Chap. 42. An Expoftion upon thefBool;, of JO B. Verf. 15. ten t the faire(+ women in all the land, if they had not been the holief+, Thebeauty ofthe mind is ten thoufand times more commendable than that of the body ; the Kingof heaven delires fuch beauty. It is not a naturally fair face that will make the Lord Jefus define you;and as for anartificially fair,that willcaufe the Lord Jefus to abhor you. The Kings daughter is all glorione within (Pial. 4.5. i 3.) her glory is a fpiritual glory. Solomon bath told us what natural beauty is without fpiritual (Troy. t r. 22.) As a jewel in a [wines fnout, fo is a fair woman which is without difcretionp; efpecially, that fair woman is fo, who (as the Marlin bath it) de- parteth from difcretion. They are truly beautiful and lovely, who have beautiful difpofitions, and follow beautiful and lovely actions. The Lord Paid of the Jewi(hChurch (Ez.rk. 16. 14.) Thy renownwent forth among the heathen for beauty ; for it was perfeEl through my comelinefswhich Ihad put upon thee. But what was the comelinefs which God had put upon her ? It was the comelinefs of divine gifts and graces planted in her,and excrcifed or held out by her. That's the ornament with which theApof+le Peter faith, the good women in the old time adorned themfelves, even the bidden man ofthe heart, ameek and quiet fpirit (r Epi(+. 3. 4, 5.) And let men as well as women ftrive for thefe orna- ments.They that are deformed in perfon,may more than make it up, by being conformed to Chrif+ in their Ways and works. Better be deformed in body, and conformed to Chrif+, than to have a well-proportion'd comely body, and no conformity unto Chrift. It bath been faid df fome wile and worthy men, that their foals were ill-houfed, that is, they had ill fhap'd or unhandfome bodies. But though the houle of the body be mean and defpicable, yet if the inhabitant, or the foul, be wife and good, that makes a mends for all outward deficiencies, yea, for deformities and mon(lro(i- dies ; whereas if the houle o f the body be never fo well framed and built , yet if it be inhabited by a proud, unclean, ignorant, impious foul, how doth that fpoil, defile,and difhonour that body, and make it no better than a darkfome dungeon. So far concerning the names of fobs daughters, who beingqua- lified in body and mind according to the import of their names, rsere themfelves portion enough to any husband ; yet Job did not put them off fo, but gave an honourable (hare of his plentiful el+ate to them, as it followeth, And Nnonnn a'
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=