"Abraham rejoiced to fee Chrift's day afar off, and he faw it, and was glad." This is that bleffed object, which every believing foul doth fee, even when he is in this world.

3. He mounts up on wings like an eagle; because he hath his neft on high, like an eagle: no wonder then he flies up, for his neft, I mean, his feat, his food, his treasure, his heart, his head, his all is above.He feat is above: the believing eagle cannot find himfelf fafe while here below; therefore he flies to the Rock of ages, and there he fits.-His food is above : Chrift is his food; " My flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed." Now, his food being above, "Where the carcafe 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 muft to vifit his inheritance.-His heart is above, where his treasure is; yea, Chrift hath gotten his heart a-keeping; and he muft be where his heart is.—And, in a word, his head is above and muft not the members be where the head is? And muft not the ftones of the building be where the foundation is? Christ is the head corner-ftone.-His all is above: Chrift is all in all to him; and, therefore, mount he muft; for this eagle hath a rich nest above.

4. He mounts up with wings as an eagle, because his ftrength is renewed, like the eagle's; "Who fatisfies thy foul with good things; fo that thy ftrength is renewed like the eagle's," Pfalm iii. 5. Therefore, having renewed his strength, he mounts up on wings, like the eagle. Some fay the eagle is renewed, when it cafis its old feathers, and gets new ones; fo the believer gets the old feathers of corruption removed, and puts on the new man, Eph. iv. 24. Others fay, the eagle's youth is renewed, when, its ftomach being thirfly, it drinks the blood of the prey; and fo the believer gets his ftrength renewed, by drinking the blood of Chrift 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 ftature of the fulnefs of Christ. If you have got a drink

of

of the blood of Chrift this day, to be fure your strength will be renewed; and if your strength be renewed, you cannot but be mounting up on wings as an eagle.Here we might fhew the influence between the renew*ing of the believer's ftrength, and his mounting up; but this is eafily perceived, especially by thefe that know it experimentally.

VI. The Sixth thing in the general method, is the Application. Is it fo, That believers, who, in waiting on the Lord, have their ftrength renewed, do mount upon wings as eagles? Waving feveral uses that might be made, hence,

ift, May we not fee ground to lament, that fo few are mounting up as on eagle's wings at this day. Many peoples mind are no-ways with God; God is not in all their thoughts."-Some mount up only in vain thoughts and, Oh! "How long fhall vain thoughts lodge within you?" Jer. iv. 14. Some fpend their thoughts on worldly affairs, the profits, pleasures, riches, and honours of it; they mind earthly things. Some feem to mount, and they mount a little, but they come down again; like Herod, who heard John gladly, but foon did he fall. Some, when they are young, they are very religious, but their religion is eafily rubbed off again: They begin in the Spirit, and end in the flesh.Some mount no farther than restraining grace, while the Lord with-holds them, as he did Abimelech from finning against him; but they want restraining grace; they know not what it is to have the love of God conftraining them. Many, inftead of mounting in time of ordinances, the devil and the world run away with their hearts; or if they get any kindly frame about a facrament, 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 Chriftians or not: to be fure, you are mounting or finking. You need to try after as well as before you go to the Lord's table.

How

How fhall I know, fay you, whether or not I be mounting up as on eagle's wings? I fhail keep by the fimile, 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 fet you at liberty.While a man is in a late of nature, or in legal bondage, he is like a bird in an iron cage; he cannot mount, till God come and knock off his fetters, and loofe his bands, and proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prifon doors to them that are bound; and fo lets them out to the free air, that they may fly. If you be a mounting foul, you will know fomething, more or lefs of this; you have found yourself in the iron cage, in the devil's claws and you have found the Lord turning you from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God; at least, you can fay, in fome measure, Once I was blind, now I fee;" once I was bound, and now I am fet at liberty.

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2. If you be mounting up on eagle's wings, then you will have fomething of an eagle's appetite; "Where the carcafe is, thither will the eagles be gathered together. The eagle, it is faid, doth very greedily devour her prey; and if you be a true eagle, you will eat greedily of the flesh and blood of the Son of God. It is not a little of this heavenly carcafe that fatisfies the believing eagle; he must feed upon it greedily, and daily; yea, and live upon it conftantly: "The life that he lives, is by faith on the Son of God."

3. If you be mounting up on eagle's wings, then you have got fomething of an eagle's heart: the eagle is a noble kind of creature, difdaining to prey upon mean birds. We have a common Latin proverb, Aquila non captat mufcas; [that is, The eagle doth not catch flies.] It preys only upon creatures worthy of it: fo, the noble generous foul of the mounting believer, will not ftoop to these things that are inferior to him, or unworthy of him; no kingdom will pleafe him, but the kingdom of heaven; no heritage, but the heritage of Jacob; no rock, but the Rock of ages; no portion, but a portion in the Son of Jeffe."

4. If you be mounting up on eagles wings, then you will be daily cafting off your old feathers; fuch as, the old feather of felf-righteoufnefs: you will never allow yourfelf to mount up with the wing of your own righteoufnefs. You will know that the devil clipt old Adam's wings; yea, that by the fall he brake his wings, and that never one fince the fall could mount up to heaven on the wing of this old-covenant rightebufnefs, unless it was the double eagle, if I may fo exprefs it, the God-man in two natures, and one perfon, who came to bring in everlafting righteoufnefs: under this great wing, do all the little eagles flock, as the hen's chickens do under her wings, defiring to be found in Chrift, "Not having their own righteoufnefs, which is after the law, but that which is through the faith of Chrift, the righteoufnefs which is of God by faith," Phil. iii. 9.And as they will be cafting the old feather of their own felf-righteoufnefs, fo the old feather of felfconceit. O the mounting believer thinks little of himfelf; fo little, that he thinks nothing of himself. If nothing could be divided, he is lefs than nothing in his own fight; and if nothing could be disparaged, he is worse than nothing; he is the least of faints, and the chief of finners, as Paul was in his own eyes: he cafts down all his attainments, all his enjoyments, all his qualifications, all duties at Chrift's feet as nothing; that fo he may have nothing to be a weight to keep him from mounting up.-In a word, he cafts off the old feathers of fin and corruption daily; alfo enmity, unbelief, hypocrify, carnality; he feeks to have thefe works of the devil deftroyed wholly. It is faid, that there is an antipathy between eagles and ferpents; fo there is a continual antipathy between the believing eagle and the old ferpent; and all the ferpent's brood are abominable to him.

5. If you be mounting up on eagles wings, then you will be cloathed with the fun; the fun will be big in your eye. The mounting eagle gets a view of the fun; and the higher it mounts, the bigger doth the fun appear. If you be a mounting Chriftian, you have got above the clouds of darknefs and unbelief now and VOL. VI. then,

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then, and got a view of the Sun of righteousnefs; and he hath been fo big in your eye, as to darken the glory of all created objects; yea, fo big in your eye, that you have feen him to be all in all; to be the all of the covenant, the all of the facraments, the all of the gofpel you have feen him to be all things, and above all things, and better than all things: you have seen him to be heaven itfelf, yea, more than heaven, yea, more than ten thousand heavens: you have feen all things to be in him; election, redemption, justification, fanctification, grace, glory, and all.-O Sirs, "To you that believe, he is precious," and a pearl of great price.

6. If you be mounting up on wings as eagles, you will be cloathed with the fun, and you will have the moon of this world under your feet, Rev. xii. 1. The mounting eagle being above the clouds, fees the fun big above, and the earth little below; and the higher it mounts, the lefs will the earth appear. O the mounting believer thinks little of the world; if we were as high as the ftars, we would not fee the earth; the higher we fly to heaven, the more doth the nothingness of the earth appear to us.-The believer fometimes mounts up fo high, that he flies out of fight; the world is out of fight of him, and out of his fight and mind alfo; when he is on the mount of communion with God, glad would he be that he might never come down to the world again, as Peter on the mount of transfiguration, It is good for us

to be here."

3dly, This doctrine may be applied for Exhortation, which I fhall form in a fhort addrefs. 1. In a word of terror to the foul that never mounted. 2. A word of comfort to the mounting foul. 3. A word of counfel to the hovering foul.

[1.] A word of terror to you that never mounted up to heaven towards Chrift. Alas! what fhall we fay to you? You are not like eagles, but like filthy black ravens, that do not mount heaven-ward, nor look upon the fun, but wander to and fro upon the earth, as Noah's raven did, and feed upon dung-hills

and