Imatges de pàgina
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joyment. And these promises of God are more precious to the saint, than the most precious earthly jewels. The gospel which contains these p omises, doth therein contain greater treasures, in his esteem, than the cabinets of princes, or the mines of the Indies.

2. The saints prefer what of God may be obtained in this world before all things in the world. They not only preferthose glorious degrees of the enjoyment of God which are promised hereafter, before any thing in this world; but even such degrees as may be attained to here in the present state, though they are immensely. short of what is to be enjoyed in heaven. There is a great difference in the spiritual attain ments of the saints in this world. Some attain to much great er acquaintance and communion with God, and conformity to him, than others. But the highest attainments are very small in comparison with what is future.

The saints are capable of making progress in spiritual at tainments, and of obtaining more of God than ever yet they have obtained; and they are of such a spirit that they earnest ly desire such further attainments. Not contented with those degrees to which they have already attained, they hunger and thirst after righteousness, and, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that they may grow thereby. It is their desire, to know more of God, to have more of his image, and to be enabled more to imitate God and Christ in their walk and conversation. The appetite of the soul of a godly man is after God and Jesus Christ, as appears by many places of scripture; as Psalm xxvii. 4. "One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple." Psalm xlii. 1, 2. "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: When shall I come and appear before God?" Psalm lxiii. 1. 2. "O God thou art my God, early will I seek thee; my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; to see thy power

and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary." See also, Psalm lxxxiv. 1, 2, 3, and Psalm cxxx 6. "My soul waiteth for the Lord, more than they that watch for the morn ing: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.”

Though every saint has not this longing desire after God to the same degree that the Psalmist had, yet they are all of the same spirit; they have a spirit earnestly to desire and long for more of God, to be nearer to him, to have more of his presence and of the light of his countenance, and to have more of God in their hearts. That this is the spirit of the godly in general, and not of some particular saints only, appears from Isa. xxvi. 8, 9, where not any particular saint, but the church in general speaks thus: "Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the 'remembrance of thee. With my soul have I desired thee in the night, and with my spirit within me will I seek thee early."

It appears also to be the spirit of the saints in general, by some expressions of the spouse or the church in the Canticle ;' as chapter iii. 1, 2. “By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth; I sought him, but I found him not. I will rise now, and go about the city; in the streets and broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth." So chapter v. 6, 8. "I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer. I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love."

The saints are not always in the lively exercise of such a spirit; but such a spirit they have, and sometimes they have the sensible exercise of it: They have a spirit to desire God and divine attainments, more than all earthly things. They desire and seek to be rich in grace, more than they do to get earthly riches. They seek snd desire the honor which is of God, more than that which is of men, John v. 44. They desire communion with God, more than any earthly pleasures whatsoever. They are in some measure of the same spirit which the apostle expresses in Philip. iii. 8. "Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss, for the excellency of the

knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, and do count them butdung that I may win Christ."

3. The saint prefers what he hath already of God before any thing in this world. That which was infused into his heart at his conversion, is more precious to him than any thing which the world can afford. The knowledge and ac quaintance which he hath with God, though it be but little, he would not part with for any thing that the world can afford. The views which are sometimes given him of the beauty and excellency of God, are more precious to him than all the treasures of the wicked. The relation of a child in which he stands to God, the union which there is between his soul and Jesus Christ, he values more than the greatest earthly dignity; he had rather have this, than to be the child of a prince. He would not part with the honor which God hath been pleas. ed to put on him by bringing him so near to him, to be set upon an earthly throne, or to wear an earthly crown, though it were the most splendid that ever was worn by any earthly po

tentate.

That image of God which is instamped on his soul, he values more than any earthly ornaments. It is, in his esteem, better to be adorned with the graces of God's Holy Spirit, than to be made to shine in jewels of gold, and the most costly pearls, or to be admired for the greatest external beauty. He values the robe of the righteousness of Christ, which he hath on his soul, more than the robes of princes. The spiritual pleasures and delights which he sometimes has in God, he prefers far before all the pleasures of sin, Psalm lxxxiv. 10. "A day in thy courts is better than a thousand: I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness."

A saint thus prefers God before all things in this world, 1. As he prefers God before any thing else that he possesses in the world. Whatever temporal enjoyments he has, he prefers God to them all. If he have pleasant earthly accommodations; yet it is with respect to God, and not his earth.

ly accommodations, that he saith, as in Psalm xvi. 5,6. "The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance, and of my cup: Thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen to me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage." If he be rich, yet he chiefly sets his heart, not on his earthly, but his heavenly riches, He prefers God before any earthly friend, and the favor of God before any respect that is shown him by his fellow creatures.

Although a godly man may have many earthly enjoyments, yet in his heart he sets God above them all. Although he may give these room in his heart, and too much room; yet he reserves the throne for God; Luke xiv. 26. "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple."

2. He prefers God before any earthly enjoyment of which he hath a prospect. The children of men commonly set their hearts more on some earthly happiness for which they hope, and after which they are seeking, than on what they have in present possession. They very much live upon vain hopes of happiness in earthly things, an happiness which they imagine is to be obtained by and by. But a godly man prefers God to any thing which he has in prospect, or is seeking in the world. He may, indeed, through the prevalence of corruption, for a season be carried away and swallowed up, with some enjoyment which he is pursuing; however, he will again come to himself; this is not the temper of the man, he is of another spirit.

3. It is the spirit of a godly man to prefer God to any earthly enjoyment of which he can conceive. He not only prefers him to any thing which he now possesses; but he sees nothing possessed by any of his neighbors, or any of his fellow creatures, that he has such an esteem of, as he has of God. If he could have as much worldly prosperity as he would, if he could have earthly things, just to his mind, and agreeable to his inclination; he values the portion which he has in God, above such a portion as this: He prefers Christ to earthly kingdoms.

APPLICATION.

1. Hence we may learn, that whatever changes a godly man passes through, he is happy; because God, who is un changeable, is his chosen portion. It he meet with temporal losses, and be deprived of many of his temporal enjoyments, or of all of them; yet God, whom he prefers before all those things which he hath lost, still remains, and cannot be lost. While he stays here in this changeable, troublesome world, yet he is happy, because his chosen portion, on which he builds, as his main foundation for happiness, is above the world, and above all changes. And if he die and go into another world, still he is happy, because that portion, which he prefers to all that is either in this or another world, yet remains. Whatev❤ er he be deprived of, he cannot be deprived of his chief por tion; his inheritance remains sure to him.

If worldly minded men could find out a way to secure to themselves some certain earthly enjoyments, on which they mainly set their hearts, so that they could not be lost, nor im paired while they live, how great would they account the priv ilege, though other things which they esteem in a less degree were liable to the same uncertainty as they now are? Where as now, those earthly enjoyments, on which men chiefly set their hearts, are often most fading But how great is the hap piness of those who have chosen the Fountain of all good, and prefer him before all things in heaven or on earth, as they can never be deprived of him to all eternity!

2. Let all by these things ex..mine and try themselves, whether they be saints or not. As his which hath been exhibited is the spirit of the saints, so it is peculiar to them: None can use the language of the text, and say, Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee, but the saints. A man's choice is that which determines his state. He that chooses God for his portion, and

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