armour of God. Truthfulness, justice, peaceableness, faith in God's
justice and mercy, hope of success, and the sword of the Spirit, even
that word of God which, if you do not preach it to others, you can
and should preach to yourselves all day long, continually asking
yourselves, 'What would God have me to do? What is likely to be his
will and message upon the matter which I have in hand?'--all these
qualities go to make up the character of the worthy man or woman, the
useful person, the truly able person, who does what he can do, well,
because he is what he ought to be, good; and all these qualities you
need if you will fight the battle of life like men, and conquer
instead of being conquered therein.

But some will say, and with truth, 'It is easy to tell us to be good:
we can no more change our own character than we can change our own
bodies; the question is, who will make us good?' Who indeed, save he
who said, 'Ask and ye shall receive?' St. Paul knew well enough that
if his armour was God's armour, God alone could forge it, and God
alone could bestow it; and therefore he ends his commands with this
last command--'Praying always, with all prayer and supplication in
the spirit, and watching thereto with all perseverance, and
supplication for all saints.' Those who wrote the Church Catechism
knew it likewise, and have said to us from our very childhood: 'My
good child, know this: that thou canst not do these things of
thyself, nor walk in the commandments of God and serve him without
his special grace; which thou must learn at all times to call for by
diligent prayer.'

Yes, my friends, there is but one way to obtain that armour of God,
which will bring us safe through the battle of life; and that is,
pray for it. Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and ye shall