The fading of the flesh and flourishing of faith, or, One cast for eternity…

The Prodigal wasted his portion, and so came to poverty; the Glutton swalloweth down his portion, burying it in his belly; the Drunkard vomiteth up his portion; the ambitious person often turneth his portion into smoke, and it vanisheth in the air; those whose portion continueth longest, will be turned out of possession, when Death once comes with a Writ from Heaven to seal a Lease of ejectment; for all these portions are dying gourds, deceitful brooks, and flying shadows. But ah! how contrary hereunto is the portion of a believer! God is an eternal portion. If he were once thy portion, he would be for ever thy portion: When thy estate, and children, and wife, and honours, and all earthly things should be taken from thee: He is the good part which shall never be taken from thee, Luke 10. ult. Thy Friends may use thee as a suit of apparel, which when they have worn threadbare they throw off, and call for new: thy Relations may serve thee as women their flowers, who stick them in their bosoms when fresh and flourishing; but when dying and withered, they throw them to the dunghill; thy riches, and honours, and pleasures, and wife, and children, may stand on the shore and see thee launching into the Ocean of Eternity, but ⟨p. 173⟩will not step one foot into the water after thee; thou mayst sink or swim for them; only this God is thy portion, will never leave thee nor forsake thee, Hebr. 13.5. O how happy wouldst thou be in having such a friend! Thy portion would be tied to thee in this life, as Dionysius thought his kingdom was to him, with chains of Adamant; there would be no severing it from thee. The world could not; thou shouldst live above the world whilst thou walkest about it, and behave thy self in it not as its champion but conqueror; He that is born of God, overcometh the world, 1 John 5.9. Satan should not part thee and thy portion; thy God hath him in his chain; and though, like a Mastiff without teeth, he may bark, yet he can never bite or hurt his children: I have written unto you young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one, 1 John 2.13. Nay it should not be in thine own power to sell away thy portion; thou wouldest be a joint heir with Christ; and co-heirs cannot sell, except both join; and Christ knoweth the worth of this inheritance too well to part with it for all that this beggarly world can give.