To fit thy spirit for the Lord, that is a spirit, and the father of spirits, thou must go yet one step further; thou must labour to beautify it, to seek to adorn it by a spiritual excellency. Now if thou wouldest beautify it by any thing, seek not for outward excellencies, as clothes, or fine apparel, or adorning in the sight of ⟨p. 16⟩men, but seek such an excellency as is suitable to the spirit: seek not other things; for they are such things that God regards not. So that, as every man seeks some excellency or other, that which thou art to seek is, to get spiritual excellency, such as may beautify thy heart, for that which is outward, God regardeth not. You shall see an excellent place for this, Isay 66.2.1 All these things hath my hand made, saith the Lord, but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. When the Lord looks upon all things here below, they are all at his command, (my hand hath made them, saith he, and I can dispose of them as I will) but what is it, of all them, that I do esteem? a spirit that is fashioned, and beautified with inward ornaments, so that it trembles at my word, that is the thing which I regard. So 1 Pet. 3.3. you have a comparison there of outward excellencies,2 and of the spiritual decking of the inward man, which the Apostle preferreth, because that is a thing that is esteemed of by God. Whose adorning, saith the Apostle, let it not be that outward adorning, of plaiting the hair, and of wearing gold, or of putting on of apparel: But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. So it is said of wisdom, Prov. 3.22.3 It shall be life to thy soul, and grace to thy neck: that is, wisdom adorns the soul in the sight of God, therefore that is the ⟨p. 17⟩excellency that is chiefly to be sought by us, even thus to adorn the soul. And there is good reason for it: for, if thou consider what thy body is, and what thy spirit is, thou shalt see, that all these things that do adorn the outward man, are not the excellencies to be sought after. Indeed there are divers kinds of those excellencies; they are of three sorts. First, excellency of clothes, and building, and such gaudy things, which children and vain men and women are sensible of.
To fit thy spirit for the Lord, that is a spirit, and the father of spirits, thou must goe yet one step further; thou must labour to beautifie it, to seeke to adorne it by a spirituall excellency. Now if thou wouldest beautifie it by any thing, seeke not for outward excellencies, as clothes, or fine apparell, or adorning in the sight of ⟨p. 16⟩men, but seeke such an excellency as is sutable to the spirit: seeke not other things; for they are such things that God regards not. So that, as every man seekes some excellency or other, that which thou art to seeke is, to get spirituall excellency, such as may beautifie thy heart, for that which is outward, God regardeth not. You shall see an excellent place for this, Isay 66.2.1 All these things hath my hand made, saith the Lord, but to this man will I looke, even to him that is poore, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. When the Lord lookes upon all things here below, they are all at his command, (my hand hath made them, saith he, and I can dispose of them as I will) but what is it, of all them, that I doe esteeme? a spirit that is fashioned, and beautified with inward ornaments, so that it trembles at my word, that is the thing which I regard. So 1 Pet. 3.3. you have a comparison there of outward excellencies,2 and of the spirituall decking of the inward man, which the Apostle preferreth, because that is a thing that is esteemed of by God. Whose adorning, saith the Apostle, let it not be that outward adorning, of plaiting the haire, and of wearing golde, or of putting on of apparell: But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meeke and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. So it is said of wisedome, Prov. 3.22.3 It shall be life to thy soule, and grace to thy necke: that is, wisedome adornes the soule in the sight of God, therefore that is the ⟨p. 17⟩excellency that is chiefly to be sought by us, even thus to adorne the soule. And there is good reason for it: for, if thou consider what thy body is, and what thy spirit is, thou shalt see, that all these things that doe adorne the outward man, are not the excellencies to bee sought after. Indeed there are divers kindes of those excellencies; they are of three sorts. First, excellency of clothes, and building, and such gaudy things, which children and vaine men and women are sensible of.
- 1Isay 66.2.
- 21 Pet. 3.3.
- 3Prov. 3.22.
