Ea71in,3.1g.
That
we
mull
prof(
re
the
trtrth,iit
truth
a,td
fish
airy
o
fbea,t.
IP
so
Of
tb+egirdle
e
fYéritie.
it
to any
purpofe
thatwee
Phew
our
felues
earnefl and
for
-
ward
in
religion,
vnlefhe
it
be true and confonant
to
Cods
word.
For
as
the
fafier
that
thofe trauaile
which
are
out
of
the
way,
the further they
arc
from
their
iournies end
;
fo
the
more
earnefl and
forward
that
wee
are
in trauelling
the
by-
paths oferror,the
further
we are
from
Gods kingdome
:
and
therefore
Satan careth
not greatly
whetherwe
be
of
no
re-
ligion
orof
a
falfe
religion, whether
wee
worfhip
no
God at
all, or
a falfe
God,
or
at
leafl
the
true
God
after
a
falfe
man
-
ner,whether wee
performe no duties
unto
God,
or
fuch
as
being not
agreeable
to Gods truth
are
abominable vnto
him.
Firfl
then
we
mull containe
all
our
a6lions
within the
.compaffe ofGoods
word,
and whatfoeuer
wee
profeffe
and
praó}ife,it
mull haue
his
ground
and warrant from this
truth,
if
wee
will bee
accounted true members
of
Gods militant
Church,vvhich
is
therefore called
the
pillar
of
truth,
I
.Tim.3,
15..
becaufe
contemning
all
errours
and
do&rines
of
men,
it
faithfully keepeth the
truth
of
G
ods
word.
And
as
fouldiers
were
girt about with
that
firong and broad
Budded
belt,
wherewith
their
loynes were f}rengthened,and
fo
enabled
to
fuflaine
the fight
without
wearíneffe;
ió
we
are
to
compaffe
our
felues
about with truth,
whereby
wee
may be
flrengthc-
ned
when
as
we
know that
we
fight
in
a
hill quarrell;neither
(hall
wee
eafilie
bee deceiued
with
Satans
temptations
and
falfe
fnggeflions,ifwe be
girt
about with
the girdle
ofveri-
tie.
And hereby appeareth
the neceflitie
of
this
peece
ofar-
mour
:
for
feeing Satan
is
a
lier from the
beginning, it bebo-
ueth vs
to
be
eompaffed
about with truth, that
the
bright
beames
thereofmay
difcouer and
defperfc al
the
foggie
tnifls
ofSatans
errors
and
lies.
But
it
is
not
fufficient
that
we
profeffe
the truth,vnleffe
it
be in
truth.,thatis,in integritie
and fimplicitie
ofheart,with-
out
all
hypocrifie and
diflimulation.For how glorious
foeuer
our
proféflìon euen
of
the true religion
be
before men,yet
it
is
abominable in
the
eies
of
God,
ifit
be
not
in
truth
and
from
an vprigh.t
heart, but
counterfeit
and hypocritical].
Whatfoeuer
duties and
good
works
we
performe, though
neuer
fo
excellent
in
thaelues,yet
are
they
not
acceptable
in
Gods