Secondly, Such who commend truth, and cry it up highly ; but if you mark them, they do but compliment with it ; all this while they keep at a distance, and do not sufi'er truth to come within them, so as to give law unto them. Like one that entertains a suitor, speaks well of him, holds discourse witli him, but will not hear of marrying him. Bucholcerus would oft say, Multi osculantur Chrhtum, pauci vero am ant ; 'Many kiss Christ, but few love him.' True love to Christ is conjugal ; when a soul delivers up itself from an inward liking it hath to Christ, as to her husband, to be ruled by his spirit, and ordered by his word of truth, here is a soul loves Christ and his truth ; but where truth has no command, and bears no rule, there dwells no love to truth in that heart. She that is not obedient, cannot be a loving wife, because love would constrain her to be so ; and so would love in the soul enforce obedience to the truth it loves. Nay, he that doth not obey ti-uth, is so far from loving it, that he is afraid of tnith ; and he that is slavishly afraid of truth, will sooner prove a persecutor of truth, than a sufferer for trutli. So true is that of Hierome, Qiie/n metiiit qiiis odit, quern odit perisse cupit ; ' Whom we fear, we hate; whom we hate, we wish they were destroyed.' Saul feared David, and that made him industriously seek his ruin. Herod feared John, and that cost him his life. Slavish fear makes the naughty heart imprison truth in his con- science, because if that had its liberty and authority in the soul, it would im- prison, yea, execute every lust that now rules the roast ; and he that imprisons truth in his own bosom, will hardly lie in prison himself as a witness for truth.
Thirdly, Such as have no zeal against truth's enemies. Love goes ever armed with zeal, this is her dagger she draws against all the opposers of truth. Qui non zefaf, non amat : ' He that is not zealous, doth not love.' Now right zeal acts, like fire, to its utmost power, yet ever keeping its place and sphere. If it be confined to the breast of a private Christian, whence it may not flame forth in punishing truth's enemies, then it burns inwardly the more for being pent up ; and preys, like a fire in his bones, upon the Christian's own spirits, consuming them, yea, eating liim up for grief, to see tnith trod under foot of error or profaneness, and he not able to help it up. It is no joy to a zealous lover to outlive liis beloved ; such there have been, who could have chose rather to have leaped into their friends' grave, and lain down with them in the dust, than here pass a disconsolate life without them. ' Let us go and die with him,' said Thomas, when Christ told tliem Lazarus was dead ; and I am sure zealous lovers of truth count it as melancholy living in evil times, when that is fallen in the streets. The news of the ark's taking frightened good Eli's soul out of his body; and this may charitably be thoui'ht to have given life to Elijah's wish, yea, solenm prayer for deatli, 1 Iv.ingsxix.4: ' It is enough, take away my life ;' the holy man saw how things went among the great ones of those wicked times ; idolaters they were courted, and the faithful servants of God carted, as I may so say, yea, killed ; and now this zealous propliet thinks it a good time to leave the world in, rather than five in torment any longer, to see the name, truth, and servants of (iod trampled on by those who should have sliewn most kindness to them. But if zeal hath any power put into her hands, wherein she may vindicate truth's cause, as when she is exalted into the magistrate's seat, then truth's enemies sliall know and feel, that ' she bears not tlie sword in vain.' The zealous magistrate will have, as an arm to relieve and defend truth, ' tlie Israelite;' so a hand to smite ))las- phemy, eiTor, and profaneness, ' the Egyptian,' wlien any of them assault her. O how Moses laid about him, that meek man, who stood so mute in his own cause, Numb, xii., when the people had conunitted idolatry ! His heart was so infired within hhn, that, as well as he loved them, he could neither open his
222 HAVING VOUR^ LOINS