5 s6 THE G I R D L E OF T R u T H . Book IV. ME TAP HO R. mayd, 2 Sam. xxii. 40. As much as if God lhould fay, be firong for thy Work: '!'bott ha.ft girded me with Strength, &c. Ifa. xlv. 'I'heir Loinsjha/1 be loofed; I wi/1/oofe the Loim of the Kings: He weaka~tth the Strength of the Mighty, Job xii. 2 r. the Girdle of the Strong; fo the Heb. V. 1\. Girdle was ufed to gird on the other parts of the Soldiers A rmor, Let not him that girdet/J on his Harnefs boPjl bimjdf, tlS he that putwh it off, 1 Kings xx. 11. VI. Girding up the Loins, notes a Preparation for Battle and War. Thus Da~·id fpake of Chrift, Gird th)' Sword 011 thy Thigh, 0 mo.ft Migbty, Pfal. xlv. 3· Let not him that girdeth on his Har– nefs boa.ft, &c. PARALLEL. he is as unfiable as Water, as Jacob fpeaks ofReu– ben, Gen. xlix. 2, 3· Let Truth go, nay, let one Truth go, and how doth it weaken our Hands? Or profefs it with a falle and deceitftll Heart, and how unable are fuch to fiand againft the A !faults of the Enemy? On the other Hand, when a Per– fan is well girt with Truth in both thefe RefpeEts, he is thereby made ftrong and couragious. V. Truth is that which fafieneth or girdeth on every part of the Chrifiian's Armor, Sincerity compieats and perfects all ; what will a Man's Faith, Hope, R ighteoufnefs lignify without the Girdle efTruth, unlels he keep within theBounds of Chril1ian-do<'lrine, and is lincere and upright in the l'rofetlion thereof. VI. So the Apofile would have Saints fiand, or be ready to engage thtir fpiritual Enemies, having their Loins girt about with 'l'ruth, Eph. vi. '4· Such a Perlon is prepared to encounter with ail Adverfaries of the Soul. We fhOuld be girt with the Truth, and girt for the Truth; that ie, as another Apofile 1peaks, to contend for the Faith once delivered to the Saints, Jude 3· \¥e lhould be ready to difpute, fight, make War, as good Soldier~ of Chrift. Op– ponents are like Combatants; controverlial Divinity, faith Mr. Caryl, on Job xxxviii. page 35· is called polemical Divinity. Difputes are Word-Wars; and there have b~en as hot 'Wars made by the Pen, as ever were by the Sword. Gird up now thy Loins, &c. faith God to Job. The Lord feems to fend him a Challenge to the Battle, by a further Debate: Arm thyfelf like a mighty Man, get ready for the Duel, for I am refolved to try what a Man thou art in arguing. A Saint being girt with Trwth and Sincerity, is fitted for any Conflitl:. VII. We read of girding up the VI!. So Chrifiians lhould have their Loins Loins for Travel, or when a Man girt abOut wtth Truth and Uprighrnefs, [hat is to take a Journey. Thus Elijha they may be fitted and prepared to travel Heaven– faid to Gehazi, Gird up thy Loi ns, wards. God's People are Strangers and Pilgrims end take my Staff in thine lland, whilfi in this \Norlct, and are travelling to their and go thy 'va)', 2 King:s iv. '-9· own Country; and to have their Minds well girt Jtwas the Fafhion in thole Eafl:ern up with Tr·uth, wiH be a great 1-lelp to them in Countries, where they wore their their Journey. A Storm of Perfecution may foon Garments long, and ordinarily blow away the loofe Garment of Proli:tlion, if a loofe, to gird them up, by which Perfon be not girt with the Girdle of Truth and they could tr-avel the better. Sincerity. VIII. There is n.1ention made of VIII. Trmh and Sincerity prepares and fits girding up the 'Loins, in order to theMind f?r Chrifl:'s Work and Service : Let your fen~n<!, and attendmg on Buline1s: Lozns be gtrt about, and your Ltghts burnmg, and Whichc of )'Oft, faith Chrift, ha'!Jiug )'e yourfelves like unto Me!J that wait for their a Sen:ant p!owing, orfecdin;: Cattle, Lord, Lt!ke xii. . 35· H e is ah~ays wcil girt with willfay mtto him by and by, <den h• Trmh and U png;htnefs, that IS ready to wart zs came Jrqm the 'Held, Go and fit upon, or do Work for the Lord Jefus.. Carelef~, ao<C11. and will not ratiJCr joy, Gtrd flothful, and unfound Perfons are ungm, and 10 thvfdlf, anilfervnne? &c. From unblelfed. A Saint in doing of his Work, whe– hence we may fee, Girding is prether it be Heart-Work, or Hand- 'vVork, ought J'aratory to Serving or Waiting: to be well-girt, .v~z. perform all in Truth and It ~llo 'denotes Prrparatwn tor our l)pnghtnefs. Mmtflers mull: preach nothmg but l:abor or Work, Truth; a-nd as they mutT preach nothing but Truth, fo they rnuft preach in Trmh, or in Sin– cerity of Heart. Some preach Chrijl, faith rhe A poftle, but not jinceref)·, Phi/. i. r6. Thuir Minds we-re not gm wHh Truth. All our Prayers ought to be put up rn 2 Truth; .,
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