The Fading of the Flesh and Flourishing of Faith, Chapter 14
CHAP. XIV. The Difference betwixt the Portions of Gracious and Graceleſs perſons in this World.
2. IT informeth us of the difference in their portions. The wicked man hath a portion of goods; 2. Uſe informeth the difference betwixt the ſinners and Saints Portion.Father, give me the Portion of goods which belongeth to me Luke. 15. and 12. But the godly man only hath the good portion. I ſhall inſtance in three particulars, wherein the Portion in this world of a ſinner differeth from the Saints.
Firſt; Their Portion is poor; The Sinners Portion is Poor.It conſiſteth in toys and trifles, like the eſtate of mean women in the City, who make a great noiſe in crying their ware, which is only a few points or pins, or matches. But the portion of a Saint lieth (though he do not proclaim it about the ſtreets) as the rich Merchants, in ſtaple commodities and jewels. The worldlings portion at beſt is but a little airy honour, or empty pleaſure, or beggarly treaſure. But the Chriſtians is the beautiful Image of God, the incomparable Covenant of Grace, the exceeding rich and precious promiſes of the Goſpel, the ineſtimable Saviour, and the infinitely bleſſed God. The ſinners portion is nothing; ye have rejoyced in a thing of nought. Amos 6.13. a faſhion, a fancy. 1 Cor. 7.29. Acts 25.23. but the Saints portion is all things; All things are yours, and ye are Chriſts, and Chriſt is Gods, 1 Cor. 3.22, 23. As Abraham gave gifts to the ſons of his Concubines, and ſent them away, but he gave all he had to Iſaac: ſo God giveth common gifts of riches, or friends, or credit to wicked men (which is all they crave) and ſendeth them away (and they are well contented) but he gives grace, glory, his Spirit, his Son, himſelf, all he hath to his Iſaacs, to the children of the promiſe, Gen. 25.5, 6. He giveth earth into the hands of the wicked, Job 9.24. All their portion lyeth in duſt, rubbiſh and lumber; all they are worth is a few eares of corn, which they glean here and there in the field of this world; but he giveth heaven into the hearts of the godly; their portion conſiſteth in gold, and ſilver, and diamonds, the peculiar treaſure of Kings, in the love of God, the blood of Chriſt, and the pleaſures at his right hand for evermore. Others, like ſervants, have a little meat, and drink, and wages; but Saints, like ſons, they (are a congregation of the firſt-born, and) have the inheritance. O the vaſt difference betwixt the portion of the prodigal and the pious! the former hath ſomething given him by God (as Peninnah had by Elkanah) though at laſt it will appear to be little better then nothing, when he gives the latter (as Elkanah did Hannah) a goodly, a worthy portion becauſe he loves them, 1 Sam. 1.4, 5.
Their portion is piercing.2. Their portion is piercing; as it is compared to broken ciſterns for its vanity, ſo to thornes for its vexation, Jer. 2.13. Matth. 13.22. A ſinner layeth the heavy lumber of his earthly portion on his heart, and that muſt needs oppreſs it with care, and fear and many ſorrows, whereas the Saints portion, the fine linnen of his Saviours righteouſneſs, lying next his fleſh, is ſoft and pleaſing. The abundance of the rich will not ſuffer him to ſleep, Eccleſ. 5.12. his portion hinders his peace: his riches ſet him upon a wrack: His cruelty in getting it, his care to increaſe it, and the ſecret curſe of God accompanying it, do like the importunate widow allow him no reſt day or night: When the Godly mans portion makes his bed eaſie, lays his pillow ſoft and covers him warm; I will lay me down in peace and ſleep, for thou Lord makeſt me to dwell in ſafety. Nay ſuch an excellent ſleeping pill is this portion, that by the vertue of it David, when he was purſued by his unnatural ſon, and was in conſtant danger of death, when he had the earth for his bed, the trees for his curtains, the ſtars for his candles, and the heavens for his canopy, could ſleep as ſweetly, as ſoundly as ever he did on his bed of down, in his royal pallace at Jeruſalem: Thou, O Lord, art a ſhield for me, my glory, and the lifter up of mine head; I laid me down and ſlept, I awaked, for the Lord ſuſtained me, Pſal. 3.3. and 5. Pſal. 4. ult.
The ſinners portion is termed wind, Hoſ. 8.7. If wind get into the bowels of the earth, it cauſeth concuſſions and earthquakes; his riches, and honours, and friends lie near him, are within him, and thereby cauſe much anxiety and diſquietneſs of ſpirit; his portion, like windy fruit, fills his belly with pains. It is ſmoak in his eyes, gravel in his teeth, Sine Deo omnis copia eſt egeſtas. Bern.wind in his ſtomack, and gripes in his bowels. The Saints part is his joy and delight: Then ſhall I go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, Pſal. 43.4. It is muſick to his eares, beauty to his eyes, ſweet odours to his ſcent, honey to his taſte, and melody … his heart. In the preſence of his portion is fulneſs of joy, and at his right hand are pleaſures for evermore, Pſal. 16. ult. He ſits at an inward heart-chearing feaſt in the greateſt outward famine; when the worldling in the midſt of his gaudy ſhew of wealth is but a book fairly gilt without, conſiſting of nothing but tragedies within; his portion is too narrow a garment then that he can wrap himſelf in it, and too ſhort a bed then that he can ſtretch himſelf on it.
The vanity of the ſinners portion makes it full of vexation to him, becauſe it cannot fill him, therefore it frets him: In the midſt of his ſufficiency he is in ſtraights, Job 20.22. Though his table be never ſo well ſpread, he hath not an heart to uſe it, but pineth himſelf with fear of poverty, and runneth hither and thither, up and down like a beggar, to this and that door of the creature for ſome poor ſcraps and ſmall dole. He may poſſeſs many pounds, and not enjoy one penny, Eccleſ. 6.2.
But the portion of the Saint affords him a comfortable ſubſiſtence. Though the whole be not payed him till he come to full age, T…n…um h…bet quantum vul qui nihil vu t niſi qu…d habet. Seneca.yet the intereſt of it, which is allowed him in his minority, affordeth him ſuch an honourable maintenance, that he needs not borrow of his ſervants, nor be beholden to his beggarly neighbours; he hath enough conſtantly about him to live upon, and therefore may ſpare his frequent walk to the creatures ſhop for a ſupply of his wants.
Their portion is periſhing3. Their portion is periſhing: This fire of thornes at which carnal men warm their hands (for it cannot reach the heart) after a ſmall blaze and little bluſtring noiſe goeth out. Carnal comforts, like Comets, appear for a time, and then vaniſh; when the portion of a Saint, like a true ſtar, is fixt and firm. A worldlings wealth lyeth in earth, and therefore as wares laid in low damp cellars, corrupts and moulders; but the godly mans treaſure is in heaven, and as commodities laid up in high rooms, continueth ſound and ſafe. Earthly portions are often like gueſts which ſtay for a night and away; but the Saints portion is an Inhabitant that abides in the houſe with him for ever.
It is ſaid of Gregory the Great, that he trembled every time he read or thought of that ſpeech of Abraham to Dives, Son, remember that thou in thy life time hadſt thy good things, Luke 16.25. To have his all in time, and nothing when he entered upon his eternity; to live like a prodigal one day, and be a beggar for ever; Surely it was a ſad ſaying. The flower ſheds whilſt the ſtalk remains; the ſinner continues when his portion vaniſhes: The ſinners portion, like his ſervant, when he dyeth, will ſeek a new Maſter. Thou fool, this night thy ſoul ſhall be required of thee, and then whoſe ſhall theſe things be? Luke 12.20. Whoſe? poſſibly the poors, whom he had wronged and robbed to inrich himſelf; it may be his childes, who will ſcatter it as prodigally as he raked it together penuriouſly: but whoſeſoever it was, it could be none of his, and then, when parted from his portion, what a poor fool was he indeed? not worth a farthing. But the Saints wealth will accompany him into the other world; the truth is, that is the place where he receiveth his portion: Bleſſed are they that die in the Lord, they reſt from their labours, and their works follow them, Rev, 14.13.
When men go a great journey, as beyond the ſeas, they carry not their tables, or bedſieads, or any ſuch heavy luggage and lumber along with them; but their ſilver, and gold, and jewels. When the ſinner goeth the way of all the earth, he leaves his portion behind him, becauſe it conſiſts wholly in lumber; but the Saints portion conſiſting wholly in things of value (in wiſdome which is better then ſilver, and grace which is more worth then pure gold, and in God who is moue precious then rubies, and all that can be deſired is not to be compared to him) he carrieth all along with him.
It is ſaid of Dathan and his companions, that the earth ſwallowed them up, and their houſes, and all that appertained to them: ſo when the earth ſhall at death ſwallow up his perſon, it will alſo (as to his uſe) ſwallow up his portion, Numb. 32.33.
This whole world muſt paſs away, and what then will become of the ſinners portion? ſurely he may cry out as they of Moab, Woe to me, I am undone, Numb. 21.29. but even at that day the Saint may ſing and be joyful at heart; for till then he ſhall not know the full value of his inheritance.
It is as ſad a ſpeech as moſt in Scripture, whoſe portion is in this life, Pſal. 17.14. All their eſtate lyeth, as the Reubenites, on this ſide Canaan.