God in his arms; for he remembered him upon his bed, and meditated on him in the night watches; and his soul was satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and when awakened out of his sleep, he found him in his arms: "When I awake, I am still with thee." 3. He mounts up, when he gets a fresh gale and new influences of the Spirit. The believer, at his lowest, is like a ship wind-bound, lying at anchor, but ready to set sail whenever the wind is fair; he can but make small progress with the oars of diligence, when the wind and tide is against him. O Sirs, if there be any gale of the Spirit blowing among you this day, then mount, mount, mount; you may make more progress then in an hour, than you will do without it in many a year, yea, in a whole life-time. Doth he Nay, he 4. The believer uses to mount up with wings about a communion time; nothing less will serve him than to come to Bethel, the house of God; he will go into the chambers of presence, and never rest till he be at the end of his flight. Where is that, say you? Doth he mount to a communion-table? Nay, he must be farther. mount to the top of duties and ordinances? must be farther. Doth he mount to heaven? must be farther yet. Strange! where would he flee next? Indeed, he would flee into the heart of Christ: "Set me as a seal upon thine heart." Yea, and which is more yet, he would not only have himself in Christ's heart, but he would have Christ in his heart; "Christ in him the hope of glory." And what would he do with him when he hath got him there? O then, saith he, "he shall lie all night between my breasts;" if I can, I will keep him all the night-time of this life, which is but a night, "till the day of eternity break, and the shadows fly away." 5. The believer mounts up on wings, as an eagle, at the day of death; then he soars aloft: "This night thou shalt be with me in Paradise." It is said of the adder, that when she is old, she goes through some strait passage, and leaves her old skin in the passage, and thereby renews her vigour and life. This passage of death is strait and uneasy to the body, which, like the adder's skin, is left in the way, and not without much pain and difficulty to it; but the soul passeth through without any harm, and the next moment mounts up to her state of immortality and happiness. Then the believer mounts up indeed to the general assembly and church of the first-born, to the innumerable company of angels, to God the judge of all, and to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant; yea, then he is mounted up a pillar in the temple of his God. 6. The believer will mount up at the day of judgment as with eagle's wings; then will he flee up to meet Christ in the air: "Then we which are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (1 Thes. iv. 17.) You see, then, when the believer mounts up. IV. The fourth thing is, to speak to the manner how the believer mounts up, He mounts up with wings as an eagle. In whatever respects the eagle mounts up, the same way doth the believer. 1. The eagle mounts up freely and naturally; God gives it a mounting nature: "Doth the eagle mount up at thy command?" says the Lord to Job. (xxxix. 27.) Nay, it is by the instinct which the Lord hath given it; so that it is natural to it. Thus the believer mounts up naturally after God hath given him the new heart; it is natural to him to be mounting towards God. When the hypocrite mounts, he is forced up contrary to his natural tendency, as it were, like a stone cast up into the air; it is not natural to it to fly up, but rather to fall down; but the believer mounts up naturally and freely. 2. The eagle mounts up highly; she flies higher than other birds; she makes her nest on high, on some inaccessible rock; not like the ostrich, that leaves her eggs in the sand, as some leave their souls here on earth. But these spiritual eagle believers, these heavenly birds, they fly high, even to the Rock of Ages; and hence their daily desire is, "Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I." 3. The eagle mounts up strongly, vehemently, and violently; it is a strong bird, and when it hath got the prey, it flies with violence. Thus doth the believer mount up. "For the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." With such earnestness and intentness doth he mount up towards heaven, that no difficulty in the way shall hinder him. 4. The eagle mounts up swiftly and suddenly. This follows upon the other; for its strength and violence in flying infers celerity. So doth the believer, under the lively influences of the Spirit. O how quick is his motion! "Or ever he is aware, his soul makes him like the chariots of Aminadab." It is a speedy flight that the believer makes towards Christ; he mounts swiftly. 5. The eagle mounts up gradually; though its flight be strong and swift, yet it is gradual; it comes not to the utmost extent of its motion but by degrees. So the believer mounts gradually; he goes from strength to strength, till he appear before God in Zion. (Ps. lxxxiv. 7.) He flies still higher and higher; and so the object of his aim draws nearer and nearer to him, while he comes to more and more knowledge of God, and more and more communion with him, till faith and hope land in vision and fruition. 6. The eagle mounts up frequently and daily; and in respect of its mounting disposition, constantly. So it is with the believer, he is always mounting; he hath still a mounting disposition, and he is constantly endeavouring to be actually mounting. The carnal professor never mounts up but about the time of a communion, or the time of some sore affliction or conviction, and whenever these seasons are over, he goes as fast down as he went up; but it is the believer's trade of life to be mounting on week days as well as on Sabbath days, and on ordinary Sabbaths as well as communion Sabbaths. V. The next thing is, To show the reasons why the believer, who hath his strength renewed, mounts up on wings like an eagle. 1. Because he hath an eagle's nature. I said before, that the believer mounts up naturally. Why? Because he hath an eagle's nature. It is the natural disposition of the eagle to fly upwards. So the believer hath a disposition to mount up to God, he being a new creature: "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature." (2 Cor. v. 17.) This new nature ascends to heaven, from whence it descended. The old nature goes always downward, but the new nature mounts upwards. If you want the new nature, you want the mounting disposition. 2. He mounts up on wings like an eagle, because he hath an eagle's eye. So the believer; he can see that invisible Sun, which no natural eye can attain to: "The poor in spirit and pure in heart shall see God." (Mat. v. 3, 8.) "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him;" (1 Cor. ii. 14;) but the believer, knowing the mind of Christ, sees farther than the world; he sees the king in his beauty, and the land afar off. When he sees these things, he cannot but mount up to them: "He endures, as seeing him who is invisible." (Heb. xi. 27.) He is far-sighted: "Abraham rejoiced to see Christ's day afar off, and he saw it, and was glad." This is that blessed object, which every believing soul doth see, even when he is in this world. 3. He mounts up on wings like an eagle, because he hath his nest on high, like an eagle. No wonder, then, he flies up, for his nest, I mean his seat, his food, his treasure, his heart, his head, his all is above. His seat is above. The believing eagle cannot find himself safe while here below; therefore he flies to the Rock of Ages, and there he sits. His food is above; Christ is his food: "My flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed." Now, his food being above, "Where the carcase is, thither will the eagles be gathered together." His treasure is above. He hath an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, that is reserved in heaven for him; and up he must to visit his inheritance. His heart is above, where his treasure is; yea, Christ hath gotten his heart a-keeping; and he must be where his heart is. And, in a word, his head is above; and must not the members be where the head is? And must not the stones of the building be where the foundation is? Christ is the Head Corner-Stone. His all is above. Christ is all in all to him, and, therefore, mount he must; for this eagle hath a rich nest above. 4. He mounts up with wings as an eagle, because his strength is renewed like the eagle's: "Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things, so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's." (Ps. ciii. 5.) Therefore, having renewed his strength, he mounts up on wings, like the eagle. Some say the eagle is renewed when it casts its old feathers and gets new ones; so the believer gets the old feathers of corruption removed, and puts on the new man. (Eph. iv. 24.) Others say the eagle's youth is renewed when, its stomach being thirsty, it drinks the blood of the prey; and so the believer gets his strength renewed by drinking the blood of Christ by faith. (Eph. iv. 13.) It is in the unity of the faith that he comes to the perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. If you have got a drink of the blood of Christ this day, to be sure your strength will be renewed; and if your strength be renewed, you cannot but be mounting upon wings as an eagle. Here we might show the influence between the renewing of the believer's strength and his mounting up; but this is easily perceived, especially by those that know it experimentally. VI. The sixth thing in the general method is the application. Is it so that believers who, in waiting on the Lord, have their strength renewed, do mount up on wings as eagles? Waving several uses that might be made, hence, 1st, May we not see ground to lament that so few are mounting up as on eagle's wings at this day? Many people's minds are no-ways with God: "God is not in all their thoughts." Some mount up only in vain thoughts; and O! "How long shall vain thoughts lodge within you?" (Jer. iv. 14.) Some spend their thoughts on worldly affairs, the profits, pleasures, riches, and honours of it; they mind earthly things. Some seem to mount, and they mount a little, but they come down again; like Herod, who heard John gladly, but soon did he fall. Some, when they are young, they are very religious, but their religion is easily rubbed off again. They begin in the Spirit and end in the flesh. Some mount no further than restraining grace, while the Lord withholds them, as he did Abimelech, from sinning against him. But they want constraining grace; they know not what it is to have the love of God constraining them. Many, instead of mounting at the time of ordinances, the devil and the world run away with their hearts; or, if they get any kindly frame about a sacrament, whenever they go home they forget all, and give loose reins again to their thoughts and words, to their affections and actions. 2dly. We may apply it for examination and trial. Try whether you be mounting Christians or not; to be sure you are mounting or sinking. You need to try after as well as before you go to the Lord's table. "How shall I know," say you, "whether or not I be mounting up as on eagle's wings? I shall keep by the simile, and give you the following marks: 1. If you be mounting up on wings like an eagle, then God hath opened the iron cage and set you at liberty. While a man is in a state of nature, or in legal bondage, he is like a bird in an iron cage; he cannot mount till God |