“Take therefore this armour,” saith the text, “that ye may resist in the evil day, and in all things stand perfectly, or be perfectly strong.”  This evil day is not so called here, because any day or time is evil; for God made every day good, and all days be good:  but St. Paul calleth it the “evil day,” because of the misfortune that chanceth or cometh in that day.  As we have a common saying, “I have had an evil day, and an evil night,” because of the heaviness or evil that hath happened; so saith Paul, “that ye may resist in the evil day:”  that is, when your great adversary hath compassed you round about with his potestates and rulers, and with his artillery, so that you be almost overcome, then, if you have the armour of God, you shall be strong, and need not to fear his assaults.

St. Paul hath spoken of this armour of God generally, and now declareth the parts and pieces of armour; and teacheth them how to apparel every part of the body with this armour.  He beginneth yet again, saying, “Be strong, having your reins, or your loins girded about.”  Some men of war use to have about their loins an apron or girdle of mail, gird fast for the safeguard of the nether part of their body.  So St. Paul would we should gird our loins, which betokeneth lechery or other sinfulness, with a girdle, which is to be taken for a restraint or continence from such vices.  In “truth,” or “truly gird:”  it may not be feigned, or falsely girt, but in verity and truth.  There be many bachelors, as yet men unmarried, which seem to be girt with the girdle of continence, and yet it is not in truth, it is but feignedly.  And some religious persons make a profession of continence or chastity, and yet not in truth, their hearts be not truly chaste.  Such feigned girding of the loins cannot make a man strong to resist the assaults of the great captain or enemy in the evil day.  Yet some get them girdles with great knots, as though they would be surely girt, and as though they would break the devil’s head with their knotted girdles.  Nay, he will not be so overcome:  it is no knot of an hempton girdle that he feareth; that is no piece of harness of the armour of God, which may resist the assault in the evil day; it is but feigned gear; it must be in the heart, &c.

“And be ye apparelled or clothed,” saith Paul, “with the habergeon or coat-armour of justice, that is, righteousness.”  Let your body be clothed in the armour of righteousness:  ye may do no wrong to any man, but live in righteousness; not clothed with any false quarrel or privy grudge.  Ye must live rightly in God’s law, following his commandments and doctrine, clothed righteously in his armour, and not in any feigned armour, as in a friar’s coat or cowl.  For the assaults of the devil be crafty to make us put our trust in such armour, he will feign himself to fly; but then we be most in jeopardy:  for he can give us an after-clap when we least ween; that is, suddenly return unawares to us, and then he giveth us an after-clap that overthroweth us:  this armour deceiveth us.