[8.] Eighthly, If God be thy portion, then thy God is most 'pn^ecious to thee, then thou settest the highest price and value vmaginahle wpon thy God. Every man sets the highest price upon his portion. Though a man may set a good price upon his delightful gardens, his pleasant walks, his delicate fish-ponds, his fruitful trees, his sweet flowers, &c., yet it is no price to that which he sets upon his portion. Well, says a man, though here be an hundred things to delight my eye, and to please my fancy, and to satiate my appetite, yet I infinitely value my portion above them all. And who but a fool in folio will value a thousand a year above a few accommodations that are only for pleasure and delio-htl So thoiigh a Christian may set a considerable value upon all his outward comforts and contentments, yet it is no value to that he sets upon his God, upon his portion. This and that is precious to me, saith a Christian, but my God is infinitely more precious than all, Ps. xxiii. 24, 25, iv. 6, 7. A Christian sets up God above his goods, Heb. X. 34 ; and above his lusts. Gal. v. 24 ; and above his relations, 1 Sara. XXX. 1-7 ; yea, and above his very life : Rev. xii. 11, ' And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their tes- timony, and they loved not their Hves unto the death: Ps. Ixiii. 3, 'Thy loving-kindness is better than life.' The Hebrew is chaiim, lives. Put many lives together, yet there is more excellency and glory in the least beam, in the least discovery of divine love, than there is in them all. A man may be weary of life, but never of divine love. Histories tell us of many that have been weary of their lives, but no histories can furnish us with an instance of any one that was ever weary of divine love. Look, as the people prized David above themselves, saying, • Thou art worth ten thousand of us,' 2 Sara, xviii, 3, so they that have > Euitalh. in Homer. * Seneca, de Benefic. ^ Query ? — G.
Lam. IIT. 24.] an ark for all god's noahs. 97
indeed God for their portion, oh how do they prize God above them- selves, and above everything below themselves ! and doubtless they that in a course do not lift up God above all, they have no interest in God at alL Whatever a man eyes as his greatest interest, that he sets up above all, and before all other things in the world. Now if a man eyes God as his greatest interest, he cannot but set God a-top of all. I have not faith enough to believe that ever such did truly love God who love anything more than God, or who set up anything above God, Luke xiv. 26. Look, as Darius set up Daniel over all, and as Pharaoh set up Joseph above all, so a man that hath God for his portion, he sets up God over all, and he sets up God above all. One [Augustine] set so high a price upon Christ, that he hath long since told us that he would willingly go through hell to Christ ; and saith another [Bernard], I had rather be in my chimney-corner with Christ, than in heaven without him. When one of the martyrs was offered riches and honours if he would recant, he made this excellent answer. Do but offer me somewhat that is better than my Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall see what I will say to you.^ And I have read of another, that set so high a price upon the Lord Jesus, that whensoever he did but mention the name of Jesus, his eyes dropped tears. Were every star in the firmament a sun, yet a man that hath God for his portion would prize him above them all;
Do you ask me where be my jewels ? My jewels are my husband, said Phocion's wife.'' Do you ask me where be my ornaments? My ornaments are my two sons, brought up in virtue and learning, said the mother of the Gracchi.^ Do you ask me where be my treasures ? My treasures are my friends, said Constantius, the father of Constantine. So if you ask a Christian that hath God for his portion where his jewels, his ornaments, his treasures, his comforts, and the delights of his soul are, he will answer you that they are all in God, he will tell you that God is his portion, and that God is his great all, and that he enjoys all in God, and God in all, and therefore he cannot but prize God above all. But to prevent mistakes in this weighty case, let me give you a few brief hints ; as,
[1.] First, If God be truly precious, to thee, then all of God is pre- cious to thee; his name is precious to thee, his honour is precious to thee, his ordinances are precious to thee, his Sabbaths are precious to thee, his promises are precious to thee, his precepts are precious to thee, his threatenings are precious to thee, his rebukes are precious to thee, his people are precious to thee, and all his concernments are pre- cious to thee. Look, as every sparkling stone that is set round about a rich 'diamond is precious in the eyes of the jeweller, so is every spark- ling excellency in God precious in his eyes that sets an high value upon God. Look, as all of the new-bom babe is precious in the eyes of the tender mother,* as head, face, hands, arms, body, feet, &c., so all of God is very precious in his eyes that hath any tender regard of God ; and look, as all of an husband is precious in the eyes of a loving wife, viz,,
1 Johannes Mollius. [Clarke, as before — G] « Plutarch, Phocion. s Ibid.— G
\ It was an harlot that would have the child divided, 1 Kings iii. 25, 26. VOL, II. G
98 AN ARK FOR ALL GOD'S NOAHS. [LAM. III. 24.
his person, name, credit, honour, estate, liberty, life, &c., so all of God is very precious in his eyes that loves God with a real love, with a superlative love. But,