> When Pyrrhns tempted Fabricius the first day with an elephant, so huge and mon- strons a beast, as before he had not seen, and the next day with money and promises of honour, he answered, 1 fear not thy force, and I am too wise for thy fraud. If nature? could do this, grace can do more. [Plutarch, Pyrrhus. — G.]
114 AN ARK FOR ALL GOD's NOAHS. [LAM. III. 24.
answered, Do but offer me somewhat that is better than my Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall see what I will say to you ; and as Hormisda, a noble- man in the king of Persia's court, did,^ who, because he would not deny Christ, he was put into ragged clothes, deprived of his honours, and set to keep the camels ; after a long time, the king seeing him in that base condition, and remembering his former fortunes, he pitied him, and caused him to be brought into the palace, and to be clothed again like a nobleman, and then persuades and tempts him afresh to deny Christ, whereupon this noble spirit presently rended his silken clothes, saying, If for these you think to have me deny my faith, take them again ; and so he was cast out with scorn a second time. And what was that that made the apostles temptation-proof, and that made those worthies temptation-proof, Heb. xi., and that made the primitive Christians temptation-proof, and that made the martyrs in queen Mary's days temptation-proof? Certainly, nothing more than this very considera- tion, that God was their portion. Ah ! sinners, sinners, you will cer- tainly fall, you will readily fall, you will easily fall, you will frequently fall, you will dreadfully fall before temptations, till you come to enjoy God for your portion. Every blast and every wind of temptation will overset and overturn that man that hath not God for his portion. Such a man may pray a thousand times over and over, * Lord, lead me not into temptation,' and yet eveiy day fall before tlie least temptation, as common experience doth abundantly evidence ; whereas a man that hath God for his portion will stand fast like a rock in all storms, yea, in the face of all temptations he will be like mount Zion, that cannot be removed. Luther counsels every Christian to answer all temptations with this short saying, ' Ghristianus sum,' I am a Christian ;" and I would counsel every Christian to answer all temptations with this short saying, ' The Lord is my portion.' 0 Christian, when Satan or the world shall tempt thee with honours, answer, ' The Lord is my portion' ; when they shall tempt thee with riches, answer, ' The Lord is my por- tion ;' when they shall tempt thee with preferments, answer, ' The Lord is ray portion ;' and when they shall tempt thee with the favours of great ones, answer, ' The Lord is my portion ;' yea, and when this per- secuting world shall threaten thee with the loss of thy estate, answer, * The Lord is my portion ;' and when they shall threaten thee with the loss of thy liberty, answer, ' The Lord is my portion ;' and when they shall threaten thee with the loss of friends, answer, ' The Lord is my portion ;' and when they shall threaten thee with the loss of life, answer, ' The Lord is my portion.' O sirs ! if Satan should come to you with an apple, as once he did to Eve, tell him that ' The Lord is your portion ;' or with a grape, as once he did to Noah, tell him that ' The Lord is your portion ;' or with a change of raiment, as once he did to Gehazi, tell him that ' The Lord is your portion ;' or with a wedge of gold, as once he did to Achan, tell him that * The Lord is your por- tion ;' or with a bag of money, as once he did to Judas, tell him that ' The Lord is your portion ;' or with a crown, a kingdom, as once he did to Moses, tell him that ' The Lord is your portion.' But,
[6.] Sixthly and lastly. If God be not your fortion, you will he miserable to all eternity. If God be not your portion, wrath must be • Clarke, as before, p. 60. — G. * Luther in Genesim.
JjAM. III. 24.] AN ARK FOR ALL GOD's NOAHS. 115
your portion, hell must be your portion, everlasting burnings must be your portion, a devouring fire must be your portion, and a separation for ever from the glorious presence of God, Christ, angels, and ' the spirits of just men made perfect,' must be your portion ; as you may clearly see by comparing the Scriptures in the margin together.' If God be not your portion in this life, you shall never have him for your portion in another life ; if God be not your portion here, he will never be your portion hereafter. O sirs ! if death should surprise you before God is your portion, you will as certainly go to hell, as God is in heaven ; and therefore it infinitely concerns you to get God for your portion. There is no way in the world to make the king of terrors to be a king of desires to thy soul, O man, but by gaining God for thy portion. Of all terribles, death will be most terrible and formidable to that man that hath not God for his portion. If thou shouldst live and die, O man, without having God for thy portion, it had been good for thee that thou hadst never been born ; and if the day of thy birth had been the day of thy death, thy hell would not have been so hot as now thou wilt certainly find it.
But now, methinks, I hear some crying out, O sirs ! what shall we do that we may have God for our portion ? Oh, had we as many worlds at our dispose as there be stars in heaven, ^e would give them all that we might have God for our portion. Oh we now see that we can never be happy except God be our portion, yea, we now see that we shall be miserable to all eternity, except God be our portion ; and therefore what shall we do that we may have God for our portion ?
Well then, if you would indeed have God for your portion, let me thus advise you ; —
[1.] First, Labour to he very sensible, that by nature you are with- ovi God, yea, at enmity with God, and alienated from the life and love of God, and that by nature you are children of wrath and dis- obedience, and in actual arms and rebellion against the great God} O sirs, never talk of having of God for your portion, till you come to see yourselves without God, aud till you come to judge yourselves unworthy of God. Every man in his natural estate is afar off from God three manner of ways. Acts ii. 39.
First, In point of opinion and apprehension.
Secondly, In point of fellowship and communion.
Thirdly, In point of grace and conversion.
And till a man comes to be sensible of this, he will never desire God to be his portion. But,
[2.] Secondly, If you would have God for your portion, then you must trample upon all other portions in comparison of God? Luther pro- tested that God should not put him off with the poor things of this world. Oh, go to God, and say, Lord, thou hast given me a portion in money, but this money is not thyself ; thou hast given me a portion in lands, but these lands are not thyself; thou hast given me a portion in goods, but these goods are not thyself; thou hast given me a portion