you all I will onely give you a hint or two that you know somewhat what it is 1. It is such a portion as is fit for the spouse of the Lamb as is fit for the spouse of one that is to marry the Son of God the second person in Trinity 2. it is such a portion as is fit and suitable to an heire of life glory an heire of Heaven and Earth yea it is such a portion as God doth give men to this very end to declare what the infinite power of God is able to do to raise a poor creature to the height of happinesse what think you this must be that I say it must therefore be done that it might declare to Angels and all creatures what the infinite power of God is able to do to raise a poor creature to happinesse glory this must be somewhat Again it must be such a one as in which God must attain unto the great designe that he had from all eternity in making of Heaven and Earth which was to magnifie the riches of his grace to a Company that he had set apart to glory it must be such a portion and guesse you what this must needs be Yea it is such a portion as must require the infinite power of God to support a creature to bear the weight of that glory and all this must be now to all eternity I remember when Esau did but hear Isaac his Father tell what a blessing he had given unto Iacob he fell a weeping O that God would so strike unto the hearts of men that have so little minded any thing but the world Thou hearest but a few words to what the Lord hath reserved to all eternitie for his Saints and compare but that with what is thy portion and thou hast cause to weep I but more cause you 'l have to weep if you consider the last thing and that is what is like to be the end of all thy portion in this world if indeed thou could'st ruffle it out in this world and enjoy thy hearts desire and there an end it were somewhat O but there is somewhat else remains afterwards as 1. O the perplexity of spirit that any worldly man will have when death comes when he shall see an end of all the comforts of this world now farewell house farewell lands and farewell friends farewell acquaintance and all merry meetings and joviallities I shall never have comfort more in you as it was the speech of Pope Adrian when he was to die O thou my soul my soul whither art thou going whither art thou going thou shalt never have more jests nor be merry nor be jocund any more where art thou going so may a man that hath his portion in this world say at his death where is this poor soul of mine going I have lived here thus many years and I have had many merry meetings I have eaten with the strongest and have drunk the sweetest and gone in brave array but now my day is gone what shall become of me what peace have I now when all is gone I remember Latimer hath a story in one of his Sermons that he preached before King Edward of a rich man that when he lay upon his sick bed there came one to him and tells him that certainly by all reason they can judge he was like to be a man for another world a dead man assoon as ever he hears but these words what must I die send for a Phisitian wounds sides heart must I die wounds sides heart must I die and thus he goes on and there could be nothing got from him but wounds sides heart must I die must I die and go from all these here was all here was the end of this man that made his portion in this world Another rich man that lived not far from the place that I my self lived in heretofore when he heard his sicknesse was deadly he sends for his bags of money and hugs them in his arms O must I leave you O must I leave you And another lying upon his sickbed layed a bag of gold to his heart and then bids them take it away it will not do it will not do Another when he lay upon his sickbed his servants came to him said what lack you would you have any beer what do you want O saith he I want onely one thing peace of conscience that I would have it is not beer nor friends nor an easy pillow I want but ease of conscience O consider whether there be not like to be perplexitie in your spirits And then brethren you must be called to an account for all though as I told you before not to account for the right to use but for not right using and do but think with your selves if you now have so much as you cannot reckon how then will you be able to reckon for it if now you cannot count how will you be able to give an account at the last day especially when you have had no thoughts of this before hand There will be a dreadfull portion indeed at the day of judgement O the shame and confusion that will be upon the faces of the men of the world in that houre when they shall see their poor neighbours have their portion with Christ in glory perhaps a poor servant in the house advanced to glory and they stand on the left hand to be cast out perhaps some of these poor hospitall boyes shall be advanced to eternall glorie when as some of you that are their great masters shall be cast out eternally what an infinite shame and confusion will this be to you O now I see what it is to trust in God and not to trust in him those are happy that would trust for the future but I miserable that dar'd not trust in him The Lord will rain snares and fire and brimstones here is the portion of the ungodly at last appoint him his portion with hypocrites saith Christ where there is weeping and wayling and gnashing of teeth that is the portion of hypocrites in the conclusion Now here thou seest the end of all what dost thou think then of thy portion now think but of one Text and I have done What hope hath an hypocrite though he hath gained when God takes away his soul Mark there are many hypocrites that aymed to get estates in the world but cannot thrive God crosses them well but suppose thou aymest to gain and hast got all thou wouldst desire what hope hath an hypocrite though he hath gained though he hath grown never so rich and got all he desires when God takes away his soul this time is coming it will be ere long and it may be suddenly the portion of some that are here present and perhaps this Text of mine may then ring in their ears when they lie upon their sick beds perhaps within a month or six weeks when Gods time shall be and then conscience
God should put him off with a portion in this world and especially you that have great portions in this life have done God little service you know there are many poor people that live upon almes have done God more service then you you have most cause to fear they that are Rulers and Governours have mighty cause to fear unlesse they have good evidence in their hearts Chrysostome upon the 13. of the Hebrews speaking of those that are Governours saith I wonder that any Governour should be saved he hath such a speech there I will not say so but there is a great deal of hazard Christ tells us that a man that hath a great portion in this world though it is possible he may have more hereafter yet it is doubtfull whether he shall inherit heaven It was the counsell of one to a King saith he I desire but this favour that every day you would think of this Text what profits it a man to gain the whole world and to loose his own soul spend some little time in considering of it every morning when you arise and every night when you lie down what will it advantage me to be great here and miserable hereafter The same councell I give to you daily pray to God to make you understand what there is in this Text that there are a generation of men who have their portion in this world only Secondly if you would not have your portion here labour to take off your hearts from all outward comforts he that will be rich shall fall into many temptations know it is not necessary you should have an estate in this world but it is necessary you should make your peace with God it is necessary I should provide for my soul but how things go with me here is not so much necessarie Thirdly set the glorie of Heaven and eternitie daily before your eyes and be trading for higher things then the world affords many poor people go up and down the streets crying some mean thing and think it well if they get 18 d. in a whole day but a rich Merchant can go out in the morning and make a bargain and perhaps get 500. l. in an houre he trades somewhat like so the men of this world labour for the meat that perisheth but a godly man hath communion with God and in a quarter of an hour gets that he would not loose for thousands It was a speech of Cleopatra to Anthony thou art not to fish for Gudgeons and Trowts but thou art to angle for Castles and Cities so may I say if thou hast an immortall soul with thee thou art not so much to angle for meat and drink and cloaths to make provision for the flesh but for heaven and immortalitie The next thing is this Honour God with thy substance Lay out thy portion here for God O that I could but convince you of one principle of divinitie more and that is this that there is more excellency and good in one vertuous action then there is in all the creatures in heaven and earth besides the blessed Angels and glorious Saints above I say others of the Saints excepting these take all creatures Sun Moon Stars Seas Earth all the Pearls Iewels of the world Pearls put them all together yet this is true divinitie that there is more excellency in one vertuous action then there is if thou hadst all these things to be thy possession if men were convinced of this they would be abundant in good works Thou thinkest it a brave thing to have so much coming in by the year do but one good action for God out of an upright principle ANd there is more excellency in that one action then there is in thy great revenue if thou hast 1000. times more added to it Me thinks this should make them that are rich to be rich in good works so saith the Scripture Charge them that are rich in this world that they be rich in good works O there is a richnesse in good works as well as in great revenues O improve lay out thy estate now for God Ambrose saith upon that place of the rich man is it not more honour that so many children shall account you as their Father then that so many pieces of gold shall call you their Lord These pieces of gold do as it were call you Lord there are 2. or 3. children shall call you Father and is it not more excellent to have a couple of poor Orphans while you are alive in this world to call you Father then to have so many bags of gold call you Mr O therefore give a portion to 6. and to 7. Again if you would not be put off with a portion in this world be sure that all the services you perform to God be choice services if you expect choice mercies let your services be choice services be sure all your works be supernaturall works you 'le say how shall I know that if I had time I could make it out clear A supernaturall work is that that hath a supernaturall principle done to a supernaturall end and in a supernaturall manner A supernaturall principle that is grace which makes it suitable to my heart not that I do it out of conviction of conscience only and a supernaturall end that is when I ayme at God and not at my self in any dutie But what is this supernaturall manner of serving God I shall explain it thus Seneca in giving his rule how to know the affections when they are naturall and when not saith you shall know a naturall affection by this if it be kept with in bound it is naturall if it be out of bounds it is not naturall I 'le make use of it in another way when you come to the service of God if you think to limit God in his service this is but a naturall service you 'l go so far and there stop but if it be a supernaturall service you 'l let out your hearts if it were possible infinitely to God you cannot be infinite that is true but you 'l propound no bounds nor limits to your service this is indeed the truth of grace when it hath the impression of gracious infinitenesse upon it infinitenesse is that whereby God is without all limits so when the soul is without all limits and bounds in the way of grace it is desirous to honour God if it were possible in an infinite way these are supernaturall works Lastly would you not have your portion in this world be willing to cast away whatever of your portion you have got sinfully this in the name of God I declare as a speciall thing therefore take it home with you what ever man or woman in this place would not have his portion in this world but would have his portion in the world to come whatsoever of thy portion thou hast got in a sinfull course cast it away presently never sleep with it lye not down one
have their paper offices where transaction between one State and another are kept so the Lord hath his prayer-office where he keeps all the prayers of his Saints that ever were put up to him Revel 8.3 Another Angel came and stood at the Altar having a golden censer and there was given him much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all Saints Where were those prayers of all the Saints that he must take a censer and offer incense with God had them recorded with him and now they were to be offered to him And see what great things follow upon the offering of the prayers of the Saints vers 4. The smoak of the incense which came with the prayers of the Saints ascended up before God out of the Angels hand And the Angel took the censer c. and there were voices and thunderings and lightnings and an earthquake These followed upon the prayers of the Saints It signified the time wherein all should come in remembrance before the Lord as if an Angel were offering yea Christ the Angel of the Covenant hath a time to take the prayers presented long ago and to offer them to God with his own incense They are all recorded in heaven therefore they are not in vain When a petition is taken and put upon record the petitioner petitioneth not in vain his petition is not thrown out God doth take all the petitions of the Saints and recordeth them they are all filed up in heaven Yet further there is no faithfull petition but God puts his fiat to the bottom of it at the instant that it is put up to him There is a decree in heaven issued out for mercy at the very instant that the petition is put up God dealeth not with us in this kind as men do who are counted very gracious if they please to tell us they will consider of our petition no but your petition is presently granted A petitioner when there is time taken to consider of his petition trembles and shakes for fear it should not be granted but the petitions of the Saints of God are granted presently When Daniel had been seeking God at the evening sacrifice an Angel comes to him and tells him that at the beginning of his prayer there was a decree to grant it and that he was sent to him at the beginning of his prayer Dan. 9.23 Psa 56.9 When I cry unto thee then shall mine enemies turn back this I know for God is for me Did not David cry oft and yet his enemies did not turn their backs when he cryed He cryed oft when his enemies prevailed yet he saith When I cried then mine enemies turned back and this I know why for God is for me The meaning must be this that at that instant that he cryed there was a decree in heaven the thing was done He looked on it as done even as certainly as if he had seen it with his eyes This is the reason that the Saints after they have prayed though the thing be not actually done fall to praising and blessing of God We have a notable example in Iehoshaphat of whom we read 2. Chron. 20.3 that being in a great fear bad set himself to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast throughout all Iudah He did not seek God slightly but set himself to seek the Lord. And what his prayer was ye may see from vers 6. to 12. And Iehoshaphat said O Lord God of our fathers art not thou God in heaven and rulest over all Kingdomes Mark how he pleadeth with God for the Covenant he had made vers 8. Speaking of the Sanctuary they had built for his names sake If when evil commeth upon us as the sword judgement or pestilence or famine we stand before this house and in thy presence for thy name is in this house and cry unto thee in our affliction then thou wilt hear and help He urgeth the promise made to Solomon at the dedication of the Temple For that prayer of Faith which Solomon made and God accepted hath the strength of a promise in it O our God saith he wilt thou not judge them for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us neither know we what to do but our eyes are upon thee Though he profest that his enemies were so many that he knew not what to do and that they had no might to resist them yet after his prayer was done and before the battell began when he had consulted with the people he appointed singers unto the Lord that should praise the beauty of holinesse as they went out before the Army and to say Praise the Lord for his mercie endureth for ever vers 21. Mark he had not yet gotten the victory the battell was not fought yet as soon as he had ended his prayer he praised the Lord for his mercie indureth for ever He made account that the thing was done It was decreed in heaven Therefore surely the people of God are answered when they call upon him Nay it is not onely decreed but ere long God will satisfie his people fill their longing souls with goodnesse Psal 107.9 A time shall come when they shall they say their prayers are heard and that they have enough Yea the Lord giveth more sometimes then his people mention in their prayer they ask temporall blessings and he bestoweth spirituall yea he giveth them himself and that is all in all Surely then the prayers of the Saints are heard and answered But wherein lyeth the efficacy of prayer What makes prayer so powerfull with God One thing is because God delighteth in mercy and in communicating himself to the children of men He taketh more pleasure in doing good then any can in seeking it yea then any can in enjoying it from him Our hearts cannot be so strongly set to seek for any mercy from God as he is to communicate mercy to us Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage he retaineth not his anger for ever because he delighteth in mercy Mic. 7.18 Another thing that rendreth prayer so effectuall is Gods Covenant and promise to his people It was the speech of Alchimedes Give me a place to set my Engine in and I will shake the whole earth Let prayer have a sure foundation to set foot on and it will do mighty things Now the promises are the foundation of prayer whereof we have great abundance Numb 23. You shall find abundance of promises to the Saints of God when Balaam was brought to curse the people But in Deuter. 33. there are admirable promises There is none like unto the God of Iâ—shurun who rideth upon the heaven in thy help and on the skie in his excellency The eternall God is his refuge and underneath are the everlasting armes and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee and shall say destroy them Israel then shall