Tropes and Figures · Benjamin Keach
Tropes and Figures, Treatise 1 · Head 8 · Part 7 – Part 8
Saints compared to Eagles.
Iſa. 40.31. But they that wait upon the Lord ſhall renew their Strength, they ſhall mount up with Wings as Eagles.
Pſal. 103.5. Who ſatisfieth thy Mouth with good Things, ſo that thy Youth is renewed like the Eagles.
Note. In ſome Things the Saints are likened to Eagles.
| Simile. | Parallel. |
| AN Eagle is the chief amongſt the Fowls of the Air, as a Lion is the King or chief among all the Beaſts of the Earth. | SO the Saints are the chief of Men, the Excellent, as David calls them: Thou art my Lord, Pſal. 16.2, 3. my Goodneſs extendeth not to thee, but to the Saints that are in the Earth, and to the Excellent, in whom is all my Delight. The Righteous are ſaid to be more excellent than their Neighbour. Prov. 12.26. 1 Chron. 4.9. The World is not worthy of them. Hence Jabez, that holy and gracious Man, is ſaid to be more honourable than his Brethren. A godly Man is of a more noble Extraction than the Men of the Earth. Saints have an honourable Pedigree and Deſcent, they are born of God, are (as it were) of the Blood-Royal of Heaven, and nearly related to the Prince of the Kings of the Earth. They daily converſe, have Communion and Fellowſhip with the Father, and the Son, the glorious Sovereign of all the World. They are delicately and moſt ſplendidly fed every day. Others live and feed upon the empty Things of this World, nay, on the Duſt of the Earth, on Aſhes, Husks, and Gravel; as the Holy-Ghoſt declares, They feed upon the Wind, Hoſ. 12.1. and ſnuff in the Eaſt Wind: Whilſt Believers feed on hidden Manna: He eats that which is good, and his Soul delights it ſelf in Fatneſs. He is often had into the King's Wine-Cellar, he is richly cloathed, hath more noble and honourable Titles than any Men on Earth. He hath a moſt glorious Retinue, viz. the heavenly Angels to attend him every day. Never was King (if ungodly) ſo attended, as the pooreſt Saint in the World is. Saints are the chief of all the Children of Men, as Eagles are chief of all the Fowls of the Air. |
| II. Eagles are quick-ſighted, they behold afar off. They have not only a quick and clear Sight, but a very ſtrong Sight, able to look fully upon the Sun ſhining in his Strength. Hence the Proverb is, A Man that hath a clear and ſtrong Sight, is Eagle-ey'd. | II. The Saints are very clear and quick-ſighted, they can ſee afar off, even from Earth to Heaven. They through Chriſt can behold the Glory of God with open Face. 2 Cor. 3.18. They can ſee, and do pry into the ſecret and hidden Myſteries of the Goſpel, and Covenant of Grace:Pſal. 25.14. The Secrets of the Lord are with them that fear him, and he will ſhew them his Covenant. They ſee the Evil that is in the leaſt Sin, and can diſcern what the End of the Wicked will be. |
| III. Eagles are very ſwift Creatures; they have long Wings, by which means they flie with great Swiftneſs. Therefore Solomon calling upon us not to ſet our Hearts upon Riches, ſaith, They make themſelves Wings, Prov. 27.5 and flie away as an Eagle. The Scriptures often expreſs the more than ordinary Swiftneſs of Men, by the Swiftneſs of an Eagle. David, lamenting the Death of Saul and Jonathan, gives them this Character,2 Sam. 1.23. They were ſtronger than Lions, and ſwifter than Eagles. | III. The Saints are very ſwift and ſpeedy in their Motions, when under the powerful Operation of the Spirit, or upon the Wings of Faith and Love:Pſal. 119.59, 60. I made haſte, &c. ſaith David. They are ſaid to run, nay, flie like Eagles, or as Doves to the Windows; they are many times carried ſwiftly along in the way of their Duties, as upon Eagles Wings. The Miniſters of the Goſpel are ſet forth by an Angel flying in the midſt of Heaven,Rev. 14.6. having the everlaſting Goſpel to preach unto them that dwell upon the Earth. When God's People are aſſaulted and perſecuted, they flie to God for Shelter; ſo David, Pſal. 143.9. I flie unto thee to hide me. |
| IV. The Eagles mount up on high. The Word in the Hebrew ſignifies to get high; and therefore (as it is noted by Mr. Caryl) it is uſed in the Noun, foreign Sublimis, elatus fuit, eminuit, per Metaphoram, ſupervivit. to ſet forth the Highneſs of God, Job 11.8. Pſal. 113.6. Iſa. 5.16. & 52.13. Scripture, as well as Naturaliſts, tell us, that the Eagle's Motion and mounting up is wonderful, ſhe flies quite out of Sight. One of the Ancients ſays, The Eagle ſoars above theDoubtleſs he means the lower Region. Air, as if ſhe would viſit the Starry Heavens. The common Epithetes of an Eagle are, high flying, ſwift, &c. | IV. The Saints of God mount up on high:Phil 3.20. Our Converſation (ſaith Paul) is in Heaven. Men of the World are like Moles and Worms, always digging and tumbling in the Earth and Muck of this World; but Believers, thoſe who are truly riſen with Chriſt,Col. 3.1, 2 3. ſeek thoſe things that are above, they ſoar aloft; nothing will ſatisfy them but Communion with God. They mount up by Prayer, as alſo by freſh Acts of Faith; they mount up by divine Meditation. They are ſaid to dwell on high; Earth, and earthly Things will not ſatisfy them; they are of a more heroick and ſublime Spirit. |
| V. Eagles are unweary in their Flight; they faint not, tho they flie high, and are long before they reſt. | V. So the Saints ſhould never grow weary; nay, and the Promiſe is,Gal. 6. Iſa. 40.31. They ſhall mount up as with Eagles Wings; they ſhall run, and not be weary; they ſhall walk, and not faint. Tho it be long before they come to Heaven, their everlaſting Reſting-place, they are held up, and therefore they hold out in all their Service and Sufferings. Faith and Love are two ſuch ſtrong and excellent Graces, that they, like Eagle's Wings, keep them from tiring and fainting in their Minds, tho their Work be hard, and their Flight towards Heaven long:Pſal. 27.13. I had fainted unleſs I had believed, &c. |
| VI. An Eagle (ſaith one) hath a high Spirit; ſhe flies high, and aims at high things; ſhe will not catch Flies, ſhe ſcorns to ſtoop to ſuch low Game. | VI. So a Saint hath a noble, high, and excellent Spirit. Low things are not for high and heavenly-born Souls; they catch not at the Flies, Toyes, and Trifles of the Profits, Honour, and Pleaſures of the World, as others do. |
| VII. Eagles make their Neſts on high: She dwelleth and abideth on the Rocks, Job 39.28. upon the Crag of the Rock, and ſtrong Place. | VII. So the Saints dwell on high: Their Place of Defence ſhall be the Munition of Rocks. Iſa. 33.16. They make their Neſts in the Rock of Ages; they dwell in God; He is their ſtrong Dwelling-Place. |
| VIII. Eagles renew their Strength by changing their Feathers; tho old, they ſeem young and lively again, and are very long-lived. | VIII. The Saints renew their Strength. When any Oldneſs (as Mr. Caryl words it) is coming upon the new Creature, they renew their Strength, by looking to Jeſus Chriſt, who is their Righteouſneſs and Strength: He ſatisfieth their Mouth with good things, Pſal. 103.5. ſo that their Strength is renewed like the Eagle's. As the Lord brings his People low by bodily Sickneſs and Weakneſs, and then renews their natural Strength; ſo when there are Decays and Declinings upon their Souls, he renews their ſpiritual Strength. And as the Eagle renews her Strength by the Growth and Succeſſion of new Feathers (of the ſame kind) in the place of the old; ſo a Believer reneweth his Youth and Strength, by caſting off gradually the Old Man, which is corrupt, and by putting on more of the New Man,Eph. 4.24. (who is quite of another kind) created after God in Righteouſneſs and true Holineſs. |
| IX. Naturaliſts do obſerve, that Eagles are fed and beſt nouriſhed by Blood; they ſuck and take in that, both young and old. | IX. So (ſaith Mr. Caryl) do Believers; the feeding of the new Creature is upon Blood; every godly Man ſpiritually drinks the Blood of Chriſt, (My Blood, ſaith he, is Drink indeed) as offered to him both in the Promiſes and Ordinances of the Goſpel. A Saint could not live a Moment, nor have any ſubſiſtence in Grace, if he had not (as the Eagle) Blood to drink. A godly Man is nouriſhed by a believing Contemplation upon the Sufferings of Chriſt, and the Effuſion of his Blood. |
| X. Young Eagles are borne and carried upon the Wings of the old Eagle, and thereby are preſerved from the Dangers of Enemies. | X. So the Saints are borne, ſupported, and carried by the Power and Arms of the Almighty, who is pleaſed to compare himſelf to an Eagle;Deut. 32, 11, 12. As an Eagle ſtirreth up her Neſt, fluttereth over her Young, ſpreadeth abroad her Wings, taketh them, and beareth them upon her Wings; ſo the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no ſtrange God with him. Ye have ſeen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bore you upon Eagle's Wings, and brought you to my ſelf. [See Chriſt compared to an Eagle.] |
Diſparity.
EAgles have many evil Qualities: They are Birds of Prey, &c. yea, and a very Vermine Sort of Creature; and upon that account wicked Men are compared to Eagles, which is opened under that Head of Metaphors concerning ungodly Men and Perſecutors, to which we refer you.
Saints compared to Sheep.
John 10.27. My Sheep hear my Voice, &c.
THe Saints may be compared to Sheep in many reſpects: Sheep are harmleſs Creatures, meek, ſociable, contented with hard Commons, very tractable, patient, fruitful, and very profitable, are made a Prey to evil Beaſts, &c. Upon all which Conſiderations, and many others, the Saints are likened to Sheep, which is fully opened under the Metaphor Flock, to which we refer you.