ing God to he thy portion, Luke xviii. 27. All the angels in heaven, and all the men on earth, do not know to the contrary but that God may be thy portion, even thine. If thou art but heartily willing to be divorced from that wicked trinity, the world, the flesh, and the devil, there is no doubt but that God will be thy portion. O sirs ! why hath God laid open so clearly and so fully the nature and incomparable ex- cellency of this portion above all other portions before you, but to per- suade your hearts, and to draw out your souls to look after this portion, and to make sure this portion, as that wherein all your happiness and bless- edness lies ? Oh that you were wise to consider that now a prize, an opportunity, is put into your hands, that may make you for ever ! You have all the ways, and all the means, and all the helps, and all the ad- vantages imaginable for the obtaining of God to be your portion ; so that, if God be not your portion, I shall be so bold to tell you that your destruction is from yourselves, Hosea xiii. 9. 0 sirs ! though God be a golden mine, yet he is such a mine that may be come at if you will but dig, and sweat, and take pains to purpose, Prov. ii. 2-7 ; though he be a pearl of infinite price, yet Christ can purchase this pearl for you ; though he be a matchless and incomparable portion, yet he is such a portion as may be yours, as will be yours, if you are not wanting to your own souls. Why hath God sent his ambassadors early and late ? 2 Cor. V. 18-20 ; and why hath he, even to a miracle, continued them amongst you to this very day, but that they should acquaint you with his wonderful readiness and willingness to bestow himself as a portion upon you? O sirs ! God is said to be a God of great mercy, and to be rich and plenteous in mercy, and to be abundant in mercy, and to be transcendent and incomparable in mercy ; yea, all the mercies of God are sure mercies, they are royal mercies, they are innumerable mercies, they are bottomless mercies, they are unchangeable mercies, and they are everlasting mercies ; and therefore there is no reason for any man to despair of obtaining of God for his portion.^ But,
[3.] Thirdly, Consider that God is a portion-sweetening portion. God is such a portion as will sweeten all other portions ; he is a por- tion that will make every pleasant portion more pleasant, and that will make every bitter portion sweet. Poverty is one man's portion, and sorrow is another man's portion, and crosses and losses are a third man's portion, and reproaches and sufferings are a fourth man's portion, and sickness and diseases are a fifth man's portion, &c. But now God is a portion that will sweeten all these portions. You know the tree that Moses cast into the bitter waters of Marah made them sweet, Exod. xv. 23-25. Now this tree was a type of Christ, who will certainly sweeten all our bitterest potions. The church complained in that Lament, iii. 15, 'that God had filled her with bitterness' (or, as the Hebrew hath it, * with bitternesses'), ' and that he had made her drunken with worm- wood :' and yet this very consideration, that ' the Lord was her portion,' ver. 24, sweetened all. If God be thy portion, there is no condition that can make thee miserable ; if God be not thy portiori, there is no condition that can make thee happy. If God be not thy portion, in the midst of thy sufficiency thou wilt be in straits ; if God be thy portion, in the midst of all thy straits thou shalt enjoy an all-sufficiency in an ' Ps. cv. 8 ; Eph. ii. 4 ; Ps. Ixxxvi. 15 ; 1 Peter i. 1,3; Ps. ciii. 11.
Lam. III. 24<.] an aek for all god's noahs. US
all-sufficient God, Job xx. 22. Till God be thy portion, O sinner, thou wilt never taste anything but death and bitterness in all thy comforts, and in all thy contentments, and in all thy enjoyments. But,
[4.] Fourthly, Consider that all earthly portions are not of that in- finite consequence and concernment to you as this portion is. All earthly portions are but the meat that perisheth, John vi. 27 ; they are but moth-eaten and canker-eaten treasures, Mat. vi. 19, James v. 3 ; they are full of uncertainty, yea, they are all over vanity, Eccles. i. 2 ; they reach not beyond the line of this mortal life ; they can neither suit the soul, nor fill the soul, nor satisfy the soul, nor save the soul ; they can neither change the heart, nor reform the heart, nor in the least better the heart ; they can neither arm a man against temptations, nor lead a man out of temptations, nor make a man victorious over temptations ; they can neither direct the conscience when it is in straits, nor relieve the conscience when it is under distress, nor support the conscience when it is under guilt, nor heal the conscience when it is under wounds ; they can neither make our peace with God, nor keep our peace with God, nor augment our peace with God ; they can neither bring us to Christ, nor unite us to Christ, nor keep us with Christy nor transform us into the similitude or likeness of Christ ; they can neither bring us to heaven, nor fit us for heaven, nor assure us of heaven. In a word, no earthly portion can free us from death, nor in the least avail us in the day of wrath. By all which it is most evident that all earthly portions are of very little Consequence and concernment to the sons of men, to the souls of men. Oh, but now God is a portion of infinite consequence and concernment to all the sons and souls of men. No man can hear as he should, nor pray as he should, nor live as he should, nor die as he should, till God be his portion ; no man is secure from temporal, spiritual, or eternal judgments, till God be his portion. No man can be happy in this world, or blessed in another world, till God be his portion. O sirs ! it is not absolutely necessary that you should have this or that earthly portion, but it is absolutely necessary that you should have God for your portion ; for if God be not your por- tion, all the angels in heaven, nor all the men on earth, cannot prevent your being miserable to all eternity.
[5.] Fifthly, Consider, that till a man comes to have God for his poirtion, he never comes to be temptation-proof A man that hath God for his portion is temptation-proof; he will say when tempted, as Themistocles did. Give those bracelets to slaves ; and as Basil did, who, when he was offered temporary honour, glory, and wealth, &c., answered, Give me glory which abides for ever, and give me riches which will endure for ever ; and as he did, who, being tempted with offers of money to desert his religion, gave this excellent answer, Let not any think that he will embrace other men's goods to forsake Christ, who hath for- saken his own proper goods to follow Christ ;' and as that martyr did, who, when he had riches and honours offered him, if he would recant,