* Roger bishop of Salisbury in King Stephen's days was so troubled that he could not live, and durst not die, &c.
132 AN ARK FOR ALL GOD'S NOAHS. [LaM. III. 24.
that God will never be your portion, because for the present he is not your portion. Remember the gracious invitations of God, and remem- ber the glorious riches of mercy, and remember the overflowings of in- finite grace, and then despond and despair if thou canst.
Sixth Position. The sixth and last position is this, That such is the love, care, goodness, and kindness of God to his people, that few or none of them die without some assurance that God is their portion, and that they have an interest and prop^nety in him. That here and there a particular Christian, in cases not ordinary, may die doubting, and ascend to heaven in a cloud, as Christ did. Acts i. 9, will, I sup- pose, be readily granted ; and that the generality of Christians shall, first or last, more or less, mediately or immediately, have sonie comfort- able assurance, that God is their God, and that he is their portion, and that they have a real interest and propriety in him, may I suppose be thus evinced.
[1.] First, Several precious promises that are scattered up and down the Scripture seems to speak out such a thing as this is. Take these for a taste : Ps. ix. 18, ' For the needy shall not always be forgot- ten : the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.^ Ps. xxii. 26, ' The meek shall eat and be satisfied ; they shall praise the Lord that seek him : your heart shall live for ever.' Ps. Ixxxiv. 1 1 , 'For the Lord God is a sun and a shield ; the Lord will give grace and glory : and no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.' Hosea ii. 23, ' And I will have mercy upon her that hath not obtained mercy ; and I will say to them which were not my people. Thou art my people ; and they shaU say, Thou art my God.' Ps. v. 12, * For thou. Lord, wilt bless the righteous ; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.* John xiv. 21, 23, ' He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me ; and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. If any man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we vidll come unto him, and make our abode with him.'^
[2.] Secondly, The common experiences of the saints, both in the Old and New Testaments, doth evidence as much. Solomon's Song iL 16, * My beloved is mine, and I am his ;' chap, vi 3, 'I am my be- loved's, and my beloved is mine ;' and chap. vii. 10, ' I am my beloved's, and his desire is towards me.' Isa. Ixiii. 16, ' Doubtless thou art our Father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not : thou, 0 Lord, art our Father, our Redeemer ; thy name is from everlasting.' Isa. Ixiv. 8, 9, ' But now, 0 Lord, thou art our Father : behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people.' Jer. iii. 22, 23, * Behold, we come unto thee : for thou art the Lord our God. Truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel.' Isa. xxv. 9, ' And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God ; we have waited for him, and he will save us.' I might produce a cloud of witnesses from among the patriarchs and prophets, further to evince this truth ; but enough is as good as a feast.
And as the church of God in the Old Testament, so the church of God in the New Testament attained to the same assurance. The be- lievers in Corinth were sealed, and had the earnest of the Spirit in ^ Fonder upon that of Ezek. xxxiv. 30, 31.
Lam. III. 24.] an ark for all god's noahs. 133
their hearts : 2 Cor. i. 22, ' Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.' And chap. v. 1, 5, ' For we know, that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Now he that hath wrought us for the self-same thing is God, who also hath given us the earnest of the Spirit.' And so the believing Ephe- sians had the like : Eph. i. 13, ' In whom, after ye believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our in- heritance.' And so chap. iv. 30, * And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.' And the believing Thessalonians had the same : 1 Thes. i. 4, 5, ' Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance.' I might give you many particular instances out of the New Testament to confirm this truth, but these general instances are more convincing and satisfying.
[3.] Thirdly, If God should not, first or last, sooner or later, me- diately or immediately, give his people some comfortable assurance that he is their portion, and that they have a real interest and pro- priety in him, the spirits, the souls of his people would certainly faint and fail; but this God will never suffer, this God by promise hath engaged himself to prevent, as you may see in that Isa. Ivii. 16, 18, 19, * For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth : for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made. I have seen his ways, and will heal him ; I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him, and to his mourners. I create the fruit of the lips ; Peace, peace to him that is afar ofif, and to him that is near, saith the Lord, and I will heal him.' Now, seeing that God hath so graciously undertaken for his people, that their spirits shall not faint nor fail, there is no doubt but that, sooner or later, more or less, God will assure his people that he is their portion, and that they have a real interest and propriety in him.