3 [Foxe.] Acts and Mon., 813. [By 'Dutch' is meant High Dutch, i.«. German; ' Dentsch: of. stib voce, in Foxe, by Townsend, vol. iv. pp. 282-284. — G.]
* Clare's ' Martyrologie,' as before, p. 49.J. — G.
74 AN ARK FOR ALL GOD's NOAHS. [LAM. III. 24.
did neckerchief become me so well as this chain, said Alice Driver, when they fastened her to the stake to be burnt.' Mr Bradford put off his cap, and thanked God, when the keeper's wife brought him word that he was to be burnt on the morrow.* Mr Taylor fetched a frisk when he was come near the place where he was to suffer.^ Henry and John, two Augustine monks, being the first that were burnt in Ger- many, and Mr Rogers, the first that was burnt in Queen Mary's days, did all sing in the flames ;* and be of good cheer, said the woman-mar- tyr to her husband that was to suffer with her, for though we have but an ill dinner on earth, we shall sup with Christ in heaven. And what said Justin Martyr to his murderers, in behalf of himself and his fellow- martyrs? ' You may kill us, but you can never hurt us.' Ah, Christians! how can you read over these choice instances and not blush* and not be ashamed to consider what a readiness, what a forwardness, and what a noble willingness there was in these brave worthies to die and go to heaven, and to be fully possessed of their God, of their portion, whilst you shrug at the very thoughts of death, and frequently put that day far from you, and had rather, with Peter, fall upon ' building of taber- nacles,' Mat. xvii. 4, than, with Paul, ' desire to be dissolved, and to be with Christ,' Philip, i. 23. 0 Christians! how justly may that father be angry with his child that is unwilling to come home ! and how justly may that husband be displeased with his wife who is unwilling to ride to him in a rainy day, or to cross the sea to enjoy his company ! And is not this your case ? is not this just your case, who have God for your portion, and yet are unwilling to die, that you may come to a full en- joyment of your portion ? But,
(J 4.) Fourteenthly, and lastly, If God be the saint's portion, then let all the saints give all diligence to make this clearly and fully ovi to their own souls, that God is their portion, 2 Pet. i. 5-8. Next to a man's having God for his portion, it is the greatest mercy in this world for a man to know that God is his portion, and to be able groundedly to say with the church, ' The Lord is my portion,' saith my soul. Now this is a work that may be done. I suppose there is never a believer on earth but may attain unto this personal evidence and certainty of knowledge that God is his portion. Express promises speaks out such a thing as this is : Zech. xiii. 9, ' They shall call upon my name, and I will hear them ; I will say, It is my people, and they shall say, It is my God ;' so Ezek. xxxiv. 30, ' Thus shall they know that I the Lord their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord ;' Ps. ix. 18, ' For the patient abiding of the meek shall not be forgotten for ever.' God will as soon put the faith of re- liance and the faith of assurance to a blush, as he will put the faith of expectance to a blush :' Ps. xxii. 26, ' The meek shall eat and be satis- fied, they shall praise the Lord that seek him ; your heart shall live for ever.' First or last, such as seek him shall have such an answer of their prayers as shall turn their prayers into praises, and their petitions into thanksgivings : Ps. Ixxxiv. 11, * The Lord will give grace and glory, and
* Clarke's Martyrologie, p. 504. — G.
» Ibid., p. 440, 454 — G, ^ ibid., p. 442.— G. * Ibid., sub nomimbus—G.
' Heb. i. 37. M(«j«» JV»», ?«■«». Here are two diminutives in the Greek, a little, little vhile, to note that God will not in the least delay his coming to his people.
Lam. III. 24.] an aek for all god's noahs. 75
no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.' God will be an universal, all-sufficient, and satisfactory good to them that walk uprightly. The Lord is as full of goodness as the sun is full of light, and he will as freely, and as fully, and as impartially communi- cate his goodness to them that walk uprightly, as the sun doth her light both to the just and the unjust, Mat. v. 45. As under the name of no good thing will he withhold, all temporal good things are to be under- stood, so under the name of grace all spiritual good things are to be understood, and under the name of glory all eternal good things are to be understood. And now, if God will give all spiritual and all eternal good things to his people, how can he then but sooner or later give a clear and satisfactory evidence into his people's bosoms that he is their portion ? And not only express promises, but also the graces of the Spirit and the testimony of the Spirit confirms the same thing. The language of every saving grace is this : The Lord is thy portion, 0 thou believing soul ; and the language and testimony of the Spirit is the same : Rom. viii. 15, * Ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father;' ver. 16, ' The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of God.' Shall an instinct in nature teach young ones to know their dams, and shall not the Spirit of God, by a divine instinct, teach the saints to know God to be their God, and to be their portion also? Surely yes. Though this or that particular Christian may go to his grave without a satisfactory evidence ih his own bosom that God is his portion, yet in an ordinary course, at first or last, God doth give his people some assurance that he is their por- tion, yea, rather than they shall always live or die without assurance of their salvation, and that he is their portion, he will work a miracle to assure them of his love.