Scripture Ellustration.

THE word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, "Fear not Abram: I am thy Shield, and thy exceeding great reward." And he (Goliath) had a target of brass between his shoulders ;-and one bearing a Shield went before him.i And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold; six hundred shekels of gold went to one target. And he made three hundred Shields of beaten gold; three pounds of gold went to one Shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon,k The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear Buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skilful in war.-And of the Gadites there separated themselves unto David into the hold to the wilderness, men of might, and men of war fit for the battle, that could handle Shield and Buckler, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as the roes upon the mountains.1 Moreover Jehoiada the priest delivered to the captains of hundreds, spears, and Bucklers, and Shields, that had been king David's, which were in the House of God.m Above all, taking the Shield of Faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked."

Happy art thou, O Israel:

Who is like unto thee, O people, saved

By the Lord! the Shield of thy help,

And who is the sword of thy excellency !°

Then was war in the gates:

Was there a Shield or spear seen

Among forty thousand in Israel ?P

Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew,

Neither let there be rain upon you, nor fields of offer

ings:

For there the Shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, The Shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.q

For he (the wicked man) stretcheth out his hand against God,

And strengtheneth himself against the Almighty
He runneth upon him, even on his neck,
Upon the thick bosses of his Bucklers."

But thou, O Lord, art a Shield for me;
My glory, and the lifter up of mine head. s
As for God, his way is perfect :

The word of the Lord is tried;

He is a Buckler to all those that trust in him.

Thou hast also given me the Shield of thy salvation :

And thy right hand hath holden me up,
And thy gentleness hath made me great.t

The Lord is my strength and my Shield

My heart trusted in him, and I am helped.

Plead my cause, O Lord, with them that strive with

Take hold of Shield and Buckler,
And stand up for my help.▾

Behold, O God our Shield,

And look upon the face of thine Anointed.
For the Lord God is a Sun and a Shield:

The Lord will give grace and glory :
No good thing will he withhold

From them that walk uprightly.'

W

He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his

wings shalt thou trust :

His truth shall be thy Shield and Buckler.

O Israel, trust thou in the Lord:

He is their help and their Shield.y

Thou art my hiding-place, and my Shield : I hope in thy word. z

He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: He is a Buckler to them that walk uprightly." Every word of God is pure:

b

He is a Shield unto them that put their trust in him. Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an

armoury,

Whereon there hang a thousand Bucklers,

All Shields of mighty men.c

Prepare the table, watch in the watch-tower, eat, drink: Arise, ye princes, and anoint the Shield."

Order ye the Buckler and Shield,

And draw near to battle.e

The men of Arvad with thine army were upon thy walls round about,

▾ Ps. xxxv. 1, 2.

y Ps. cxv. 9.

w Ps. lxxxiv. 9, 11.
Ps. cxix. 114. a Prov. ii. 7.
Sol. Song, iv. 4. d Isa. xxi. 5.

x Ps. xci. 4.

b Prov. xxx. 5.

e Jer. xlvi. 3.

And the Gammadims were in thy towers:

They hanged their Shields upon thy walls round about; They have made thy beauty perfect.'

Behold, I am against thee, O Gog,

The chief prince of Meshech and Tubal :

And I will turn thee back,

And put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth,

And all thine army, horses and horsemen,

All of them clothed with all sorts of armour,

Even a great company with Bucklers and Shields,

All of them handling swords :

Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them;
All of them with Shield and Helmet.g

SATAN'S STRONGHOLDS CAST DOWN.h

SHOUT, for the battlements are fallen,
Which Heaven itself defied!
The aspiring towers, dismantled all,
Now spread their ruins wide!

Thy wondrous trumpets, Prince of Peace,
Sent forth their mighty sound;
The strength of Jericho was struck,
And totter'd to the ground.

No more proud reas'nings shall dispute
What truth Divine declares ;
No more self-righteousness to plead
Its own perfection dares.

f zek. xxvii. 11. g Ezek. xxxviii. 3-5.

h 2 Cor. x. 4, 5.

No strength our ruined powers can boast,

Thy precepts to fulfil ;

No liberty we ask or wish

For our rebellious will.

The gates we open to admit

The Saviour's gentle sway;

Blest Jesus! 'tis thy right to reign—

Our pleasure to obey.

Each thought, in sweet subjection held,
Thy sovereign power shall own;

And every traitor shall be slain,

That dares dispute the throne.

THE Shield is not for the defence of any particular part of the body, as almost all the other pieces are: Helmet fitted for the head; Plate designed for the breast; and so others, they have their several parts, which they are fastened to: but the Shield is a piece that is intended for the defence of the whole body. It was used, therefore, to be made very large; for its broadness, called a gate or door, because so long and large, as in a manner to cover the whole body; to which that place alludes. "Thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a Shield." i And if the Shield were not large enough at once to cover every part, yet being a movable piece

i Ps. v. 12.