BookiV. H 0 P E coM!PARE~ TO A)! H E L M E T. 6o3 not fear, &c. My Head jhall be lifted above mine Enemies, !fa. xlix. 23. Pfal. xxvii. 3· Two Thin"s make the Head hang down, Fear and Shame; now Hope eafeth the Chriftian's 0 Hrart of both thefe, and fo forbids him to give any Sign of a defponding Mind, by a dejected Countenance, in the worll: of Times: When thefe 'I'hings come to pafs, theit lift up your Heads, for your Redemptioll draweth rugh, Luke XXI. 28. M E T APH 0 R. P A R A L L E L. Ill. An Helmet tends to the IIJ. A well-grounded Hope of Salvation, and complete harnefling and fetting out of ViCtory againft the Enemy, tends to the cam– of a Soldier, to meet his Enemy, plete harneffing, or fitting out of every trueChrif– by which Means he is terrible to tian, to meet and encounter with the Adverfary, behold, as Experience !hews ; for by which Means alfo they are fa id to be as terri– how fierce doth an Army of Solble as an Arm,y with Banners, which Mr. Ainf diers look, when armed Cap-a-pe? worth applies to this Armor. 'I'he Weapons ofour AndefpeciallytheHead-piecetends Warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God, to to do it. Many have been llruck the pulling down of Strong·holds, &c. 2 Cor. x. 4· wirh great trembling, by beholdlfrael being completely furni!hed with Armor ·of ing an Army of Soldiers with HdProof, who were a People faved by the Lord, the me<s on. Shield of their Hope, and who was the Sword of their Excellency, God hereby put the Fear and Dread of them upon all the Nations under the whole Heavens ; who heard the Fame of rhem, and trembled not: Deut. ii. 2. 'I'be People beard, and were afraid; Sorrow took bold on the lnhabitallts ofPaldtina. 'I'he Dukes ofEdamwere amazed; the mighty Men of Moab, 'I'rembli11g took hold upon them.-All the Inhabitants of Canaan me/red away, and Dread fell upon them, Exod. xv. I+, IS, 16. Pfal. xlviii. 5, 6. And thus will it be again, when God brings forth the Sons of Zion againfl: the Sons of Greece, ~very .way completely armed, with Shield and Helmet, as an Army with Banners, Zech. 1x. '3. IV. An Helmet, as well as other Pieces of Armor, mull not be put off, or lai<i afide, until the Battle be over. There are fome lnllru– ments and Engines ufed in War, that are made ufe of but now and then; but the Shield, Brea!l.-plate, and Helmet,&c. are m:cdfary con. tinually, when Arms are employed. V. A Soldier, that hath his complete Armor on, (as the having on theHelmetdoth import, becaufe it is ufually the !all Piece of Armor defenfive chat is pur on) is ready for Service, when the Captain com– mands him forth; and from hence he is animated, and becomes' very diligent, and cloth great Execution oftentimes upon the Enemy; yea, and more is expected from him, than from one that is unarmed. METAPHOR. I. AN Helmet which Men ufe in War, hath been, may be pierced through, to the Lofs of the Life of the Soldier that hath it on. II. A~ Helmet ufed in War amongfl: Men, though it may preIV. So Hope the Helmet of Salvation, mull: be taken by every true Chrillian, and never laid afide, until the Field be won, and all rhe Enemies fubdued. Hence faith the Apollle, Gird up the Loins ofyour Minds, be fober, andhope to the End, for the Grace that jha/1. be brought unto you at the Revelation of Jefus Chrijl, I Pet. i. I3· Now abid– eth Faith, Hope, and Charity, I Cor. xiii. ult. We dejire every one ofyou to /hew the fame Diligence, to the full AJ!itrance of Hope, unto the End, Heb. vi. 11, 12 . V. So a Soldier of J efus Chrifl:, having the whole Chri!l.ian Armor on, is ready for any Ser– vice or Suffering for his Captain, and waits but for the Word of Command, and he adventures forth, as Abraham did, not knowing whither he went. Hope of Salvation particularly maketh a Man very active; it is called a lively Hope; more is expected from him, than from one thar is hope– lefs. A !as ! he goes on without any Heart, that hath no grounded Hope of Heaven, and ihe bleffed Enjoyment of God and Chrill for ever. D IS PAR IT Y. I. BUT this fpiritual Helmet, called the Hope of Salvation, which hath God, and all Good both here and hereafter, for its Object, againfl: this there· can be no A !fault made, nor Force of Weapon ufed to the endangering of rhe Life of the Soul. I!. But a well-grounded Hope, the Helmet of ·Salvation, cloth wonderfully preferve ,;he Con- . fcknce,
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