tion, or newly come out of the furnace, O how nice and scrupulous are they while the smell of fire is about them, and memory of their distress fresh; they are as tender of sinning, as one that comes out of a hot close room is of the air; they shrink at every breath of temptation stirring; but, alas! how soon are they hardened to commit those sins without remorse, the bare motion of which, but a little before, did so trouble and afflict them? Josephus in his Antiquities tells us that the sons of Noah for some years after the flood, dwelt on the tops of high mountains, not daring to take up their habitation in the lower ground, for fear of being drowned by another flood; yet in process of time (seeing no flood came) they ventured down into the plain of Shinar, where their former fear we see ended in one of the boldest, proudest, attempts against God, that the sun was ever witness to the building I mean of a tower whose top should reach Heaven, Gen. xi. 2, 3; they, who at first were so maidenly and fearful as not to venture down their hills, for fear of drowning, now have a design to secure themselves against all future attempts from the God of Heaven himself. Thus oft we see God's judgments leave such an impression in men's spirits, that for awhile they stand aloof from their sins, as they on their hills, afraid to come down to them; but when they see fair weather continue, and no clouds gather towards another storm, then they can descend to their old wicked practices, and grow more bold and Heaven-daring than ever. But if thou wilt be a Christian indeed, keep on thy watch still, remit not in thy care; thou hast well run hitherto, O lie not down like some lazy traveller, by the way-side to sleep, but reserve thy resting-time till thou gettest home out of all danger. Thy God rested not till the last day's work in the creation was finished; neither do thou cease to wake or work, till thou canst say, thy salvation work is finished.

man.

Secondly, Wateh universally. First, watch thy whole The honest watchman walks the rounds, and compasseth the whole town; he doth not limit his care to this house or that: so do thou watch over thy whole man. A pore in thy body is a door wide enough to let in a disease if God command, and any one faculty of thy

soul, or member of thy body, to let in an enemy that may endanger thy spiritual welfare. Alas! how few set the watch round; some one faculty is not guarded, or member of the body not regarded. He that is scrupulous in one, you shall find him secure in another. May be, thou settest a watch at the door of thy lips, that no impure communication offends the ears of men; but how is the Lord's watch kept at the temple-door of thy heart? Is not that defiled with lust? 2 Chron. xxiii. 6. Thou, may be, keepest thy hand out of thy neighbour's purse, and foot from going on a thievish errand to thy neighbour's house; but does not thy envious heart grudge him what God allows him? When thou prayest, thou art very careful thy outward posture be reverent; but what eye hast thou on thy soul, that it performs its part in the duty? Secondly, watch in every thing: if the Apostle bids "in every thing give thauks," then it behoves us, "in every thing to watch," that God may not lose his praise, which he doth in most for want of watching. No action so little almost but we may in it do God or the devil some service, and therefore none too little for our care to be bestowed on. He was a holy man indeed, of whom it was said, "that he ate and drank eternal life." The meaning is, he kept such a holy watch over himself in these things, that he was in Heaven while doing them. There is no creature so little among all God's works but his providence watcheth over it, even to a sparrow and a hair: let there be no word or work of thine, over which thou art not watchful. Thou shalt be judged by them, even to thy idle words and thoughts, and wilt thou not have care of them?

Thirdly, Watch wisely; which thou shalt do, if thou knowest where thou shouldest keep strictest watch, and that must be first in the weightiest duty of the command; tything of cummin and annis must not be neglected, but take heed thou dost not neglect the weightiest things of the "law, judgment, mercy, and faith," Matth. xxiii. 23, making your preciseness in the less a blind for your horrible wickedness in the greater.

Begin at the right end of your work, Christian, by placing your chief care about those main duties to God

and man in his law and gospel, in his worship, and in thy daily course, which when thou hast done, neglect not the circumstantials. Should a master before he goes forth, charge his servant to look to his child, and trim his house up handsomely against he comes home; when he returns, will be thank this servant for sweeping his house and making it trim, as he bade him, if he finds his child through his negligence fallen into the fire, and by it killed or crippled? No sure: he left his child with him as his chief charge, to which the other should have yielded, if both could not be done. There hath been a great zeal of late among us about some circumstantials of worship; but who looks to the little child, the main duties of Christianity I mean? Was there ever less love, charity, self-denial, heavenly-mindedness, or the power of holiness in any of its several walks, than in this sad age of ours? Alas! these, like the child, are in great danger of perishing in the fire of contention and division, which a perverse zeal in less things hath kindled among us. Secondly, Be sure thou art watchful more than ordinary over thyself in those things where thou findest thyself weakest and hast been oftenest foiled. The weakest part of the city needs the strongest guard, and in our bodies the tenderest part is most observed and kept warmest. And I should think it were strange, if thy fabric of grace stands so strong and even, that thou shouldest not soon perceive which side needs the shore most, by some inclination of it one way more than another. Thy body is not so firm, but thou findest this humour over abound, and that part craze faster than another; and so mayest thou in thy soul. Well, take counsel in the thing, and what thou findest weakest, watch most carefully. Is it thy head is weak, thy judgment I mean? watch thyself, and come not among those that drink no wine but that which thy weak parts cannot bear (seraphic notions and high-flown opinions); and do not think thyself much wronged to be forbidden their cup: such strong wine is more heady than hearty, and they that trade most with it are not found of the healthiest tempers of their souls, no more than they that live most of strong water are for their bodies. Is thy impotency in thy passions? Indeed we are weak as they are

strong and violent. Now watch over them as one that dwells in a thatched house would do off every spark that flies out his chimney, lest it should light on it and set all on fire. O take heed what speeches comes from thy mouth, or from any thou conversest with: this is the little instrument sets the whole course of nature on flame. When our neighbour's house is on fire we cast water on our roof, or cover it with a wet sheet: when the flame breaks out at another's mouth, now look thou throwest water on thy own hot spirit; some cooling, wrath-quenching scriptures and arguments ever carry with thee for that purpose, and so in any other particular as thou findest thy weakness.

VERSE 14.

Having your loins girt about with truth.

THE Apostle having ordered the Ephesians, and in them every Christian, the posture which they are to observe in fight with their enemy, he comes now to instance in the several pieces of that armour, which before he had commended to them only in the general. The first of which is the "girdle of truth."

CHAP. I.

WHEREIN IS CONTAINED A BRIEF EXPLICATION OF THE WORDS.

"HAVING your loins girt about with truth." A two

fold enquiry is here requisite. "truth.' Secondly, what by girt with truth.

First, what he means by "loins," and their being

First, What is truth here? Some by truth understand Christ, who indeed elsewere is called "the truth;" yet in this place I conceive not so properly, because the Apostle instanceth here in several pieces and parts of armour, one distinct from another, and Christ cannot so well be said to be a single piece to defend this or that part, as the whole in whom we are complete, compared therefore, Rom. xiii. to the whole suit of armour: "Put ye on the Lord Jesus," that is, be clothed and harnessed with Christ, as a soldier with his armour cap-a-pee. Some by "truth" mean truth of doctrine; others will have it truth of heart, sincerity. They I think best, that comprise both; and so I shall handle it. Both indeed are required to make the girdle complete; one will not do without the other. It is possible to find good meanings, and a kind of sincerity without, yea, against "the truth." Many follow an error, as they Absalom, in the simplicity of their hearts. Such do ill while they mean well. Good intentions do no more make a good action, than a fair mark makes a good shot by an unskilful archer. God did not like Saul's zeal when he persecuted the Christian church, though he thought (no question) he did him good service therein. Neither is it enough to have truth on our side, if we have not truth in our hearts. Jehu was a great stickler against idolatry, but kicked down all again by his hypocrisy. Both then are necessary; sincerity to propound a right end, and knowledge of the word of "truth" to direct us in the right way to that end.

your

Secondly, What is meant here by "loins," that are to be girt with this girdle? The loins must be like the girdle. This is spiritual, and therefore they must be so. Peter will help to interpret Paul, "gird up the loins of minds," 1 Pet. i. 13. They are our minds and spirits which must wear this girdle, and very fitly may our spirits and minds be compared to the loins. The loins are the chief seat of bodily strength. Of Behemoth it is said, "his strength is in his loins," Job xl. 16. The loins are to the body as Carina navi, the keel to the ship; the whole ship is knit to that, and sustained by it; and the body to the loins: if the loins fail, the whole body sinks. Hence to "smite through the loins," is a phrase to ex