^ The apple of the eye is the tenderest piece of tlie tenderest part. Hebrew, Ishon of Ish, dspupilla of pupa, because therein appears the likeness of a little man, or because a man is to be prized above all other creatures, as so God esteemeth his people above all the world, Heb. xi. 38.
474 THE SIGNAL PRESENCE OF GOD
beams and influences issue from the sun, [5.] Into right paths : Prov. iv. 11, 'I have taught thee in the way of wisdom ; 1 have led thee in right paths :' Hosea i. 9, ' The ways of the Lord are right, and the righteous shall walk in them.' The ways of his will, the ways of his word, and the ways of his worship, are all right ways, they carry us on in a straight line unto a right end. [6.] Into old and ancient ways : Jer. vi, 16, ' Ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest to your souls:' Jer. xviii. 15, ' They have caused them to stumble in their way from the ancient paths.' The ways of holiness are of the greatest, highest, and ancientest antiquity. The first ways of Adam were ways of holiness. The ways of sin are of a later edition than the ways of holiness. God stamped his image of holiness upon man before ever Satan assayed to tempt him. Holiness is of the ancientest house, of the greatest antiquity. Sin is but an upstart, holiness is the firstborn. The way of holiness is the eldest way, the way of holiness is gray-headed and of ancientest institution. All other ways are but of yesterday, they are but new ways to the ways of holiness. The stamp of antiquity upon many things is a praise and an honour to them, as old gold, old friends, old manuscripts, old monuments, old scars, and old holiness. The stamp of antiquity upon the ways of holiness is the praise and honour of the ways of holiness. [7.] Into paths of righteousness : Ps. xxiii. 3, ' He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake ;' or in plain, smooth, easy paths, or in sheep-tracks, wherein I may walk unweariedly and unblamably. Herein he alludes to the shepherd's care in leading his sheep gently in fair and plain ways, and not through deep mire, brambles, and briars, or over craggy ways that must needs be hard and troublesome for them to go in. The word here used is metaphorical ; sometimes respecting the blind, who cannot walk with- out a guide ; sometimes little or weak children, who cannot go without a leader ; and here the weak and wandering sheep, which stand in need of the shepherd to go in and out before them. [8.] Into paths of salvation : Acts xvi. 17, * These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.' [9.] Into ways of truth : 2 Pet. ii. 2, ' And many shall follow their pernicious ways, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.' ' The way of truth,' that is, the true Christian religion revealed from lieaven, which shews the way to true happiness, to eternal salvation. [10.] Into ways of uprightness : Prov. ii. 13, ' Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness.' Now when the people of God are in their greatest troubles, deepest distresses, and most deadly dangers, the Lord by leading them [1.] into supernatural ways, [2.] into good ways, [3.] into strict and straight ways, [4.] into plea- sant ways, [5.] into right ways, [6.] into old and ancient ways, [7.] into righteous ways, [8.] into ways of salvation, [9.] into ways of truth, and [10.] into ways of uprightness, does gloriously manifest his favourable, his signal, and his eminent presence with them. There is nothing below a mighty presence of God that can enable a Christian — especially when he is under great troubles, and in deep distresses, and most deadly dangers — to do these five things : — [1.] To approve of the ways of God ; [2.] To choose the ways of the Lord ; [3.] Higlily
WITH HIS PEOPLE IN THEIR GREATEST TROUBLES. 475
to prize them ; [4.] To delight and take pleasure in them ; [5.] To walk in them and to keep close to them ; and yet in all these five things the Lord doth greatly and graciously help his poor people, when they are, as it were, in the very mouth of the lion. But,