Truth likened to a Girdle

TRue Grace, and true Sincerity
Is like a Girdle rare,
Which some about their Loins do love
Continually to wear.

Like as a Girdle cleaves to Men,
And doth them compass in;
So Grace should cleave unto our Souls,
To keep us from all sin.

We in the bonds of Truth and Grace
Should evermore abide,
And never from God's Grace and Truth
Go back, nor turn aside.

And as a Girdle strengthneth
The Loyns of ev'ry one,
So will this Girdle of Truth also
All such who have it on.

If you in the true Doctrine are,
And in sincerity
Do firmly stand in every Truth,
Small weakness you'll espy

To be in you, for strength you'll have,
If that your hearts be found;
And every Gospel blessed Truth
Be evermore your bound.

The Second Part.

The Souldier in the days of old
His Armour did gird on,
And then compleatly harnessed
Was he to look upon:

So must the Christians Armour be
Girt with sincerity,
What will Mens Faith, or Righteousness,
Or Hope else signifie,

If they are not upright in heart,
And Truth is not their bound,
They Hypocrites be sure will then
(If so) at last be found

To have the Loyns well girt, denotes
That Preparation we
Unto the Battel ought to make,
So ready must we be

For to encounter or engage
With all our cruel Foes,
To have our Armour girt with Truth,
And then need fear no blows.

The Third Part.

Girdling also service denotes,
Let Loyns be girt about;
And let your Lights be shining too,
And let them not go out;

That ye may on your Master wait,
Whose coming doth draw near;
Be ready therefore every Saint,
O now your selves prepare!

Let ev'ry thing in truth be done,
And Grace the Girdle be;
And then with joy shall ev'ry one
Their blessed Master see.

A Girdle is an Ornament,
It fastens all together,
And covers Joynts the Armour hath
That Men cannot tell whether

'Tis all one piece, or 'tis in parts,
It doth them so unite;
Thus doth Uprightness us adorn,
That in Jehovah's sight

There seems no flaw, nor no defects,
Uprightness covers all;
God doth that Soul who is sincere,
A perfect Christian call.

The Fourth Part.

Come, art thou low, of mean descent,
And of ignoble birth?
Grace covers this deformity,
Its glory so shines forth:

Or art thou lame, or outwardly
May blemishes be seen?
Yet Grace doth cover this defect,
Thy Beauty's great within:

Or art thou poor, and so art brought
Unto contempt and scorn?
Sincerity doth make thee rich,
Nay more, to be high born.

May be thy parts and gifts are small,
And hence Men thee dispise?
Sincerity hides this in all,
In this thy Glory lyes;

For Grace excells the greatest Gifts,
Gifts may to Man commend;
But Grace commends thee now to God,
And so 'twill in the end.

The Fifth Part.

Soul, hast thou worse defects than these,
Infirmities within?
Sincerity doth God so please,
It covers all thy sin.

He it esteems so as if thou
Hadst never broke his Law,
And through Christ's Righteousness he doth
In thee behold no flaw.

O get this Girdle on, ye Saints,
It glitters more than Gold;
It never can besides be lost,
And doth its Beauty hold

As fresh as 'twas when first put on,
O bless'd Sincerity!
How glorious art thou! how dost thou
Snine in Jehovah's Eye!

See then that ye the Truth hold fast,
And with it girted be;
Then no delusion needst thou fear,
Nor cursed Heresie;

But the right Girdle take be sure,
And not the counterfeit,
The true by this you may descry,
Christ's Truth is stampt on it.

It with the written Word agrees
Exact in ev'ry thing;
If all Christ's Precepts you don't own,
Contempt on you 'twill bring.

That Girdle will not hold but break,
Though you may seem sincere
So far as you cleave unto Truth,
Yet will at last appear

A false Professor, 'cause you have
Some blessed Truth withstood,
Into which you did Light receive,
But not obey it wou'd.

The Sixth Part, with Psal. 117.

Each Truth of God, O it is pure,
God's Truth doth make us clean;
It frees our Souls also for ever,
Such glory in it's seen.

Strong is the Truth you all will say,
This Girdle then is strong;
O buy it, Souls, whilst 'tis to day,
'Twill fit both old and young.

God's Saints did suffer grievous pain,
Great tortures did endure
Before they would part with the Truth,
Such peace it did procure

Unto their Souls who faithful were
Unto the Truth alway;
O it will make you holy, bold
In the great Judgment-day.

Now let all Nations of the Earth
Their great Creator praise;
Nay let the people all sing forth
His mighty Name to raise;

Whose Kindness's great unto his Saints,
His Mercies ever sure;
O praise ye him for his bless'd Truth
Which doth abide for ever!