Never go about any work without your loins girt. A man whose mind is ungirt, is unready for any service, though he may have much outward readiness, and all manner of accommodations for it. When we pray, we should gird up our loins to prayer. The Prophet complained (Isa. 64.7.) There's none calls upon thy Name. What none at all? Surely not so; they were not come to that height of Profaneness, as to throw up, or to throw off prayer quite. Many among the Jews, I may say all of them prayed, but they did not gird up their loins to prayer: That's fully the Prophets meaning, and alm•st his language in the next words, There is none that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee. It is not enough to have a habit of grace, unless it be stirred up to duty, or unless we bestir our selves in duty. The Apostle exhorts Timothy (2 Ep. 1.6.) Stir up the gift of God that is in thee. If fire be not stirred up, it grows dead, and gives little or no heat; 'tis so with our gifts and graces. Therefore in prayer, in hearing the Word, &c. gird up the loins of your mind, if you would either do any good in those duties, or get any. He that lies upon a sick-bed, must gird up the loins of his mind to beat his affliction; else he will never profit by it, nor answer the ends of God in it. No grace can be exercised by a soul ungirded: Therefore remember St. Peters counsel (1 Ep. 1.13.) Gird up the loins of your mind, be sober and hope to the ⟨p. 38⟩end (hope perfectly) for the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1As if the Apostle had said, ye can never act your hope to purpose, nor your faith to purpose, unless you gird up your loins. Habits of grace are unprofitable to us, without this actual preparation and excitation of grace. It is our duty (Heb. 10.24.) to provoke (or stir up) others to love and good works; much more is it our duty to provoke and stir up our selves.
Never go about any work without your loins girt. A man whose mind is ungirt, is unready for any service, though he may have much outward readiness, and all manner of accomodations for it. VVhen we pray, we should gird up our loins to prayer. The Prophet complained (Isa. 64.7.) There's none calls upon thy Name. VVhat none at all? Surely not so; they were not come to that height of Prophaneness, as to throw up, or to throw off prayer quite. Many among the Jews, I may say all of them prayed, but they did not gird up their loins to prayer: That's fully the Prophets meaning, and alm•st his language in the next words, There is none that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee. It is not enough to have a habit of grace, unless it be stirred up to duty, or unless we bestir our selves in duty. The Apostle exhorts Timothy (2 Ep. 1.6.) Stir up the gift of God that is in thee. If fire be not stirred up, it grows dead, and gives little or no heat; 'tis so with our gifts and graces. Therefore in prayer, in hearing the VVord, &c. gird up the loins of your mind, if you would either do any good in those duties, or get any. He that lies upon a sick-bed, must gird up the loins of his mind to beat his affliction; else he will never profit by it, nor answer the ends of God in it. No grace can be exercised by a soul ungirded: Therefore remember St. Peters counsel (1 Ep. 1.13.) Gird up the loins of your mind, be sober and hope to the ⟨p. 38⟩end (hope perfectly) for the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1As if the Apostle had said, ye can never act your hope to purpose, nor your faith to purpose, unless you gird up your loins. Habits of grace are unprofitable to us, without this actual preparation and excitation of grace. It is our duty (Heb. 10.24.) to provoke (or stir up) others to love and good works; much more is it our duty to provoke and stir up our selves.
- 1Notat promptam & ab omni alia cupiditat• reductam spem. Coc.
