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TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY  
The connection between the Epistle for this Sunday, which is that beautiful passage wherein St. Paul describes the whole armour of God, and the Gospel, in which is given the narrative of our Lord healing the nobleman's son, appears to lie chiefly in the words "above all, taking the shield of faith."  The hard, unimpressible generation of the Jews, among whom our Lord came, would not believe in "signs and wonders" on any evidence but that of their senses; and this placed a bar in the way of His blessing, so that He sometimes could not do mighty works among them, because there was no cooperation of faith on their part with power on His.  The nobleman whose child was healed at a long distance by the will of Christ was a conspicuous illustration of the opposite type of character.  He believed, in the face of all improbabilities, because he knew that the holy Jesus was not one to say that which was not true.  To such minds faith in Christ is a shield indeed against the fiery darts of the Wicked One; for their belief enables Him to do signs and wonders of a spiritual nature, and establishes a power of cooperation between the weak servant and the Almighty Lord.  Thus not only is faith a defence against the enemy of souls, but it draws down Christ Himself to be a "Defence and a Shield;" so that they can say, "The Lord is my Saviour, my God, and my might, in Whom I will trust, my buckler, the horn also of my salvation, and my refuge."  As humble service of Christ is the most perfect freedom, because it frees from the bondage of the Evil One, so humble faith in Christ, the spirit which says not "seeing is believing," but, "Lord, I believe, help Thou mine unbelief," is the surest path to the revelation of the signs and wonders of His kingdom.