borrowed, nor patched, but all godly. And as armour
setteth forth a man's body, so this godly armour maketh us seemly in the
sight of God, and acceptable in his wars.

Be ye therefore "armed at all points with the armour of God, that ye may
stand strongly against the assaults of the devil." "That ye may stand,"
saith he. Ye must stand in this battle, and not sit, nor lie along; for
he that lieth is trodden under foot of his enemy. We may not sit, that
is, not rest in sin, or lie along in sluggishness of sin; but continually
fight against our enemy, and under our great Captain and Sovereign Lord
Jesus Christ, and in his quarrel, armed w