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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;

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