Now God is so every particular belie*^er's portion, as that he is every believer's portion : 1 Cor. i. 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 man's sun to see by, to walk by, to work by ; and as the sea is every man's sea to trade by, &c. ; so God is every believer's portion. He is a poor saint's portion as well as a rich saint's portion ; he is the despised believer's portion, as well as the ex- alted believer's portion ; he is the weak believer's portion, as well as the strong believer's portion ; he was as much his portion who miscalled his faith, and who m the behalf of his son cried out with tears, ' Lord, I believe, help my unbelief,' Mark xi. 24, as he was Abraham's portion, who, in the strength of his faith, offered up his only son. Gen. xxii. ; he was as much Job's portion sitting on a liunghill, as he was David's portion sitting on a royal throne ; he was as much Lazarus his portion, that had never a penny in his purse, as he was Solomon's portion, who made gold and silver as plenteous in Jerusalem as the stones of the streets, 2 Chron. i. 15. God is not my portion alone, but he is every saint's portion in heaven, and he is every saint's portion on earth. The father
26 AN ARK FOR ALL GOD's NOAHS. [LaM. III. 24.
is every child's portion, and though they may wrangle and quarrel, and fall out one with another, yet he is all their portions ; and so it is here ; and oh what a spring of joy and comfort should this be to all the saints. Riches are not every believer's portion, but God is every believer's por- tion ; honour and preferment in the world is not every believer's portion, but God is every believer's portion ; liberty and freedom is not every believer's portion, but God is every believer's portion ; credit and ap- plause in the world is not every believer's portion, but God is every believer's portion ; prosperity and success is not every believer's portion, but God is every believer's portion, &c.
God is a universal portion, all things receive their being, essence, and existence from him, for the fulness of all things is in him, really and eminently. The heathen philosophers of old called God to vav, i. e. all or everything, and in that oracle 'great Pan is dead,' of which Plutarch makes mention. Christ is called the greater Pan, because, say some, he is the Lord of all, and containeth all things in himself: Exod. xxxiii. 19, ' I will make all my goodness pass before thee,' to wit, because in God are all good things, God is all things, God is everything. The cream, the good, the sweet, the beauty, and the glory of every creature, and of every thing, centres in God. But,
(9.) 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 : he is a portion that none can cheat or spoil you of God is such a portion, that no friend, no foe, no man, no enemy, no devil can ever rob a Christian of ^ O Christians, God is so yours in (/hrist, and so yours by covenant, and so yours by promise, and so yours by purchase, and so yours by conquest, and so yours by donation, and so yours by marriage union and com- munion, and so yours by the earnest of the Spirit, and so yours by the feelings and witnessings of the Spirit, that no power or policy on earth can ever finger your portion, or cheat, or rob you of your portion : Ps. xlviii. 1 4, ' For this God is our God for ever and ever, and he will be our guide even unto death.' He is not only our God for the present, nor he will not be only our God for a short time longer; oh no, but he will be our God for ever and ever. If God be once thy portion, he will be for ever thy portion. It must be a power that must over-match the power of God, and a strength that must be above the strength of God,^ that must rob or spoil a Christian of his portion ; but who is there that is stronger than God ? Is the clay stronger than the potter, or the stubble than the flame, or weakness than strength? yea, is not the very weakness of God stronger than man ? and who then shall ever be able to take away a Christian's portion from him ? Rom. ix., 1 Cor. i. 25, and chap. x. 22.
But now a man may be easily deprived of his earthly portion. How many have been deprived of their earthly portions by storms at sea, and others by force and violence, and others by fraud and deceit, and others by hideous lying and hellish swearing ? Many have lost their earthly portions by treachery, knavery, perjury, subtilty, robbery, &c. Some play away their earthly portions, and others with Esau fool away their earthly portions, and not a few, with the prodigal, sin away their earthly
' These things I have formerly handled more largely, and, therefore, a touch here must suffice, &c.
Lam. III. 24-.] an ark for all god's noahs. 27