it? He would gladly have death disarmed of its sting: but nothing in this world can render him that invaluable service. In a word, he would secure a happy eternity : but, ah ! what is there upon earth that can confer on him so great a benefit ? But if " he have the Lord Jehovah for his God," if he have sought Him, obtained His favour, and given up himself to Him, all is well : he has nothing to fear ; nothing to desire. In having God for his portion, he has secured to him the very things which he pants after ; he has pardon, and peace, and holiness, and glory.]
2. A more satisfying portion —
[Suppose a man to possess the whole world, there will still be in his bosom an aching void, a secret something unpos- sessed. But the man who can look up to the Lord Jesus Christ, and say, " This is my Friend, and my Beloved," " My Beloved is mine, and I am his," can never wish for any thing beyond. Our blessed Lord has said, " He that drinketh of this water shall thirst again : but whoso drinketh of the water that I shall give, shall never thirst ; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water, springing up into everlasting lifeg." Not only has earth nothing that can add to him, but not even heaven itself contains any thing that can augment his bliss. He can adopt the words of David and say, " Whom have I in heaven but thee ? and there is nothing upon earth that I desire besides theeV I mean not to say that there is an indifference to earthly comforts produced upon his mind : but there is a contentment ; insomuch that he is "fully instructed and pre- pared, either to be full or to be hungry, either to abound or to suffer need1."]
3. He has a more lasting portion —
[Whatever a man possess in this world, he must soon be stripped of it all, and " go as naked out of the world as he came into it." But at death, the godly man comes into the full possession of his inheritance. All that he enjoyed in this life was only like the portion of a minor, who has just a suffi- ciency allotted to him for his education in the world ; but, when he goes hence, he comes of age, and takes possession of all the wealth provided for him by the Father. Millions of ages will not lessen his portion, or diminish his enjoyment of it.
Say, then, Is not he happy? Yes; we may say of him, as Moses does, " Happy art thou, O Israel : who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thine excellency k ! "
S John iv. 13, 14. h Ps. lxxiii. 25.
1 Phil. iv. 11, 12. k Deut. xxxiii. 29.
i i 2