lofty description of the greatness of God the Apostle heapeth up many words together to shew that in greatnesse God excels all Isa 40.15 16 17. Behold the Nations are as a drop of a bucket are counted as the small dust of the ballance Behold he taketh up the Isles as a very little thing And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering All Nations before him are as nothing and they are counted to him lesse than nothing and vanity Not onely one Nation but many Nations yea not onely many Nations but all Nations in comparison of God are but as the drop of a bucket and what 's lesser than a drop and as the small dust of a ballance and what 's of lighter weight and lesser worth than the small dust or powder of the ballance that hangs on the scale and yet never alters the weight yea they are nothing they are lesse than nothing And though Lebanon was a very great spacious Forrest and had abundance of beasts in it yet God was a God of that infinite greatnesse that though all the beasts harbouring in that stately Forrest should be slain and all the wood growing on it cut down to burn them with it all would not make up a sacrifice any wayes answerable or proportionable to his greatnesse with whom they had to do and so in that Psal 147.5 Great is our Lord and of great power his understanding is infinite or as the Hebrew hath it of his understanding there is no number Such is his greatness that he knows not onely all kinds and sorts of things but even all particulars though they exceed all number Psal 145.3 Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised and his greatness is unsearchable or as the Hebrew hath it of his greatness there is no search God is infinitely above all names all notions all conceptions all expressions and all parallels Psa 150.2 Praise him for his mighty acts praise him according to his excellent greatness or greatnesse of greatnesse or abundance of greatnesse or according to the multitude of his greatnesse as the Hebrew and Greek carries it and so in that Deut. 10.17 For the Lord your God is God of Gods In Daniel God is called El Elim the mighty of mighties and Lord of Lords a great God a mighty and a terrible which regardeth not persons nor taketh reward God is the original cause of all greatness all that greatness that is in any created beings whether they are Angels or men is from God all their greatnesse is but a beam of his Sun a drop out of his Sea a mite out of his Treasury Psal 139. God is a God of that infinite greatnesse that he fills heaven and earth with his presence he is every where and yet circumscribed to no place he is in all things and without all things and above all things and this speaks out his immensity Job had a very large portion before God made a breach upon him Job 1.3 He had seven thousand sheep and three thousand camels and five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred she-asses and a very great houshold but at last God gives him twice as much as he had first Job 42.12 for he had fourteen thousand sheep and six thousand camels and a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand she-asses Cattle are onely instanced in because the wealth of that Countrey consisted especially in cattel but yet doubtlesse Job had a great many other good things as goods lands possessions and stately habitations but what is all this to a Saints portion certainly had not Job had God for his portion he had been but a rich fool a golden beast notwithstanding all the great things that God had heaped upon him And so Ahasuerus had a very large portion Esth 1.1 2. he reigned from India unto Ethiopia over an hundred and seven and twenty Provinces but what were all his Provinces but as so many handfuls of dust in comparison of the Saints portion The whole Turkish Empire saith Luther is but a crust that God throws to a dog had a man all the world for his portion it would be but a poor pittance Nebuchadnezzar had a very great portion Dan. 5.18 19. O thou King the most high God gave thy father Nebuchadnezzar a Kingdome and majesty and glory and honour And for the majesty that he gave him all people Nations and languages trembled and feared before him whom he would he slew and whom he would he kept alive and whom he would he set up and whom he would he put down And so in that Jer. 27.5 6 7 8. I have made the earth the man and the beast that are upon the ground See Jer. 28.14 by my great power and by my out-stretched arm and I have given it unto whom it seemed meâ— unto me And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon my servant and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him And all Nations shall serve him and his son and his sons son until the very time of his land come and then many Nations and great Kings shall serve themselves of him And it shall come to pass that the Nation and Kingdome which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the King of Babylon that Nation will I punish saith the Lord with the sword and with the famine and with the pestilence until I have consumed them by his hand The portion that here God gives to Nebuchadnezzar is a wonderful large portion and yet all these Nations that God gave to him were but as so many molehils or as so many birds nests compared with a Saints portion All Nations are but as a drop of a bucket that may in a moment be wip't off with a finger in comparison of God nay they are all nothing but that word is too high for they are lesse than nothing had a man as many worlds at his command as there be men on earth or Angels in heaven yet they would be but as so many drops or as so many attomes to a Saints portion When Alc biades was proudly boasting of his lands that lay together Socrates wittily rebukes his pride by bringing him a Map of the world and wishing him to shew him where his lands did lie his lands would hardly amount to more than the prick of a pin England Scotland and Ireland are but three little spots to the vast Continents that be in other parts of the world and what then is thy palace thy lordships thy mannors thy farme thy house thy cottage but a little minum but a prick of a pin to God who is so great so vast a portion O Sirs had you the understanding of all the Angels in heaven and the tongues of all the men on earth yet you would not be able
creatures are virtually transcedently in him he hath them all in his own being All creatures in heaven and earth have but their particular excellencies but God hath in himself the very quintescence of all excellencies the creatures have but drops of that Sea that Ocean that is in God they have but their parts of that power wisdome goodnesse righteousnesse holinesse faithfulnesse lovelinesse desireablenesse sweetnesse graciousnesse beauty and glory that is in God one hath this part and another hath that one hath this particular excellency and another hath that but the whole of all these parts and excellencies are to be found only in God There is none but that God that is an universal good that can truly say all power all wisdome all strength all knowledge all goodness all sweetness all beauty all glory all excellency c. dwells in me he that can truly say this is a God and he that cannot is no God There is no Angel in heaven nor Saint on earth that hath the whole of any one of those excellencies that are in God nay all the Angels in heaven and all the Saints on earth have not among them the whole of any one of all those glorious excellencies and perfections that be in God All the excellencies that are scattered up and down in the creatures are united into one excellency in God but there is not one excellency in God that is â—ully scattered up and down among all the creatures There is a glorious union of all excellencies in God and onely in God Now this God that is such an universal good and that hath all excellencies dwelling in himself he sayes to the believer as the King of Israel said to the King of Assyria 1 Kings 20.4 Jer 32.38 42. I am thine and all that I have our propriety reacheth to all that God is and to all that God hath God is not parted nor divided nor distributed among his people as earthly portions are divided among children in the family so as one believer hath one part of God and another believer another part of God and a third another part of God O no but every believer hath whole God wholly he hath all of God for his portion God is not a believers portion in a limited sense nor in a comparative sense but in an absolute sense God himself is theirs he is wholly theirs he is only theirs he is alwayes theirs As Christ looks upon the Father and saith All thine is mine Joh 17.10 1 Cor. 3 ult and mine is thine that may a Saint say looking upon God as his portion he may truly say O Lord thou art mine and all that thou hast and I am thine and all that I have A Saint may look upon God and say O Lord not only thy gifts and thy graces are mine to adorn me and enrich me and not only thy mercies and thy good things are mine to comfort me and encourage me but also thou thy self art mine and this is my joy and crown of rejoycing to be able to say that God is mine is more than if I were able to say that ten thousand worlds yea and as maheavens are mine for 't is God alone that is the sparkling Diamond in the Ring of glory Heaven would be but a low thing without God saith Augustine and Bernard had rather enjoy Christ in a Chimney-corner than to be in Heaven without him and Luther had rather be in Hell with Christ than in Heaven without him 't is God alone that makes heaven to be heaven Now God is so every particular believers portion as that he is every believers portion 1 Cor. 1.1 2. Paul called to be an Apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God and Sosthenes our brother unto the Church of God which is at Corinth to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus called to be Saints with all that in every place call upon the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ both theirs and ours As the Sun is every mans Sun to see by to walk by to work by and as the Sea is every mans Sea to trade by c. so God is every believers portion he is a poor Saints portion as well as a rich Saints portion he is the despised believers portion as well as the exalted believers portion he is the weak believers portion as well as the strong believers portion he was as much his portion who miscall'd his faith and who in the behalf of his son cried out with tears Lord I believe help my unbelief Mar. 9.24 as he was Abrahams portion Genes 2â— who in the strength of his faith offered up his only son he was as much Jobs portion sitting on a dunghil as he was Davids portion sitting on a royal Throne he was as much Lazarus his portion that had never a penny in his purse as he was Solomons portion 2 Chron. 1.15 who made gold and silver as plenteous in Jerusalem as the stones of the streets God is not my portion alone but he is every Saints portion in heaven and he is every Saints portion on earth The Father is every childs portion and though they may wrangle and quarrel and fall out one with another yet he is all their portions and so 't is here and O what a spring of joy and comfort should this be to all the Saints Riches are not every believers portion but God is every believers portion honour and preferment in the world is not every believers portion but God is every believers portion Liberty and freedome is not every believers portion but God is every believers portion credit and applause in the world is not every believers portion but God is every believers portion prosperity and successe is not every believers portion but God is every believers portion c. God is a universal portion all things receive their being essence and existence from him for the fulnesse of all things is in him really and eminently The Heathen Philosophers of old called God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. all or every thing and in that Oracle great Pan is dead of which Plutarch makes mention Christ is called the great Pan because say some he is the Lord of all and containeth all things in himself Exod. 33.19 I will make all my goodnesse passe before thee to wit because in God are all good things God is all things God is every thing the cream the good the sweet the beauty and the glory of every creature and of every thing centers in God But Ninthly As God is an universal portion so God is a safe portion a secure portion he is a portion that none can rob or wrong you of he is a portion that none can touch or take from you These things I have formerly handled more largely and therefore a touch here must suffice c. he is a portion that none can cheat or spoil you of God is such a portion that no friend no foe no man
dry but God is an inexhaustible portion that can never be drawn dry and this discovers the excellency of this portion above all other portions But Thirteenthly As God is an inexhaustable portion so God is a soul-satisfying portion he is a portion that gives the soul full satisfaction and content Psal 17.15 Psal 16.5 6. The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup thou maintainest my lot The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places yea I have a goodly heritage 'T was as well with him as his heart could wish And so in that Psal 73.25 Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee or as some render it Vide Jerome Calvin Cajetan Marlorat Mollerius c. I would I were in heaven with thee or as others read the words I have sought none in heaven or earth besides thee or as others I desire none in heaven or earth but thee or I affect none in heaven nor none on earth like thee I love none in heaven nor none on earth in comparison of thee I esteem thee instead of all other treasure and above all other treasures that are in heaven or that are on earth The holy Prophet had spiritual and sweet communion with Christ to comfort and strengthen him he had a guard of glorious Angels to protect him and secure him and he had assurance of heaven in his bosome to joy and rejoyce him and yet 't was none of these nay 't was not all these together that could satisfie him 't was only an infinite good an infinite God that could satisfie him he very well knew that the substantials of all true happinesse and blessednesse did lie in God and his enjoyment of God 'T was not his high dignities nor honours that could satisfie him 't was not the strength riches security prosperity and outward glory of his Kingdome that could satisfie him 't was not his delightful musick nor his noble attendance nor his well-furnished tables nor his great victories nor his stately palaces nor his pleasant gardens nor his beautiful wise nor his lovely children that could satisfie him all these without God could never satisfie him but God without all these was enough to quiet him and satisfie him Joh. 14.8 Philip said unto him Lord shew us the Father and it sufficeth us a sight of God will satisfie a gracious soul more than all worldly contentments and enjoyments yea one sight of God will satisfie a Saint more than all the glory of heaven will do God is the glory of all the glory of heaven heaven alone is not sufficient to content a gracious soul but God alone is sufficient to content and satisfie a gracious soul God only is that satisfying good that is able to fill quiet content and satisfie an immortal soul Certainly if there be enough in God to satisfie the spirits of just men made perfect Heb. 12.23 24 25. whose capacities are far greater than ours and if there be enough in God to satisfie the Angels whose capacities are far above theirs if there be enough in God to satisfie Jesus Christ whose capacity is unconceivable and unexpressible yea if there be enough in God to satisfie himself then certainly there must needs be in God enough to satisfie the souls of his people If all fulnesse and all goodnesse and infinitenesse will satisfie the soul then God will there is nothing beyond God imaginable nor nothing beyond God desirable Ephes 3.2 nor nothing beyond God delectable and therefore the soul that enjoys him cannot but be satisfied with him God is a portion beyond all imagination all expectation all apprehension and all comparison and therefore he that hath him cannot but sit down and say I have enough Gen. 33.11 Psal 63.5 6. My soul shall be satisfied as with * Cheleb vade shen Fat and sat So the Hebrew hath it hereby is meant satiety of pleasures c. marrow and fatnesse and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips When I remember thee on my bid and meditate on thee in the night-watches Marrow and fatnesse cannot so satisfie the appetite as God can satisfie a gracious soul yea one smile from God one glance of his countenance one good word from heaven one report of love and grace will infinitely more satisfie an immortal soul than all the fat and all the marrow and all the dainties and delicates of this world can satisfie the appetite of any mortal man My soul shall be satisfied with fatnesse and fatnesse so the Hebrew hath it that is my soul shall be top-full of comfort it shall be filled up to the brim with pleasure and delight in the remembrance and enjoyment of God upon my bed or upon my beds in the plural as the Hebrew hath it David had many a hard bed and many a hard lodging whilst he was in his wildernesse-condition it oftentimes so fell out that he had nothing but the bare ground for his bed and the stones for his pillows and the hedges for his curtains and the heavens for his canopy yet in this condition God was sweeter than marrow and fatnesse to him though his bed was never so hard yet in God he had full satisfaction and content Jer. 31.14 My people shall be satisfied with goodness saith the Lord. And my God shall supply all your need Phil. 4.10 according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus saith Paul that great Apostle of the Gentiles the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to fill up 2 Kings 4.4 even as he did the Widdows Vessels till they did overflow God will fill up all he will make up all he will supply all the wants and necessities of his people That water that can fill the Sea can much more fill a cup and that Sun which can fill the world with light can much more fill my house with light So that God that fills heaven and earth with his glory can much more fill my soul with his glory To shew what a satisfying portion God is he is set forth by all those things that may satisfie the heart of man as by Bread Water Wine Milk Honours Riches Raiment Houses Lands Friends Father Mother Sister Brother Health Wealth Light Life c. And if these things will not satisfie what will Gen. 45.28 'T is enough sayes old Jacob that Joseph is alive so sayes a gracious soul 'T is enough that God is my portion A pardon cannot more satisfie a condemned man nor bread an hungry man nor drink a thirsty man nor cloathes a naked man nor health a sick man c. than God doth satisfie a gracious man But Now worldly portions can never satisfie the souls of men Eccles 5.10 Some read the words thus He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver and he that loveth it in the multitude of it shall not have fruit He that loveth silver shall
and shalt be because thou hast judged thus God is a God of that infinite excellency and glory that 't is utterly impossible for him to be better or other than he is If God should in the least be alterable or mutable he would presently cease to be God God is a God of that transcendent excellency that there can be nothing added to him nor nothing substracted from him If you adde any thing to him you deny him to be God and if you take any thing from him you destroy his being Jam. 1.17 Psal 90.2 From everlasting to everlasting thou art God And Mary hath chosen the better part which shall never be taken from her God is eternal as neither being capable of a beginning nor ending and therefore the Egyptians used to signifie God by a circle and the Persians thought that they honoured God most when going up to the top of the highest Tower they called him the circle of heaven now you know a circle hath no end And it was a custome among the Turks to go up every morning to a high Tower and to cry out God alwayes was and alwayes will be and so salute their Mahomet Some things have a beginning but no ending as Angels and the souls of men and some things have no beginning and yet have an end as the Decrees of God in their final accomplishment and some things have both a beginning and an ending as all sublunary things but God hath neither beginning nor ending All creatures have a lasting Angels have an outlasting but God hath an everlasting being 1 Tim. 1.17 Now unto the King eternal immortal invisible the onely wise God be honour and glory for ever and ever Amen God is without beginning and end first and last past and to come Psal 102.25 26 27. Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth and the heavens are the works of thy hands He that made heaven and earth must needs be before them and therefore eternal but this God did ergo They shall perish but thou shalt indure yea all of them shall wax old like a garment as a vesture shalt thou change them and they shall be changed But thou art the same and thy years shall have no end Were there no other Scripture to prove the eternity and immutability of God this were enough Whatever changes may pass upon the heavens and the earth yet God will alwayes remain unchangeable and unalterable By what hath been said 't is most evident that God is an everlasting portion that he is a never failing portion But now all earthly portions are very uncertain now they are and anon they are not Prov. 23.5 Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not for riches certainly make themselves wings they flie away as an Eagle towards heaven Though the foolish world call riches substance yet they have no solid subsistance All earthly portions are as transitory as a shadow a ship a bubble a bird a dream an arrow a post that passeth swiftly away Riches were never true to any that have trusted in them In this Text Riches are said not to be because they do not continue to be Crossus was so rich that he maintained an Army with his own Revenues yet he his great army with his son and heir fell together and so his great Estate fell to others they will not abide by a man they will not long continue with a man and therefore they are as if they were not All earthly things are vain and transitory they are rather showes and shadows than real things themselves 1 Cor. 7.31 For the fashion of this world passeth away The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies a Mathematical Figure which is a meer notion and nothing in substance All the glory of this world is rather a matter of fashion than of substance 't is a body without a soul 't is a golden shell without a kernel 't is a shew without a substance there is no firmnesse there is no solidnesse there is no consistency there is no constancy in any of the creatures All the pomp and state and glory of the world is but a meer piece of Pageantry a Mask a Comedy a Fantasie Act. 25.23 And on the morrow when Agrippa was come and Bernice with great pomp The original words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifie great fantasie or vain shew The greatest glory and pomp of this world in the eye of God in the account of God is but as a fantasie or a shadow It was a custome in Rome that when the Emperour went by upon some great day in all his Imperial pomp there was an Officer appointed to burn flax before him and to cry out Sic transit gloria mundi so the glory of this world passeth away And this was purposely done to put him in mind that all his honour pomp glory and grandure should soon passe and vanish away as the flax did that he saw burnt before his eyes That great Conquerour of the world Alexander Plutarch in the life of Alexander c. caused a Sword in the compasse of a Wheel to be painted upon a Table to shew that what he had gotten by the sword was subject to be turned about by the wheel of Fortune and many great Conquerours besides him have found it so and many now alive have seen it so Look as the Rainbow shews it self in all its dainty colours and then vanisheth away so doth all worldly honours riches and preferments shew themselves and then vanish away and how many in our dayes have found it so When one was a commending the riches and wealth of Merchants I do not love that wealth said an Heathen which hangs upon ropes for if they break the Ship and all their wealth miscarries Certainly within these few moneths the miscarrying of several Ships hath caused several Merchants sadly to miscarry A storm at Sea a spark of fire an unfaithful servant a false oath or a treacherous friend may quickly bring a man to sit with Job upon a dunghil Look as the bird flies from tree to tree and as the beggar goes from door to door and as the pilgrim travails from place to place and as the Physician walks from Patient to Patient so all the riches honours and glory of this world do either flie from man to man or else walk from man to man Who knows not that many times one is made honourable by anothers disgrace another is made full by another mans emptinesse and a third is made rich by anothers poverty how soon is the Courtiers glory eclipsed if his Prince doth but frown upon him and how soon doth the Prince become a peasant if God doth but frown upon him Now one is exalted and anon he is debased now one is full and anon he is hungry now one is cloathed gloriously and anon he is cloathed with rags now one is at liberty and anon he is under restraint now a man hath many friends
of his Neighbour-Kings prisoners be made them to draw his Chariot by turnes now it so happened that one of these royal slaves as he was drawing in the Chariot had his eye almost continually fixt on the wheels which Sesostris observing ask't him why he looked so seriously upon the wheels he answered that the falling of that spoke lowest which was even now highest put him in mind of the instability of fortune Sesostris duly weighing the parable would never after be drawn by his Royal Slaves any more By what hath been said 't is most evident that when wicked men are highest they are neerest their fall and that none fall so certainly and so suddenly and under such dreadful calamities and miseries as those that have been most highly advanced in all worldly dignities and glories and why then should any fret or vex at their outward prosperity or worldly felicity Again God will bring them to an account for all those talents of power of honour of riches Matth. 25 14-31 of trust of time of interest that God hath given them in the world and the more they have imployed the liberality and bounty of God against God or his glory or interest or people the shorter shall be their felicity and the more endlesse shall be their misery The greatest account and the greatest damnation commonly attends the great ones of the world I have read of Philip the third of Spain whose life was free from gross evils professing that he would rather lose all his Kingdomes than offend God willingly yet being in the agony of death and considering more thorowly of that account he was to give to God fear struck into him and these words break from him Oh would to God I had never reigned Oh that those years I have spent in my Kingdome I had lived a private life in the wilderness Oh that I had lived a solitary life with God how much more confidently should I have gone to the Throne of God what doth all my glory profit me now but that I have so much the more torment in my death and the greater account to give up to God I have read of a Souldier who being to die for taking a bunch of grapes contrary to his Generals command as he was going along to execution he went eating of his grapes whereupon one of his fellow-souldiers rebuked him saying what are you eating your grapes now you are going to execution the poor fellow replied Prethee friend do not envy me my grapes for I shall pay a dear price for them I shall lose my life for them and so accordingly he did So I say Oh you that have God for your portion do not envy do not fret and vex at the prosperity of the wicked for what though they have more than heart can wish what though they live in pleasure and wallow in all carnal and sensual delights c. yet they have a sad account to give up to God and they shall pay dear at last for all their worldly enjoyments for without sound repentance on their sides and pardoning grace on Gods they shall not only lose their lives but they shall also for ever lose their immortal souls and therefore never fret at their prosperity Oh Sirs do not you remember that Lazarus did not fret nor fume because Dives had robes for his rags and delicates for his scraps c. for he very well knew that though he was sine dome yet not sine domino he had a guard of glorious Angels to transport his holy precious heaven-born soul into Abrahams bosome he knew that it was better to beg on earth than to beg in hell Oh Sirs what is darknesse to light earth to heaven chaffe to wheat tin to silver drosse to gold or pibbles to pearls no more are all earthly portions to that God who is the Saints portion and therefore let not the Saints that have such a matchlesse portion envy the prosperity and felicity of wicked men 'T is the justice of envy to kill and torment the envious and therefore shun it as you would poison in your meat or a serpent in the way A man were better have a serpent tumbling up and down in his bowels than to have envy a gnawing in his soul Envy is as pernicious a wickednesse as 't is a foolish and a groundlesse wickednesse envy is a scourge to scourge the soul 't is a serpent to sting the soul 't is a poison to swell the soul 't is a Sawe to sawe the soul 't is a moth that corrupts the soul and 't is a canker that eats up the soul and therefore fly from it as you would fly from the most cruel and destroying adversary Oh Sirs to be angry because God is bountiful to others to frown because God smiles upon others to be bitter because God is sweet in his dealings with others and to sigh because God multiplies favours and blessings upon others what is this but to turn others good into our own hurt others glory and mercy into our own punishment and torment and if this be not to create a hell in our own hearts I am much mistaken I shall conclude this first Inference with the counsel of the Prophet in that 49. Psal 16 17. v. Be not thou afraid when one is made rich when the glory of his house is increased For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away his glory shall not descend after him When the bodies of the wicked are rotting in their graves and their souls are roaring in hell none of their worldly greatnesse pomp state glory gallantry riches rents or revenues shall descend after them to administer one drop of comfort to them and therefore never envy their outward prosperity or worldly glory c. But Secondly If the Saints have such an excellent such a transcendent and such a matchlesse portion Oh then let them be content with their present condition let them sit down satisfied and contented though they have but a handful of meal in their Barrel 1 Kings 17.12 and a little oil in a Cruse Oh Sirs in having of God you have much in having of God you have enough in having of God you have all and why then should you not sit down quiet with your present allowance Certainly if much will not satisfie you if enough will not satisfie you if all will not satisfic you nothing will satisfie you Heb. 13.5 Let your conversation be without covetousnesse or love of silver as the Greek word signifies and be content with such things as you have or as the Greek hath it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be content with present things for he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee There are five negatives in the Greek I will not not not not not leave thee nor forsake thee fully to assure and fully to satisfie the people of God that he will never forsake them and that he will everlastingly stick close to them What doth this
call upon my Name and I will hear them I will say it is my people and they shall say The Lord is my God O Sirs as ever you would have the great and glorious God for your portion plead out this noble promise cordially with God plead it out affectionately plead it out fervently plead it out frequently plead it out beleevingly plead it out resolutely plead it out incessantly O Sirs this choice promise is an hive full of heavenly honey 't is a paradise full of sweet flowers 't is a breast that is full of the milk of consolation Isa 66.11 and therefore be still a sucking at this breast be still a pleading of this promise follow God with this promise early and late follow him with this promise day and night Luk. 18.1 to the 9. v. follow him with this promise as the importunate Widow followed the unjust Judge and give him no rest till he hath made it good to your souls that he is your God and that he is your portion and that he is your salvation and that he is your all in all O tell him that above all things in this world your hearts are set on this to have God to be your God to have God to be your portion O tell him that you cannot tell him that you dare not tell him that you may not and tell him that you shall not be satisfied with any thing without God with any thing below God with any thing on this side God with any thing but God and therefore humbly intreat him and earnestly beseech him to be your God and to be your portion But Fourthly If you would have God for your portion Deut. 32.9 Jer. 12.10 Zech. 2.12 then you must be willing to be his portion God is resolved upon this that he will be no mans portion that is not willing to be his you must make a resignation of your selves to God if ever you would enjoy an interest in God you must be as willing to be his people as you are willing to have him to be your God you must be as much at Gods dispose as earthly portions are at your dispose or else there will be no enjoying of God to be your God God will ingage himself to none that are not willing to ingage themselves to him he that will not give his hand his heart to God shall never have any part or portion in God O Sirs as ever you would have God for your portion it highly concerns you to give up your selves to God with highest estimations and with most vigorous affections and with utmost indeavours according to that precious promise Isa 44.5 One shall say I am the Lords and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob and another shall subscribe with his hand to the Lord and sirname himself by the name of Israel God stands upon nothing so much as the giving up of your selves to him nor he is taken with nothing so much as the giving up of your selves to him Seneca do Benesic l. 1. I have read of Aeschines who seeing his fellow-scholars give great gifts viz. gold silver and jewels to his Master Socrates and he being poor and having nothing else to bestow he gave him himself which the Philosopher most kindly accepted esteeming this present above all those rich and costly presents that his other Scholars had presented to him and accordingly in love and sweetnesse he carried it towards him So there is nothing that God accepts loves likes and esteems like the giving up of a mans self unto him this is a present that God prefers above all the gold silver and sparkling jewels in the world Well Sirs remember this Such as are not as willing to say Lord we are thine as they are to say Lord thou art ours such shall never have God for their portion But Fifthly If you would have God for your portion then you must take up Christ in your arms and treat with God upon the credit of Christ there is no acquaintance with God Ephe. 2.16 Heb. 2.17 Col. 1.20 21. Ephes 1.6 7. there is no reconciliation to God there is no union nor communion with God there is no re-admission into the presence and favour of God without a Mediator God out of Christ is incomprehensible God out of Christ is exceeding terrible Heb. 12.9 an absolute God is a consuming fire and therefore sayes Luther Nolo Deum absolutum Let me have nothing to do with God himself The blood of Christ the blood of the Covenant is that and onely that that can cement re-unite and knit God and man together Themistocles understanding that King Admittus was highly displeased with him took up his young son into his armes Plutarch in Vita and treated with the father holding that his Darling in his bosome and thereby appeased the Kings wrath O Sirs the King of Kings is offended with you and upon the account of your sins he hath a very great controversie with you Now there is no way under heaven to pacifie his wrath and turn away his displeasure from you but by taking up Christ in your armes and by presenting all your suits in his name There is no Angel in heaven nor no Saint on earth that can or that dares to interpose between an angry God and poor sinners 't is only Christ Isa 9.6 the Prince of peace that can make up a sinners peace with God John 14.6 Jesus saith unto him I am the way the truth and the life no man cometh unto the Father but by me There is no way to the Father but by the meritorious blood of the Son Isa 33.14 there are none that can stand between everlasting burnings and us but Christ You shall not see my face except you bring your brother Benjamin with you said Joseph to his brethren so sayes God Sinners sinners you shall not see my face Gen. 43.3 6. except you bring Jesus with you except you bring Christ in your armes you shall never see my face with joy you shall never see my face and live There is a Writ of Vengeance that is issued out of the Court of Heaven against poor sinners and except Christ stops in they will certainly fall under an eternal arrest and be thrown into everlasting perdition and destruction But Sixthly If you would have God for your portion then you must break your league with sin you must fall out with sin if ever you fall in with God sin and you must be two or God and you can never be one there is no propriety to be had in God except your hearts rise against that which first dis-united and dis-joynted you from God sin and you must part or God and you can never meet You shall as soon make an accommodation between light and darknesse 2 Câ—â— 6.14 ult heaven and hell noon and midnight as ever you shall be able to make an accommodation between God and sinne So long
water our silver with tin our gold with dross our wheat with chaffe and our honey with gall c. every Bee hath his sting and every rose hath his prickles and this mixture speaks out all earthly portions to be vanity and vexation of spirit 1 Eccles 1.13 That great Prince Exerxes was wont to say You look upon my Crown and my purple robes but did you know how they were lin'd with thorns you would not stoop to take them up And who is there in this our English Israel that cannot with both hands subscribe to this The Emblem of King Henry the seventh in all his buildings in the windows was still a Crown in a bush of thorns B. Hall wherefore or with what historical allusion he did so is uncertain but surely it was to imply thus much that great places are not free from great cares that no man knows the weight of a Scepter but he that swayes it This made Saul to hide himself amongst the stuff when he should have been made King many a sleeplesse night many a restlesse day many a sad temptation and many a busie shift will their ambition cost them that affect such places of eminency Besides high places are commonly very slippery he that stands in them may suddenly fall and wound his conscience or easily fall and break his neck But Sixthly As God is a pure and unmixed portion so he is a glorious a happy and a blessed portion Psal 16.5 6. he is so in himself and he makes them so too who enjoy him for their portion Psal 33.12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance All the happinesse and blessednesse of the people of God stands in this that God is their God and that he is their portion and that they are his inheritance The Hebrew word Ashre that is here rendered blessed is O the blessednessel or O the heaped up happiness of those whose God is the Lord the happiness of such is so great and so glorious as cannot be conceived as cannot be uttered the words are a joyful acclamation for their felicity that have God for their portion Ps 144.15 Happy is that people that is in such a case yea happy is that people whose God is the Lord. David having prayed for many temporal blessings in the behalf of the people from ver 12. to ver 15. at last concludes Blessed are the people that are in such a case but presently he checks and corrects himself and eats as it were his own words but rather happy is that people whose God is the Lord The Syriack rendereth it question-wise Is not the people that is in such a case P sal 146.5 the answer is No except they have God to boot Nothing can make that man truly miserable that hath God for his portion nor nothing can make that man truly happy that wants God for his portion God is the Author of all true happiness he is the donor of all true happiness he is the maintainer of all true happiness and he is the center of all true happiness and blessedness and therefore he that hath him for his God for his portion is the onely happy man in the world But now all earthly portions cannot make a man truly happy and blessed a Crown a Kingdome cannot If a man should make a critical enquiry after true happinesse from the highest Angel in heaven to the lowest worm on earth the joynt voice of all the creatures would be that happinesse is not in them for Saul and other Princes have found it so Honours cannot for Haman and others have found it so A high and noble birth cannot for Absalom Ammon and others have found it so Riches cannot for the rich fool in the Gospel and many thousand others have found it so Large Dominions and great commands cannot for Ahasuerus Nebuchadnezzar Belshazzar and others have found it so Policy cannot for Achitophel and other great Counsellors have found it so Glorious apparel and delicate fare cannot for Dives and others have found it so Applause and credit among the people cannot for Herod and others have found it so Learning and great gifts cannot for the Scribes Pharises and many others have found it so no earthly thing nor earthly creature can give happiness and blessedness to man Non dat quod non habet Nothing can give what it hath not If the Conduit hath no water it can give no water if the Sun hath no light it can give no light if the Physician hath no remedy he can give no remedy c. But now 't is a very true observation though it be a very sad Observation viz. That every wicked mans portion is curst unto him Do but compare the Scriptures in the margine together Deut. 28.17 18 19 20. and then let conscience judge Job 20.22 23 26 28 29. and chap. 24.18 Prov. 3.33 Mal. 2.2 c. All a wicked mans relations are curst to him and all a wicked mans contentments and enjoyments are curst to him all his mercies without doors are curst to him and all his mercies within doores are curst to him c. What though a man should match with one that hath many thousand bags of gold for her portion yet if the plague should be in every bag would you count him happy in his match surely no. Verily this is the case of every man that hath not God for his portion But Sevently As God is a glorious portion so he is a peculiar portion he is a portion peculiar to his people Psal 16.5 Psal 142.5 6. Jer. 10.16 This is evident in the Text and in all the Scriptures cited to prove the Point and so in that Psal 67.6 Then shall the earth yield her increase and God even our own God shall blesse us and so Psal 68.20 He that is our God is the God of salvation or God of salvations as 't is in the Hebrew God is a God of all manner of salvations he hath all sorts and wayes of salvations he is not only powerful but also skilful to save his people from ten thousand deaths and dangers Joh. 20.28 Job 19.25 Luke 1.47 Faith is an appropriating grace it is much in appropriating of God to its self my Lord and my God and my Redeemer and my Saviour and my portion Psal 73.26 My flesh and my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever Judg. 7. In Gideons Camp every Souldier had his own pitcher 1 Chron. 26.30 Mat. 25.4 amongst Solomons men of valour every man wore his own sword and the five wise Virgins had every one oil in her own lamp Luther was wont to say that there lay a great deal of Divinity couched up in pronouns as in meum tuum suum mine thine his and so faiths appropriating of God to the soul as its own portion is all in all God is a
that can never be drawn dry Angels Saints Col. 1.16 17 and sinners have lived upon this portion almost this six thousand years and it is not in the least diminished God hath his City-house and his Countrey-house where millions have been kept at his table and lived upon his purse his charge even dayes without number and yet God is not one penny the poorer for all this This portion is like the meal in the Barrel and the oil in the Cruse which never failed 1 Kings 17.14 16. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel the barrel of meal shall not waste neither shall the Cruse of oil fail until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the Earth And the Barrel of meal wasted not neither did the Cruse of oil fail according to the word of the Lord which he spake by Elijah God is such a portion as cannot be wasted nor diminished he is such a portion as can never fail Should all Christians now live to the age of the Patriarchs who lived many hundred years and should they all live freely and keep open house every day in the year yet at the end not a dram not a penny no not a farthing of this portion will be expended or diminished Though men have never so great a stock yet if they still spend upon it they wil certainly consume it O but God is such a stock as can never be spent as can never be consumed If a sparrow should but fetch a drop of water out of the Sea once a day yea once in a thousand years yet in time it would be exhausted O but God is such a Sea such an Ocean that if every Angel in heaven and every Saint and sinner on earth should drink whole Rivers at a draught yet not one drop could be diminished If a child should but take a cockle-shell of water out of the Sea every day the Sea would be really the lesse though not visibly the lesse and in time it would be exhausted and drawn dry but let all created beings be every day a drawing from God yet they shall never lessen him they shall never draw him dry The mothers breasts are often drawn dry but the more you draw at the breasts of God the more the milk of grace and comfort will flow in upon you Isa 66.10 11. Rejoyce ye with Jerusalem and be glad with her all ye that love her rejoyce for joy with her all ye that mourn for her That ye may suck and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolation that you may milk out and be delighted with the abundance of her glory God keeps open house for all commers and goers Psal 104.24 for all created creatures both in heaven and earth and though they are perpetually a sucking at his breasts yet the more they draw the more the heavenly milk of divine joy content and satisfaction flows in abundantly upon them All creatures both high and low rich and poor honourable and base noble and ignoble bond and free Jews and Gentiles are all maintained upon Gods own cost and charge they are all fed at his Table and maintained by what comes out of his Treasury his purse and yet God is not a pin the poorer for all this It would break and beggar all the Princes on earth to keep but one day the least part of that innumerable company that God feeds and cloaths and cherishes and maintains every day upon the account of his own Revenue which is never the poorer for all the vast expences that he is daily at There is still in God a fulnesse of abundance and a sulnesse of redundance notwithstanding the vast summes that he hath and daily doth expend It were blasphemy to think that God should be a penny the poorer by all that he hath laid out for the maintenance of those millions of Angels and men that have had their dependance upon him from their first creation to this very day Look as the Sun hath never the lesse light for filling the Stars with light and as the Fountain hath never the lesse water for filling the lesser Vessels with water that are about it so though God fills all the Vessels both of grace and glory with his own fulnesse yet he is never the lesse full himself there is still in God plenitudo fontis the fulnesse of a Fountain Look as the overflowing Fountain pours out water abundantly and yet after all it remains full so though the Lord be such an overflowing Fountain as that he fills all yet still he retains all fulnesse in himself I have read of a Spanish Ambassadour that coming to see the Treasury of Saint Mark in Venice that is so much cried up in the world he fell a groping at the bottome of the Chests and Trunks to see whether they had any bottom and being asked the reason why he did so answered in this among other things My Masters Treasure differs from yours and excells yours in that his hath no bottome as yours have alluding to the Mynes in Mexico Peru and other parts of the Western India All mens Mints Bags Purses and Coffers may be quickly exhausted and drawn dry but God is such an inexhaustible portion that he can never be drawn dry all Gods Treasures are bottomlesse and all his Mints are bottomlesse and all his Bags are bottomlesse millions of thousands in heaven and earth seed every day upon him and yet he seels it not he is still a giving and yet his purse is never empty he is still a filling all the Court of heaven and all the creatures on earth and yet he is a Fountain that still overflowes There be them that say that 't is most certainly true of the Oil at Rhemes that though it be continually spent in the inauguration of their Kings of France yet it never wasts but whatever truth is in this story of this I am most sure that though all the creatures in both worlds live and spend continually on Christs stock yet it never wasteth But now all earthly portions are frequently exhausted and drawn dry Luke 15. the prodigal quickly spent his patrimony upon his harlots and how many Drunkards Prov. 23.20 21. and Gluttons and Wantons and Gamesters and Roysters c. do daily bring a Noble to nine pence Hast thou entered into the Treasures of the snow Vide Job 38.22 saith God to Job Now saith Gregory the treasures of the snow are worldly riches which men rake together even as children do snow which the next showr washeth away and leaves nothing in the room of it but dirt And ah how many Merchants and Shop-keepers and others in these breaking times have found all their riches and earthly portions to melt away as snow before the Sun how many of late have been very rich one week and stript of all the next and set with Job upon the dunghil All earthly portions are like water in a Cistern that may easily and quickly be drawn
stumbled at the prosperity of the wicked when so many of the precious sons of Zion have stumbled at that stumbling stone have staggered in their judgments to see the flourishing estate of the wicked it made Job to complain Job 21 7-16 and Chap. 24.12 and Jeremy to expostulate with God Chap. 12.1 2. and David even to faint and sink Ps 73. To see the prosperity of the ungodly to see the wicked in wealth and the Saints in want the wicked in their robes and the Saints in their rags the wicked honoured and the Saints despised the wicked exalted the Saints debased the wicked upon thrones and Saints upon dunghils is a sight that hath sadly put the best of men sometimes to it But this is a temper of spirit that doth no wayes become those that have God for their portion and therefore the Psalmist in the 37 Psalme cautions the Saints against it no lesse than three several times as you may see in v. 1.7 8. There is nothing that doth so ill become a Saint that hath God for his portion as to be sick of the Frets and to prevent this mischief this sickness the precept is doubled and redoubled Fret not Fret not Fret not Though they that have sore eyes are offended at bright clear lights yet they that have God for their portion should never fret or fume storm or rage because some are greater than they or richer than they or higher than they or more honourable than they because all all their prosperity is nothing but an unhappy happinesse 't is nothing but a banquet like Hamans before execution and what man is there that is in his wits that would envy a Malefactor who meets with honourable entertainment as he is going along to execution All a wicked mans delicate meats his fine bits and his murthering morsels are sawced and all his pleasant and delightful drinks are spiced with the wrath and displeasure of an angry God and why then should you fret and vex at their prosperity what madnesse and folly would it be in a man that is heir to many thousands per annum to envy a Stage-player that is cloathed in the habit of a King but yet not heir to one foot of land no nor worth one penny in all the world and who at night must put off his royal apparel and the next day put on his beggarly habit Oh Sirs it will be but a little little while before the great God will disrobe the wicked of all their prosperity felicity and worldly glory and cloath them with the rags of shame scorn and contempt for ever and therefore Oh what folly and madness would it be for those that are heirs of God Rom. 8.17 and joynt heirs with Christ of all the glory of heaven to envy the prosperity of the wicked The prosperity of the wicked layes them open to the worst and greatest sins First It layes them open to all uncleannesse and filthinesse Jer. 5.7 8. Secondly It layes them open to pride and contempt of God Psal 73 3-13 Deut. 32.15 Thirdly It layes them open to vex oppress tyrannize persecute insult and triumph over the poor people of God as you may see in Pharaoh Saul Ahab Jezabel Haman and the Scribes and Phatisees Fourthly It layes them open to a neglect and slighting of the wayes of God and of the Ordinances of God Job 21 5-16 Mal. 3.13 14 15. Jer. 22.21 When the Protestants in France were in their prosperity they slighted powerful Preaching c. and began to affect a vain frothy way of preaching and living which ushered in the massacre upon them Moulin hit it when speaking of the French Protestants he said when the Papists hurt us and persecute us for reading the Scriptures we burn with zeal to be reading of them but now persecution is over our Bibles are like old Almanacks Fifthly It layes them open to a stupidnesse unmindfulnesse and forgetfulnesse of the afflictions of the People of God Amos 6 1-8 Pharaohs chief Butler was no sooner set down in the seat of prosperity but quite contrary to his promise he easily forgets Joseph in misery Sixthly It layeth them open to dreadful apostasie from the wayes and worship of God Deut. 32.15 16 17 18. No sooner was Israel possest of the good land that flowed with milk and honey c. but they forsook the true worship of God and fell to the worshipping of Idols for which at last the good land spewed them out as a generation curst and abhorred by God Seventhly It layes them open to all carnal security as you may see in the old world their prosperity cast them into a bed of security and their security ushered in a flood of sin and that flood of sin ushered in a flood of wrath Matt. 24.37 38 39. Eighthly It layes them open to Idolatry which is a God-provoking and a Land-destroying sin Hosea 2.6 7 8. and chap 4.6 7 c. Ah Sirs who can seriously consider of the dreadful sins that the prosperity of the wicked layes them open to and yet fret and vex at their prosperity Again As their prosperity layes them open to the greatest sins so their prosperity layes them open to the greatest temptations witnesse their tempting of themselves and their own lusts and witnesse their temptings of others to the worst of wickednesses and villanies and witness their frequent tempting provoking of the great God to his own face and witnesse their daily yea their hourly tempting of Satan to tempt their own souls Oh Sirs as there is no condition that layes persons open to such great transgressions as prosperity doth so there is no condition that layes persons open to such horrid temptations as prosperity doth and why then should Gods holy ones envy wicked mens prosperity and worldly glory c. Again their prosperity and worldly felicity and glory is all the portion and all the heaven and happiness that ever they are like to have Psal 17.14 From men of the world which have their portion in this life Certainly men whose hearts are worldly whose minds are worldly whose spirits are worldly whose desires are worldly whose hopes are worldly and whose main ends are worldly have onely the world for their portion and what a pitiful perishing portion is that men that chuse the world as their portion and that delight in the world as their portion and that trust to the world as their portion and that in straits run to the world as their portion and that take content and satisfaction in the world as their portion doubtlesse these have never known what 't is to have God for their portion That 's a very heart-cutting and soul-killing word that you have in that Matth. 6.2 Verily I say unto you that they have their reward The Scribes and Pharisees proposed to themselves the eyes of men the praise of men and the applause of men for a reward of their almes c. and Christ tells them that they
fruit was sweet unto my taste He brought me to the Banqueting-house and his Banner over me was love Stay me with flagons comfort me with apples for I am sick of love His left hand is under my head and his right hand doth imbrace me And Chap. 7.5 The King is held in the galleries The Spouse had a clear sight and a deep sense of her interest and propriety in Christ and O how high how close how full how sweet is she in her communion and fellowship with Christ 't is the sight and sense of propriety and interest that heightens and sweetens that communion that is between husband and wife father and child brother and sister and friend and friend so 't is the sight and sense of a mans propriety and interest in God that heightens and sweetens his communion and fellowship with God A clear sight of a mans interest and propriety in God will exceedingly sweeten every thought of God Psal 139.17 18. and every appearance of God and every taste of God and every smile of God and every communication of God and every ordinance of God and every work of God and every way of God yea it will sweeten every rod that is in the hand of God and every wrinkle that is in the face of God a man that sees his interest in God will hang upon him and trust in him though he should write never such bitter things against him and though he should deal never so severely with him yea though he should slay him as you may see in Job 13.15 He hit it who said A man whose soul is conversant with God shall finde more pleasure in the Desart and in death than in the Palace of a Prince Adam in vit Regii p. 78. Vrbanus Regius having one dayes converse with Luther said It was one of the sweetest dayes that ever he had in all his life But if one dayes communion with Luther was so sweet O how sweet must one dayes communion with God be and therefore as ever you would have high and full and sweet communion with God keep up a clear sight a blessed sense of your interest and propriety in God But Sixthly A clear personal evidence that God is a mans portion is a mans all in all O Sirs this is the life of your lives and the life of your prayers and the life of your praises and the life of your confidences and the life of your mercies and the life of your comforts and the life of your hopes c. A clear sight of your propriety in God is the very life of promises the life of Ordinances the life of Providences the life of experiences and the life of your gracious evidences it is a pearl of price it is your Paradise it is Manna in a wildernesse it is water out of a Rock it is a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night it is Jacobs ladder it is a salve for every sore it is physick for every disease it is a remedy against every malady it is an anchor at Sea and a shield on shore it is a star to guide you a staff to support you a sword to defend you a Pavilion to hide you a fire to warm you a banquet to refresh you a City of refuge to secure you and a Cordial to cheer you and what would you have more But Seventhly and lastly A clear personal evidence that God is a mans portion will exceedingly sweeten the thoughts of death and all the approaches of death and all the warnings and forerunners of death unto him it will make a man look upon his last day as his best day Eccles 7.1 Job 18.14 it will make a man look upon the King of terrours as the King of desires it will make a man laugh at the shaking of the spear at the sounding of the trumpet at the confused noise of the battel at garments rowled in blood at the sighs and groans of the wounded and at the heaps of the slain 'T was the Martyrs clear sight of their interest and propriety in God that made them complement with lions and dare their persecutors and to kisse the stake and to sing and clap their hands in the midst of the flames and to tread upon hot burning coals as upon beds of roses and divinely to triumph over their tormenters 't was this that made the primitive Christians ambitious of Martyrdome and that made them willingly and cheerfully lay down their lives that they might Eliah-like mount to heaven in fiery Chariots A man that sees his propriety in God knowes that death shall be the Funeral of all his sins sorrows afflictions temptations desertions oppositions vexations oppressions and persecutions and he knows that death shall be the resurrection of his hopes joyes delights comforts and contentments and that it shall bring him to a more clear full perfect and constant enjoyment of God and this makes him sweetly and triumphingly to sing it out O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory 1 Cor. 15.35 36 37. and O that these seven Considerations might prevail with all your souls to be restlesse till you have in your own bosomes clear and full satisfaction that God is your portion Now this last Inference leads me by the hand to an use of trial and examination O Sirs if God be the Saints portion the believers portion how highly doth it concern every one that looks upon himself as a Saint or as a believer to search try and examine whether God be his portion or no But you will say Quest how shall we know whether God be our portion or no O were all the world a lump of gold and in our hands to dispose of we would give it to know that God is our portion O the knowledge of this would be as life from the dead it would create an heaven in our hearts on this side heaven it would presently put us into a paradise of pleasure and delight but still the question is how shall we know it 't is an easie thing to say that God is our portion but how shall we come in fallibly to know that God is our portion Now to give clear and full satisfaction to this great and weighty Question I shall give in these following Answers by which you may certainly and undoubtedly know whether God be your portion or no. First If God be thy portion then thou hast very sweet Lord saith Austine the more I meditate on thee the sweeter thou art unto me Hierome calls meditation his paradise And Theophylact calls it the very gate and portal by which we enter into glory To think is to live saith Cicero precious high and honourable thoughts of God then thy thoughts will still be running out after God and thy meditations of him will be sweet a man that hath God for his portion is alwayes best when his thoughts and meditations are running out most after God Psal 104.34 My meditation of
overcome them for he is Lord of Lords and King of Kings and they that are with him are called and chosen and faithful If these Scriptures do not clearly evidence that the interest of Christ shall swallow up all other interests I understand nothing Now mark the people of God are the interest of God and the Gospel of God is the interest of God and the Ordinances of God are the interest of God and the institutions and pure worship of God are the interest of God c. And therefore all you that have an interest and propriety in God evidence it by your ready and resolute falling in with the interest of God Believe it they that fall in with the interest of God fall in with the strongest side and will be sure to carry it against ten thousand worlds What is the stubble to the flames what is weaknesse to strength what is impotency to omnipotency what is folly to wisdome what is emptinesse to fulnesse no more are all the carnal interests in the world to the interest of God and therefore thrice happy is that man that falls timely and cordially in with the interest of God But now if upon trial and examination any of you shall finde that yet the Lord is not your portion and this I believe will be the case of many of you I would exhort all such persons to labour with all their might yea to labour as for life to get the Lord to be their portion O Sirs this is the one thing necessary this is the Sun among the stars this is the work of works that lies upon your hands when this is done all is done till this be done there is nothing done that will do you good in another world O Sirs your lives lies upon it your souls lie upon it eternity lies upon it your all lies upon it and therefore you had need be restlesse till you have gained the Lord to be your portion Now that I may the more effectually provoke you and stir you up to this great and glorious this necessary and weighty work give me leave to propose these following Considerations First Consider that thy present portion thy present condition is but miserable and cursed Levit. 26. Deut. 28. All the earth was curst upon mans fall and till fallen man comes to be interested in God all his earthly enjoyments are curst unto him his honours are curst and his riches are curst and his preferments are curst and his pleasures are curst the whole portion of his cup is nothing but a little cursed vanity Job 20.23 24 25 28 29. When he is about to fill his belly God shall east the fury of his wrath upon him and shall rain it upon him while he is eating He shall flee from the iron weapon and the bowe of steel shall strike him through It is drawn and cometh out of the body yea the glistering sword cometh out of his gall terrours are upon him The increase of his house shall depart and his goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath This is the portion of a wicked man from God and the heritage appointed unto him by God And so Chap. 24.18 He is swift as the waters their portion is cursed in the earth he beholdeth not the way of the Vineyards Prov. 3.33 The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked Mal. 2.2 If ye will not hear and if ye will not lay it to heart to give glory unto my Name saith the Lord of hosts I will even send a curse upon you and I will curse your blessings yea I have cursed them already because ye do not lay it to heart There is a real curse and a secret curse an invisible curse and an insensible curse that lies upon all their souls that have not God for their portion Gal. 3.10 Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the Law to do them And as there is a curse upon all their souls so there is a curse upon all their comforts contentments and enjoyments that enjoy not God for their portion till a man comes to enjoy God for his portion all his earthly portions are curst unto him but when a man comes to enjoy God for his portion then all his earthly portions are blest unto him O Sirs there is no mitigating of the curse there is no reversing of the curse there is no altering of the curse nor there is no taking of the curse from off your souls nor from off your earthly portions but by gaining God to be your portion O Sirs you will live accursed and you will die accursed and you will appear before God accursed and you will be judged and sentenced by God accursed and you will be sent to hell accursed and you will remain to all eternity accursed if God be not your portion and therefore O how should this Consideration awaken every sinner to give God no rest till he hath given himself as a portion to him But Secondly Consider this that there is yet a possibility of attaining God to be thy portion Mark 14.36 Luk. 18.27 all the Angels in heaven and all the men on earth do not know to the contrary but that God may be thy portion even thine If thou art but heartily willing to be divorced from that wicked Trinity the World the Flesh and the Devil there is no doubt but God will be thy portion O Sirs why hath God laid open so clearly and so fully the nature and incomparable excellency of this portion above all other portions before you but to perswade your hearts and to draw out your souls to look after this portion and to make sure this portion as that wherein all your happinesse and blessednesse lies O that you were wise to consider that now a prize an opportunity is put into your hands that may make you for ever you have all the wayes and all the means and all the helps and all the advantages imaginable for the obtaining of God to be your portion so that if God be not your portion I shall be so bold to tell you Hos 13.9 that your destruction is from your selves O Sirs though God be a golden Myne Pro. 2.2 3 4 5 6 7. yet he is such a Myne that may be come at if you will but dig and sweat and take pains to purpose though he be a pearl of infinite price yet Christ can purchase this Pearl for you though he be a matchlesse and incomparable portion yet he is such a portion as may be yours as will be yours if you are not wanting to your own souls Why hath God sent his Ambassadours early and late and why hath he 2 Cor. 5.18 19 20. even to a miracle continued them amongst you to this very day but that they should acquaint you with his wonderful readinesse and willingnesse to bestow himself as a portion upon you Psa 105.8 Ephes
2.4 Psal 86.15 1 Pet. 11.3 Psa 103.11 O Sirs God is said to be a God of great mercy and to be rich and plenteous in mercy and to be abundant in mercy and to be transcendent and incomparable in mercy yea all the mercies of God are sure mercies they are royal mercies they are innumerable mercies they are bottomless mercies they are unchangeable mercies and they are everlasting mercies and therefore there is no reason for any man to despair of obtaining of God for his portion But Thirdly Consider that God is a portion-sweetning portion God is such a portion as will sweeten all other portions he is a portion that will make every pleasant portion more pleasant and that will make every bitter portion sweet Poverty is one mans portion and sorrow is another mans portion and crosses and losses are a third mans portion and reproaches and sufferings are a fourth mans portion and sicknesse and diseases are a fifth mans portion c. But now God is a portion that will sweeten all these portions You know the Tree that Moses cast into the bitter waters of Marah made them sweet Exod. 15.23 24 25. now this Tree was a type of Christ who will certainly sweeten all our bitterest potions The Church complained in that Lament 3.15 That God had filled her with bitternesse or as the Hebrew hath it with bitternesses and that he had made her drunken with wormwood and yet this very Consideration That the Lord was her portion v. 24. sweetned all If God be thy portion there is no condition that can make thee miserable if God be not thy portion there is no condition that can make thee happy If God be not thy portion in the midst of thy sufficiency thou wilt be in straits Job 20.22 if God be thy portion in the midst of all thy straits thou shalt enjoy an all-sufficiency in an all-sufficient God Till God be thy portion O sinner thou will never taste any thing but death and bitternesse in all thy comforts and in all thy contentments and in all thy enjoyments But Fourthly Consider that all earthly portions are not of that infinite consequence and concernment to you as this portion is all earthly portions are but the meat that perisheth John 6.27 Matt. 6.19 James 5.3 Eccles 1. they are but moth-eaten and canker-eaten treasures they are full of uncertainty yea they are all over vanity they reach not beyond the line of this mortal life they can neither fuit the soul nor fill the soul nor satisfie the soul nor save the soul they can neither change the heart nor reform the heart nor in the least better the heart they can neither arm a man against temptations nor lead a man out of temptations nor make a man victorious over temptations they can neither direct the conscience when 't is in straits nor relieve the conscience when 't is under distress nor support the conscience when it is under guilt nor heal the conscience when it is under wounds they can neither make our peace with God nor keep our peace with God nor augment our peace with God they can neither bring us to Christ nor unite us to Christ nor keep us with Christ nor transform us into the similitude or likenesse of Christ they can neither bring us to heaven nor fit us for heaven nor assure us of heaven In a word no earthly portion can free us from death nor in the least avail us in the day of wrath By all which it is most evident that all earthly portions are of very little consequence and concernment to the sons of men to the souls of men O but now God is a portion of infinite consequence and concernment to all the sons and souls of men No man can hear as he should nor pray as he should nor live as he should nor die as he should till God be his portion no man is secure from temporal spiritual or eternal judgments till God be his portion no man can be happy in this world or blessed in another world till God be his portion O Sirs it is not absolutely necessary that you should have this or that earthly portion but 't is absolutely necessary that you should have God for your portion for if God be not your portion all the Angels in heaven nor all the men on earth cannot prevent your being miserable to all eternity Fifthly Consider that till a man comes to have God for his portion he never comes to be temptation-proof A man that hath God for his portion is temptation-proof he will say when tempted as Themistocles did Give those bracelets to slaves and as Basil did who when he was offered temporary honour glory and wealth c. answered Give me glory which abides for ever and give me riches which will indure for ever And as he did who being tempted with offers of money to desert his Religion When Phyrrhus tempted Fabricius the first day with an Elephant so huge and monstrous a Beast as before he had not seen and the next day with money and promises of honour he answered I fear not thy force and I am too wise for thy fraud If nature could do this grace can do more gave this excellent answer Let not any think that he will imbrace other mens goods to forsake Christ who hath forsaken his own proper goods to follow Christ And as that Martyr did who when he had riches and honours offered him if he would recant answered Do but offer me somewhat that is better than my Lord Jesus Christ and you shall see what I will say to you And as Hormisda a noble man in the King of Persia's Court did who because he would not deny Christ he was put into ragged clothes deprived of his honours and set to keep the camels after a long time the King seeing him in that base condition and remembring his former Fortunes he pitied him and caused him to be brought into the Palace and to be cloathed again like a noble man and then perswades and tempts him afresh to deny Christ whereupon this noble Spirit presently rended his Silken Clothes saying If for these you think to have me deny my Faith take them again and so he was cast out with scorn the second time And what was that that made the Apostles temptation-proof and that made those Worthies temptation-proof Heb. 11. and that made the primitive Christians temptation-proof and that made the Martyrs in Queen Maries dayes temptation-proof Certainly nothing more than this very Consideration that God was their portion Ah sinners sinners you will certainly fall you will readily fall you will easily fall you will frequently fall you will dreadfully fall before temptations til you come to enjoy God for your portion Every blast every wind of temptation will overset overturn that man that hath not God for his portion Such a man may pray a thousand times over and over Lord lead me not into temptation
your strength and ye would not O Sirs Matth. 23 37. Luk. 13.34 men shall be damn'd at last not for cannots but for will nots no man shall be damned because he could not do better but because he would not do better if there were no will John 40. there would be no hell At last sinners will finde this to be their greatest hell that they have wilfully destroyed themselves this is that which will damn with a witnesse and this will be that never dying worm I might have had Christ and grace but I would not I might have been sanctified and saved but I would not I might have been holy and happy but I would not Deut. 30.15 19. life and death hath been often set before me and I have chosen death rather than life heaven and hell hath been often set before me and I have chosen hell rather than heaven glory and misery hath been often set before me and I have chosen misery rather than glory and therefore 't is but just that I should be miserable to all eternity No man no Devil can undo thee O sinner without thy self no man can be undone in both worlds but by himself No man shall be damned for his unworthinesse but for his unwillingnesse and therefore never plead this Objection more But Fifthly and lastly I answer that if you will not seek after the Lord to be your portion till you are worthy to enjoy him as your portion then you will never seek after him then you will never enjoy him for your God and portion personal worthinesse is no flower that growes in Natures garden no man is born with a worthinesse in his heart as he is born with a tongue in his mouth 't is not the full but the empty 't is not the rich but the poor in spirit 't is not the righteous but the sinner 't is not the worthy but the unworthy soul that is the proper object of mercy and pity The poor Publican that cried out Lord be merciful to me a sinner Luk. 18 10-15 went home justified when the thank-God Pharisee returned as proud as he came The Centurion when he came to Christ sped well Matth. 8. notwithstanding his personal unworthiness And the prodigal son sped well when he returned to his Father Luk. 15.11 ult notwithstanding his personal unworthiness for he was readily accepted greatly pitied sweetly imbraced courteously received very joyfully and nobly entertained witnesse the best robe that was put upon his back and the gold ring that was put on his finger and the shoes that were put on his feet and the fatted calfe that was killed to make the company merry O Sirs if in the face of all your unworthinesse you will go to God and tell him that you are sinners that you are vile sinners that you are wretched sinners that you are very great sinners yea that you are the greatest of sinners and that you have deserved a thousand deaths a thousand hells a thousand destructions and a thousand damnations and earnestly beseech him to look upon you and to bestow himself on you though not for your worthinesse sake yet for his Names sake for his mercies sake for his promise sake for his Covenants sake for his Oath sake and for his Sons sake Certainly if you shall thus plead with God all the Angels in heaven and all the men on earth cannot tell to the contrary but that you may speed as well as ever the Centurion or the Prodigal did I have taken the more pains to answer this Objection that so it may never have a resurrection more in any of your hearts into whose hands this Treatise may fall I know other Objections might be raised but because I have spoken largely to such in my former writings I shall pass on to the last thing proposed and that is to lay down some Positions that may by the blessing of God be of singular use to the Christian Reader As first That 't is one thing for a man to have God for his portion First Position Moses his face did shine and yet he did not see it and 't is another thing for a man to have an assurance in his own soul that God is his portion there are many that have God for their portion who yetare full of fears and doubts that God is not their portion Thus it was with Asaph in that 77 Psalm thus it was with Heman in that 88 Psalm and thus it is with very many Christians in these dayes Sometimes God exercises his children with such changeable and such terrible dispensations as raises many fears and doubts in them about their interest and propriety in God and sometimes their secret indulging of some bosome Idol their entertainment of some predominant lust raises strange fears and jealousies in their souls about their interest in God and sometimes their not closing with the Lord so closely so fully so faithfully so universally and so sincerely as they should without any secret reservation raises many doubts and questions in them whether God be their portion or no. The graces of many Christians are so weak and their corruptions are so strong and Satan is so busie with them and their duties and performances are so weak so flat so dull so saplesse so livelesse so fruitlesse and so inconstant that they are ready at every turn to say if God be our God why is it thus with us if God be our portion why are our hearts in no better a frame why have our duties no more spirit life and fire in them Look as the Sun may shine and yet I not see it and as the husband may be in the house and yet the wife not know it and as the child may have a very great portion a very fair estate setled upon him and yet he not understand it so a Christian may have God for his portion and yet for the present he may not see it nor know it nor understand it 1 John 5.13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God that ye may know that ye have eternal life and that ye may believe on the Name of the Son of God These precious souls had God and Christ for their portion and they did believe and they had eternal life in the seeds and beginnings of it and in the promise and in Christ their Head Ephe. 2.6 who as a publick person had taken possession of it in their steads and yet they had not the assurance of these things in their own souls Look as the babe that hath past the pangs of the first birth doth not presently cry out my father my father so the babe of grace the new-born Christian doth not presently cry out my God my God 't is one mercy for God to be my God and 't is another mercy for God to tell me that he is my God 't is one act of grace for God to be
my portion and 't is another act of grace for God to tell me that he is my portion Look as fire may be hid under ashes for a time and as bits of gold may be hid in an heap of dust for a time and as stars may be hid in a dark night for a time and as a pearl may be hid in a puddle for a time so God may be a mans portion and yet this may be hid from him for a time The second Position is this Second Position That it is one thing for a man to have God for his portion and another thing for a man clearly and convincingly to make it out to himself or others that God is his portion Doubtlesse there are many thousands that have God for their portion who yet God sometimes layes such a Law of restraint upon the noble faculties of men and women that they cannot use them at sometimes as they do at others as you may clearly see by comparing of these Scriptures together Luke 24.14 15 16 c. Acts 22.9 Gen. 21.16 19. John 20.14 15 c. if you would give them a thousand worlds are not able to make it out to their own or others satisfaction that God is their portion Most Christians attain to but small measures of grace but little measures of grace Now small things little things are hardly discerned they are hardly made out A little faith is next to no faith and a little love is next to no love and a little repentance is next to no repentance and a little zeal is next to no zeal and a little hope is next to no hope and a little holinesse is next to no holinesse and a little communion with God is next to no communion with God and a little conformity to God is next to no conformity to God Now where there is but a little grace there it is very difficult for a man to make out the truth of his grace and so by consequence to make out the truth of his interest and propriety in the God of grace 'T is not grace in truth but grace in strength that will inable a man to make it out to himself and to make it out to others that God is his portion It is not grace in its sincerity but grace in its sublimity in its high and eminent actings that will inable a man to make it out to himself and others that God is indeed his God Besides many precious hearts have such weak heads and such bad Logick and such shallow natural parts that they are not able rationally nor divinely to argue the case with their own souls nor to make an improvement of those rules helps wayes and means whereby they might be inabled to make it out to themselves and others that God is their portion Look as many persons have often a good title to such and such lands and to such and such estates and inheritances though they are not able for the present to clear up their title either to themselves or others so many of the dear children of God have a good title to God and a real interest and propriety in God and yet for the present they are not able to clear up their title to God nor to clear up their interest and propriety in God either to themselves or others And this is so great a truth that all the faithful Ministers of Jesus Christ that deal with poor souls that are conversant about souls are ready from their daily experience to avouch it before all the world He that shall say that such have not God for their portion that cannot make out God to be their portion will certainly condemn the generation of the just The third Position is this Third Position That where there is an hearty willingnesse in any man to accept of God to be his God Isa 55.1 2. Joh. 7.37 38. to own God for his God and to close with God as his God there God is certainly that mans God If there be a cordial willingnesse in you to take God to be your God then without all peradventure God is your God A sincere willingnesse to accept of God to be your God is accepted of God and is sufficient to enter into a gracious Covenant with God O Sirs a sincere willingnesse to accept of God to be your God flowes from nothing below the good will and pleasure of God no power below that glorious power that made the world and that raised Christ from the grave is able to raise a sincere an hearty willingnesse in man to accept of God to be his God and to take God for his God Psal 110.3 Thy people shall be willing or willingnesses in the abstract and in the plural number in the day of thy power in the beauties of holinesse There is no power below the power of the Lord of Hosts that can raise up a willingnesse in the hearts of sinners 't is not in the power of all the Angels in heaven nor of all the men on earth to beget a sincere willingnesse in the heart of man to accept of God to be his God this is work that can only be effected by an omnipotent hand Though an Emperour may force a woman to marry him that is his slave because she is his purchase yet he cannot by all his power force her will he may force her body to the action but he cannot force her will to the action The will is alwayes free and cannot be forced but God is that great Emperour that hath not onely a power to marry the soul which he hath redeemed from being Satans bond-slave but also a power to make the soul that is unready ready and that is unwilling willing to marry him and to bestow it self freely upon him If there be in thee O man O woman a sincere willingnesse to take God upon his own terms to be thy God that is to take him as an holy God and as a ruling God and as a commanding God in one thing as well as another then he is certainly thy God Rev. 22.17 And the Spirit and the Bride say Come and let him that heareth say come and let him that is athirst come and whosoever will let him take the water of life freely The fourth Position is this Fourth Position That it may so fall out that such a Christian that hath God for his portion that hath an interest and a propriety in God may lose the sight the sense the feeling and the evidence of his interest and propriety in God and this is evident by comparing the Scriptures in the Margin together Psal 30.6 7. Psal 51.13 Joh. 24. Ch. 16.9 Ch. 19.10 11. Doubtlesse it is very rare to find a Christian that hath had the knowledge and experience and evidence of his interest and propriety in God but that that Christian also hath experienced what it is to have his interest and propriety in God clouded and darkned And
Ch. 30.20 Psal 77. Psal 88. Isa 8.17 Lam. 3.18 Such Christians that have experienced what the warm beams of the Sun of Righteousnesse means have likewise experienced what it is to have their Sun set in a Cloud and this truth I might make good by producing of a cloud of witnesses both from among the Martyrs and from among the Saints in all Ages But what do I talk of a cloud of witnesses when the tears that daily drop from many of your eyes and the sad complaints and sighs and groans of many of your souls do sufficiently evidence this sad truth And therefore let no man conclude that God is not his God because he hath lost the sight and sense of his interest and propriety in God let no man say that God is not his portion because he hath lost those evidences at the present by which he hath formerly proved God to be his portion Though a man should lose his Writings and Evidences that he hath to shew for such or such an Estate yet his Writings and Evidences being inrolled in a Court of Record his Estate remains good and his Title is still good in law and therefore there is no reason why such a man should sit down and wring his hands and cry out I am undone I am undone so though a Christian should lose his Writings his Evidences that once he had to shew that once he had to prove God to be his God and portion and that he had a real interest and propriety in God yet his Writings his Evidences being inrolled in the Court of Heaven his title to God his interest in God remains good and therefore there is no reason why such a person should sit down dejected and wring his hands and cry out O I am undone I am for ever undone The fifth Position is this Fifth Position That such that have not for the present God for their portion ought not peremptorily to conclude that they shall never have God for their portion such a person that cannot yet truly say that the Lord is his portion ought not to despair of ever having of God for his portion The time of a mans life is but a day and God may bestow himself as a portion upon man in what hour of that day he pleases In the Parable he bestowed himself as a portion upon some at the first hour Matth. 20 1-17 upon others at the third hour upon others at the sixth hour upon others at the ninth hour and upon others at the eleventh hour God is a free Agent and may bestow himself upon whom he pleases and as he pleases and when he pleases There is no sinner We except such that hath committed the sin against the Holy Ghost no not the greatest sinner living under the Gospel that can infallibly determine that God will never be his God no sinner can conclude that God hath peremptorily and absolutely excluded him from mercy and shut him out among those that he is resolved never to bestow himself upon For 1. God never made any sinner one of his Privy Councel 2. In the Gospel of grace God hath revealed no such thing 3. Secret things belong only to the Lord Deut. 29.29 4. God hath bestowed himself as a portion upon as great sinners as any they are that yet have not God for their portion 5. All the Angels in heaven and all the men on earth cannot tell to the contrary but that God may have thoughts of mercy towards thee and that thy lot may fall within the purpose of his grace and that he may bestow himself as a portion upon thee before thou art cut off from the land of the living Although a sinner may certainly know at the present that God is not his God that God is not his portion yet he doth not certainly know that God will never be his God that God will never be his portion and therefore no sinner may peremptorily conclude that God will never be his God because for the present he cannot he dares not say he is his God God gave himself as a portion to Abraham when he was old Gen. 12.4 when he was a white-headed sinner 2 Chron. 33.1 12 13 14. And Manasseh was old when he was converted and changed and when God bestowed himself upon him And Zacheus and Nicodemus were called and converted in their old age when there were but a few steps between them and the grave between them eternity between them and everlasting burnings then the Lord graciously revealed himself and bestowed himself as a portion upon them And if we believe Tertullian Paul wanted not a prediction of the Holy Ghost in that Prophetick blessing of dying Jacob to his youngest son Gen. 49.27 Adu Marcion l. 5. Benjamin shall ravine as a wolf in the morning he shall devour the prey and at night he shall divide the spoil See my Apples of Gold page 352.353 354. two more famous Stories of such that were converted in their old age Paul was of the Tribe of Benjamin in the morning the fore-part of his age worrying and devouring the flock of Christ persecuting of the Church and in the evening the declension of his life dividing the Word a Doctor of the Nations And Dionysius tells us that Mary Magdalen that was so loose and dissolute in her youth being converted in her old age she sequestred her self from all worldly pleasures and lived a most solitary life in the mountains of Balma where she spent full thirty years in meditation fasting and prayer And old godly Similes said that he had been in the world sixty years but had lived but seven counting his life not from his first birth but from his new birth Soliloq c. 33. And Augustine repented that he had began to seek serve and love God no sooner By all these instances 't is most evident that God may bestow himself as a portion upon sinners upon very great sinners yea upon the greatest of sinners and that at last cast when they are stricken in years and when they are even ready to go out of this world and therefore let no man despair of having of God for his portion though for the present his soul cannot say the Lord is my portion O Sirs Despair is a sin a very hainous sin yea 't is that sin that damns with a witness despairing Judas perished and was damned Acts 2. when as the very murderers of Christ believing on Christ were saved Roger Bishop of Salubury in King Stephens dayes was so troubled that he could not live and durst not die c. Despair thrusts God from his mercy-seat it throws disgrace upon the throne of grace it gives the lye to all the precious promises it casts reproach upon the nature of God it tramples under feet the blood of the Covenant it cuts the throat of faith hope and repentance it renders all the means of grace uselesse and fruitlesse it imbitters all a
portion must break his League with Sin he must fall out with Sin if ever he fall in with God p. 390 391 392. Of great Sinners Object But will God ever bestow himself as a portion upon such great such grievous and such notorious Sinners as we are Six Answers to this Objection p. 596. to p. 407. T The Text opened p. 1. to p. 7. Of Thinking Such as have God for their Portion should be still a thinking of God under that sweet and comfortable notion p. 222. to p. 228. Of Thoughts If God be thy portion then thou hast very sweet precious high and honourable thoughts of God p. 260. to p. 269. Of Trouble Such as have God for their portion in all their troubles they run to God as to a City of Refuge p. 269. to p. 279. V Of Valuing of others A. man that hath God for his portion sets the highest Value upon those that have God for their portion p. 335. to p. 340. About Unworthinesse Object We would fain have God for our portion but we are such poor unworthy wretches that we very much question whether ever God will bestow himself upon such miserable unworthy ones as we are c. This Objection is answered five wayes p. 414 to p. 423. W Of Waiting A man that would have God for his portion must wait upon him in the use of all holy means p. 392 393 394 395 396. Of Want Such as have God for their portion shall never want p. 182. to p. 190. Of Wants Such as have God for their portion in all their wants troubles and tryals will run to their God they will flye to the Lord as their only City of Refuge p. 269. to p. 279. Of Willingness Such as would have God for their portion must then be willing to be his portion p. 385 386 387. God without all peradventure is that mans God that is cordially willing to have him for his God p. 430 431 432. Of the World A man that hath God for his portion looks upon the world as a poor low contemptible thing p. 305. to p. 311. FINIS Books Printed and are to be sold by John Hancock at the first shop in Popes-head-Alley next to Corn-hill A Book of Short-writing the most casie exact lineal and speedy method fitted to the meanest capacity composed by Master Theophilus Metcalf Professor of the said Art Also a School-Master explaining the Rules of the said book with many new Additions very useful Another Book of new Short-hand by Tho. Cross A Copy-book of the newest and most useful hands with Rules whereby those that can read may quickly learn to write To which is added Brief directions for true spelling and Cyphering and making divers sorts of Ink. Seven Books lately published by Mr. Thomas Brooks late Preacher of the Gospel at Margarets New Fish-street 1 Precious Remedies against Satans Devices Or Salve for Believers and Unbelievers sores being a companion for those that are in Christ or out of Christ that slight or neglect Ordinances under a pretence of living above them that are growing in spirituals or decaying that are tempted or deserted afflicted or opposed that have assurance or want it on 2 Cor. 2.11 2 Heaven on Earth Or A serious Discourse touching a wel-grounded Assurance of mans everlasting happiness and blessedness discovering the nature of Assurance the possibility of attaining it the Causes Springs and Degrees of it with the resolution of several weighty Questions on the 8. of the Romans 32 33 34. verses 3 The Vnsearchable Riches of Christ Or Meat for strong Men and Milk for Babes held forth in two and twenty Sermons from Ephes 3.8 Preached on his Lecture-nights at Fish-street-hill 4 His Apples of Gold for young Men and Women And A Crown of Glory for Old Men and Women Or the Happiness of being Good betimes and the Honour of being an Old eiple cleerly and fully discovered and closely and faithfully applyed 5. A String of Pearls Or The best things reserved till last delivered in a Sermon preached in London June 8. 1657. at the Funeral of that Triumphant Saint Mrs. Mary Blake â—at Wife to his worthy friend Mr. Nicholas Blake Merchant 6 The Silent Soul with Soveraign Antidotes against the most miserable Exigents Or A Christian with an Olive-leaf in his mouth when he is under the greatest afflictions the sharpest and sorest trials and troubles the saddest and darkest providences and changes with Answers to divers Questions and Objections that are of greatest importance all tending to win and work souls to be still quiet calm and silent under all changes that have or that may passe upon them in this world c. Lately printed and dedicated to all afflicted distressed dissatisfied disquieted and discomposed Christians throughout the world 7 An Ark for all Gods Noah's in a stormy day Wherein is shewed the transcendent excellency of a Believers portion on Lament 3.24 The Godly Mans Ark Or City of Resuge in the day of his distress discovered in divers Sermons The first of which was Preached at the Funeral of Mris. Elizabeth Moor. Whereunto are annexed Mris. Moors Evidences for Heaven composed and collected by her in the time of her health for her comfort in the time of sickness By Edmund Calamy B. D. and Pastor of the Church at Aldermanbury Helps to improve the holy Scriptures For our Spiritual Profit Comfort and Stability Viz. Scripture Prophesies Promises Precepts Threatnings By Robert Perrot Minister of Gods Word The Expert Physitian Learnedly treating of all Agues and Feavers essential whether simple or compound consused Erratick and Malignant shewing their different Nature Cause Sign and Cure written Originally by that famous Doctor in Physick Bricius Bauderon and translated into English by Dr. Wells Licentiate in Physick by the University of Oxford Seven Treatises lately published by Mr. Ralph Venning 1. A Warning to backsliders with means for the recovery of fallen ones on Rev 2.5 2. The way to Happiness or way to Heaven opened on Matth. 7.21 3. Mercies memorial or a thankful Remembrance for Gods merciful Deliverance on the 5. of November 1605. on Ps 136.23 4. Canaans Flowings or Milk and Honey being a Collation of many Christian Experiences Sayings and Sentences printed in an Alphabetical order to which is added 125 Heathen Speeches Spiritually improved 5. His 543 Orthodox and Miscellanious Paradoxes concerning God Christ the Spirit Election the Scriptures the Creation Angels Man Sin the Law Grace the Sacraments the Resurrection Heaven and Hell 6. The New Command renewed or love one another 7. Mysteries and Revelations or the Explication of several Allusions and Metaphors in the Scriptures Several useful Treatises published by Mr Nicholas Lockyer and others 1. Christs Communion with his Church Militant on John 14. vers 18. 2. His Divine Discovery of Sincerity on 2 Cor. 1.12 3. His seasonable Instructions for Suffering-Christians on Col. 2.11 4. His Olive-leaf or bud of the Spring on Acts 3.26 Dr. Thomas Taylor his Treatise of Circumspect
to conceive express or set forth the greatnesse and largenesse of a Saints portion Can you tell the stars of heaven or number the sands of the sea or stop the Sun in his course or raise the dead or make a new world then and not till then will you be able to declare what a great what an immense portion God is If eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive the great things that God hath laid up in the Gospel for so that 1 Cor. 2.9 is to be understood Oh how much less then are they able to declare the great things that God hath laid up for his people in another world But Thirdly As God is an immense portion a large portion so God is an all-sufficient portion Gen. 17.1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine the Lord appeared to Abram and said unto him I am the almighty God walk before me and be thou perfect I am God almighty or as some carry the words I am God all-sufficient or self-sufficient In quo nihil desiderari possit boni Zanch. de nat Dei l. 4. c. 1. Qu 1 God hath self-sufficiency and all-sufficiency in himself Some derive the word Shaddai that is here rendered almighty or all-sufficient from Shad aduge because God feeds his children with sufficiency of all good things as the tender mother doth the sucking childe Gen. 15.1 After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision saying Fear not Abram I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward I will be thy buckler to defend thee from all kinde of mischief and miseries and I will be thy exceeding great reward to supply thee with all necessary and desirable mercies and what can a Saint desire more Psal 84.11 For the Lord God is a Sun and shield the Lord will give grace and glory and no good thing will he with-hold from them that walk uprightly The Sun which among all inanimate creatures is the most excellent notes all manner of excellency provision and prosperity and the shield which among all artificial creatures is the chiefest notes all manner of protection whatsoever under the name of grace all spiritual good is wrapt up and under the name of glory all eternal good is wrapt up and under the last clause no good thing will he with-hold is wrapt up all temporal good all put together speaks out God to be an all-sufficient portion Before the world was made before Angels or men had a being God was as blessed and as glorious in himself as now he is God is such an all-sufficient and such an excellent being that nothing can be added to him to make him more excellent Man in his best estate is so great a piece of vanity Psal 39.5 that he stands in need of a thousand thousand things he needs the air to breath in the earth to bare him and fire to warm him and cloathes to cover him and an house to shelter him and food to nourish him and a bed to ease him and friends to comfort him c. But this is the excellency of God that he hath all excellencies in himself and stands in need of nothing Were there as many worlds as there are men in the world and were all those worlds full of blessed Saints yea were there as many Heavens as there are stars in heaven and were all those heavens full of glorious Angels yet all these Saints and Angels together could not adde the least to God for what can drops taken out of the Sea adde unto the Sea what can finite creatures adde to an infinite being though all the men in the world should praise the Sun and say the Sun is a glorious creature yet all this would adde nothing to the light and glory of the Sun so though all the Saints and Angels shall be blessing and praising and admiring and worshipping of God to all eternity yet they shall never be able to adde any thing to God who is blessed for ever O Christians God is an all-sufficient portion his power is all-sufficient to protect you his wisdome is all-sufficient to direct you his mercy is all-sufficient to pardon you his goodnesse is all-sufficient to provide for you his word is all-sufficient to support you and strengthen you and his grace is all-sufficient to adorn you and enrich you and his spirit is all-sufficient to lead you and comfort you and what can you desire more O Sirs God hath within himself all the good of Angels of men and universal nature he hath all glory all dignity all riches all treasures all pleasures God is Omnia super omnia and many of the very heathens counted God Optimum maximum the best and greatest all delights all comforts all contents all joyes all beatitudes in himself All the scattered excellencies and perfections that be in the creatures are eminently transcendently and perfectly in him Look as the worth and value of many pieces of silver are contracted in one piece of gold so all the whole volume of perfections which is spread through heaven and earth are epitomized in God according to that old saying Omne bonum in summo bono all good is in the chiefest good God is one infinite perfection in himself which is eminently and virtually all perfections of the creatures all the good the excellency the beauty and glory that is in all created beings are but parts of that whole that is in God and all the good that is in them is borrowed and derived from God who is the first cause and the universal cause of all that good that is in Angels or men God is a sufficient portion to secure your souls and to supply all your wants and to satisfie all your desires and to answer all your expectations and to suppresse all your enemies and after all to bring you to glory and what can you desire more But now all earthly portions are insufficient portions they can neither prevent afflictions nor support the soul under afflictions nor mitigate afflictions nor yet deliver a man from afflictions They can neither arm the soul against temptations nor comfort the soul under temptations A golden crown cannot cure the head-ach nor a purple robe cannot fray away a burning seaver nor a bed of gold cannot give ease to a distempered body nor the velvet slipper cannot take away the pain of the gout nor lead the soul out of temptations All the creatures in the world are but as so many ciphers without God when God frowns all the creatures in the world are not sufficient to chear the soul when God withdraws all the creatures in the world are not sufficient to sustain the soul when God clouds his face all the creatures in the world are not sufficient to make it day with the soul c. There is not enough in the whole creation to content quiet or satisfie one immortal soul he that hath most of