God, the Best Portion of the Christian (Part 2)

(DATED APRIL 1736)

Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee. (Psalms 73:25)

1. He prefers God before anything else that he possesses in the world. Whatever temporal enjoyments he has, he prefers God to them all. Psalms 16:5-6, “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 is rich, he chiefly sets his heart on his heavenly riches. He prefers God before any earthly friend, and the divine favor before any respect shown him by his fellow man. Although there is room for these in his heart, and much room, yet he always reserves the throne for God. Luke 14:26, “If 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 enjoyments. The children of men commonly sest their hearts more on some earthly happiness for which they hope for and are seeking for more than what they have. But a godly man prefers God to anything for which he has desire in this world. He may, indeed, through the prevalence of corruption, be for a season carried away with some enjoyment. However, he will again come to God. This is not the temper of the godly man; he is of another spirit.
3. It is the spirit of a godly man to prefer God to any earthly enjoyments of which he can conceive. He not only prefers Him to anything which he now possesses, but he sees nothing possessed by any other man, so estimable. Could he have as much worldly prosperity as he would, could he have earthly things just to his mind, and agreeable to his inclination; he values the portion which he has in God incomparably more. He prefers Christ to earthly kingdoms.

APPLICATION

First, we may learn that whatever changes a godly man passes through, he is happy. He is happy because his chosen portion on which he builds as his main foundation of happiness, is above the world, and above all changes. And when he goes into another, he will remain happy, because that desire stays the same. Whatever he can be deprived of, he cannot be deprived of his chief portion; his inheritance remains sure to him.

If a worldly-minded man could find a way to get for himself everything that he could ever want, so that it could never be taken away from him would he be content? No … because all of those earthly enjoyments on which he set his heart are all fading. But how great is the happiness of those who have chosen the Fountain of all good, who prefer Him before all things in heaven or on earth, and who can never be deprived of Him to all eternity!

Second, let all examine and try themselves, whether they be saints or not.

As has been shown, this is the spirit of the true saint. None can use the language of the text, and say, Whom have I in heaven but thee? 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 prefers Him to all other things, is a godly man, for he chooses and worships Him as God. There is a union and covenant relation between that man and the true God.

Every man is as his God is. If you would like to know whether a man is godly or not, ask him about his God. If it is the true God that he knows and loves, and whom he worships above all else, then he is doubtless as servant of the true God. But if the man has something else to which he pays a greater respect than to Jehovah, then he is not a godly man.

How is it with you? Do you prefer God before all other things?

It may sometimes be difficult for persons to determine this themselves. The ungodly may nbe deluded with some false affections. The godly in dull frames may be at a loss about it. But try it yourselves, as to this matter, go through the following list several times. If you cannot speak fully to one thing, you may perhaps to others.

1. What is it that chiefly makes you desire to go to heaven when you die? Indeed some have no great desire to go to heaven at all. They do not care to go to hell, but if they could be safe from that, they would not much concern themselves abot heaven. If that is not how it is with you, if you find that you do have a desire to go to heaven, then ask yourself, why? What it is for? Is the main reason that you may be with God, have communion with Him, and be conformed to Him? That you may see Christ, and enjoy Him there? Does this keep your hearts, and your desires, and your expectations towards heaven?
2. If you could avoid death, and have your free choice, would you choose to live always in this world without God, rather than in His time to leave the world in order to be with Him? If you might live here in earthly prosperity to all eternity, but destitute of the presence of God and communion with Him — having no spiritual relationship between Him and your soul, God and you being strangers to each other forever — would you choose this rather than to leave the world in order to dwell in heaven as the children of God, there to enjoy the glorious privileges of children, in holy and perfect love of God, and enjoyment of Him to all eternity? Think about it.
3. Do you prefer Christ to all others as the way to heaven? He who truly choose God, prefers Him in each person of the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: the Father as his Father; the Son as his Savior; the Holy Ghost as his Sanctifier. Ask yourself whether you choose the enjoyment of God in heaven as your highest portion and happiness, or Jesus Christ before all others, as your way to heaven? Is the sense of the excellency of Christ, and of the way of salvation by Him, and the glory of Christ, and of sovereign grace your answer? Is the way of free grace, by the blood and righteousness of the blessed and glorious Redeemer, the most excellent way to life in your desires? Does it add a value to a heavenly inheritance, that it is conferred in this way? Is this far better to you than to be saved by your own righteousness, or by any of your own performances, or by any other Mediator?
4. If you might go to heaven in whatever way you please, would you prefer to all others the way of a strict walk with God? As has been representative, those who prefer God choose Him not only in the end but on the way. They would rather be with God than with any other, not on ly when they come to the end of their journey, but also while they are in their pilgrimage. They choose the way of walking with God, though it be a way of labor, and care, and self-denial, rather than a way of sin, though it be a way of sloth and gratifying their lusts.
5. Were you to spend your eternity ini this world, would you choose to live in ordinary and low circumstances with the gracious presence of God, rather than to live forever in earthly prosperity without Him? Would you rather spend it in holy living, and serving and walking with God, and in the enjoyment of the privileges of His children — God often manifesting Himself to you as your Father, disclosing His glory, manifesting His love, and lifting the light of His countenance upon you? Would you rather choose these things, though in poverty, than abound in worldly things and live in ease and prosperity, at the same time being an alien from the common wealth of Israel? Could you be content to stand without a child-like relation to God, neither enjoying a gracious relationship with Him, nor having any right to be acknowledged by Him as His children? Or would such a life as this, though in ever so great earthly posperity, be seen by you a miserable life?

If, after all, there remain with you doubts and difficulty in deciding if you do truly and sincerely prefer God to all other things, I would mention two things which are the surest ways to settle these matters.

(1) The feeling of some particular strong, and llively exercise of such a spirit. A person may have such a spirit as is spoken of in the doctrine, and may have the exercise of it in a low degree, and yet remain in doubt whether he has it or not, and be unable to come to a satisfying determination.

God is pleased sometimes to give such discoveries of His glory, and of the excellency of Christ, as do so draw forth the heart, that they know beyond all doubt, that they feel such a spirit as Paul spoke of, when he said, “he counted all things but loss for the excellency of Christ Jesus his Lord;” and they can boldly say, as in the text, “Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee.”

At such times the people of God do not need any help of ministers to satisfy them whether they have the true love of God. They plainly see and feel it; and the Spirit of God then witnesses with their spirits, that they are the children of God.

Therefore, if you would be satisifed upon this point, earnestly seek Him. Seek that you may have such clear and lively exercises of His spirit. To this end, you must also work to grow in grace. Though you have had such experiences in times past, and they satisfied you then, yet you may again doubt. You should always seek that you may have them more often.. The way is to earnestly press forward, that you may have more acquaintance with God, and have the principles of grace strengthened. This is the way to have the exercises of grace stronge, more lively, and more frequently, and so to be satisifed that you have a spirit of supremem love of God.

(2) The other way is to inquire whether or not you prefer God to all other things in real life. When you have occasion to tell by your life which you prefer, when you must either cleave to one or the other, and must either forsake other things or forsake God — what do you do then?: Will it be your experience that you really do prefer God to all other things? Even to those earthly things that your hearts love the most? Are your lives those of adherence to God, and of serving Him in this manner?

He who sincerely prefers God to all other things in his heart, will do it in his life.

For when God and all other things compete for a man’s affections, that is the only way to really tell what he will choose. The manner of acting in such cases must certainly determine what the choice is in all free agents, or those who act on choice. Therefore there is no sign of sincerity so much insisted on in the Bible as this: that we deny ourselves, sell all, forsake the world, take up the cross, and follow Christ whithersoever He goes.

Therefore, so run, not as uncertainly; so fight, not as those that the beat air; but keep under your bodies, and bring them into subjection.

Act not as though you counted yourselves to have achieved anything; but this one thing do, “forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, press toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” 2 Peter 1:5, etc. “And besides this, giving diligence, add to your faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”