Look, as the rainbow shews itself 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 days 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 her wealth miscarries. Certainly within these few months the miscarrying of several ships hath caused several merchants sadly to miscarry. Astorm 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 dunghill. Look, as the bird flies from tree to tree, and as the beggar goes from door to door, and as the pilgrim travels fram place to place, and as the physician walks from patient to patient ; so all the riches, honours, and glory of this world do either fly from man to man, or else walk from man to man. Who knows not, that many times one is made honourable by another's disgrace ? another is made full by another man's emptiness ? and a third is made rich by another's poverty ? How soon is the courtier's glory eclipsed, if the 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 ex- alted, and anon he is debased ; now one is full, and anon he is hungry ; now one is clothed gloriously, and anon he is clothed with rags ; now one is at liberty, and anon he is under restraint ; now a man hath many friends, and anon he hath never a friend. There is nothing but vanity and uncertainty in all earthly portions. But,
(15.) Fifteenthly, and lastly. As God is a permanent and never failing portion, so God is a.n incomparable portion ; and this follows clearly and roundly upon what hath been said ; for,
• Cf. Sibbess Works, toI. iv. Notes d p. 58, and k p. 805, vol. vii. pp. 603, 604.— G.
* jj'lutaich in the life of Alexander, &c.
38 AN ARK FOR ALL GOD's NOAHS. [LAM. III. 24.
(1.) If God be a present portion, a portion in hand, a portion in pos- session ; and,
(2.) If God be an immense portion, if he be the vastest, the largest, and the greatest portion ; and,
(3.) If God be an all-sufficient portion ; and,
(4.) If God be the most absolute, needful, and neces^ry portion ; and
(5.) If God be a pure and unmixed portion ; and,
(6.) If God be a glorious, a happy, and a blessed portion ; and,
(7.) If God be a peculiar portion ; and,
(8.) If God bfe a universal portion ; and,
(9.) If God be a safe portion, a secure portion, a portion that none can rob or wrong us of; and,
(10.) If God be a suitable portion ; and,
(11.) If God be an incomprehensible portion ; and,
(12.) If God be an inexhaustible portion, a portion that can never be spent, that can never be exhausted or drawn dry ; and,
(13.) If God be a soul-satisfying portion ; and,
(1 4.) If God be a permanent and an everlasting portion : then it must very necessarily follow, that God is an incomparable portion. But such a portion God is, as I have proved at large ; and, therefore, beyond all dispute, God must needs be an incomparable portion : Prov. iii. 13-15, ' Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,' (that is, the liord Jesus Christ), * and the man that getteth understanding : for the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies : and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared to her.' All the gold of Ophir, and all the silver of the Indies, which are but the guts and garbage^ of the earth, are nothing, yea, less than nothing, compared with God. God is a portion more precious than all those things which are esteemed most precious. A man may desire, what not ? he may desire that all the mountains in the world may be turned into mountains of gold for his use ; he may desire that all the rocks in the world may be turned into the richest pearls for his use ; he may desire that all the treasure that is buried in the sea may be brought into his treasuries ; he may desire that all the crowns and sceptres of all the princes and emperors of the world, may be piled up at his gate, as they were once said to be at Alexander's ; yet all these things are not comparable to a saint's portion, 3'^ea, they are not to be named in that day, wherein the excellency of a saint's portion is set forth. Horace writes of a precious stone that was more worth than tw<^ty thousand shekels, and Pliny valued the two precious pearls of Cleopatra at twelve hundred thousand shekels.' But what were these, and what were all other precious stones in the world, but dung and dross, in comparison of a saint's portion ? Philip, iii. 7, 9. I have read a story of a man, whom Chrysostom did feign to be in prison. Oh, saith he, if I had but liberty, I would desire no more ! He had it. Oh then, if I had but for necessity, I would desire no more ! He had it. Oh then, had I for a little variety, I would desire no more ! He had it. Oh then, had I any office, were it the meanest, I would desire no more ! He had it. Oh then, had I but a magistracy, though over one town only, I would desire no more ! He had it. Oh then, were I a prince, I would » Spelled 'garbidge.'— G. » Nat. Hist. lib. ix. c. 58.— G,
Lam III. 24.] an ark for all god's noahs. 39