abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings : ' ver. 12, ' So the Lord alone did lead him,' &c.i The eagle carries her young ones upon her wings, and not between her talons, as other birds do, openly, safely, swiftly ; and so did God his Israel, being choice and chary of them all the way, securing them also from their enemies, who could do them as little hurt as any do the eagle's young, which cannot be shot but through the body of the old one, Isa. Ixiii. 4-6, and lix. 15. See at what a rate Grod speaks in that, Isa. xl. 27, 28. Observe how God comes on with his high interrogatories, ' Hast thou not known ?' What an ignorant people ! ' Hast thou not heard ?' What a deaf people ! What ! keep no intelligence with heaven ? 1 Pet. v. 7, ' Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you.' I will now with you sing away care, said John Careless, martyr, in his letter to Mr Philpot,2 for now my soul is turned to her old rest again, and hath taken a sweet nap in Christ's lap. I have cast my care upon the Lord, which careth for me, and will be careless according to my name. It was a strange speech of Socrates, a heathen. Since God is so careful of you, saith he, what need you be careful for anything yourselves ? God's providence extendeth to all his creatures ; it is like the sun, of universal influence, but in a special manner it is operative for the safety of his saints. In common dangers men take special care of their jewels, and will not God ; will not God take special care of his jewels? Mai. iii. 17; Heb. iii. 6; 1 Pet. ii. 5. Surely, yes. The church of God is the house of God, and will not God take care of his house ? Surely that shall be well guarded, whatsoever be neglected. His house is every moment within the view of his favourable eye, and under the guard of his almighty arm ; his thoughts and heart is much upon his house. God hath a peculiar and paternal care over his saints. That distich of Musculus cometh in fitly : —
Est Deus in caelis, qui providus omnia curat, Credentes nunquam deseruisse potest.
A God there is, whose providence doth take Care for his saints, whom he will not forsake.
* His eyes run,' implying the celerity and swiftness of God in hastening relief to his people ; ' His eyes run through the whole earth,' implying the universality of help. There is not a saint in any dark corner of the world, under any straits or troubles, but God eyes him, and will take singular care of him. God will always suit his care to his people's con- ditions, to which his eminent appearances for them in days of distress and trouble give signal testimony. It is our work to cast care ; it is God's work to take care. Let not us, then, by soul-dividing thoughts, take the Lord's work out of his hand. But,
[2.] Secondly, Will the Lord be signally present with his people in their greatest troubles, deepest distresses, and most deadly dangers ? Then here you may see the true reason why the saints are so comfort- able, cheerful, and joyful in their greatest troubles, deepest distresses, and most deadly dangers. It is because of that signal presence of
^ Isa. xlix. 16, xxxi. 5, and xxxii. 1, 2. See mj' ' Heavenly Cordial after a Wasting Plague,' much of the special care of God. [Vol. vi. — G.] =< LFoxe,] Acts and Mon., fol. 1743.
548 THE SIGNAL PRESENCE OF GOD
God with them.l It was this signal presence of God with the martyrs that made them rejoice in the midst of their greatest sufferings, and that made them endure great sufferings without any sensible feeling of their sufferings : as that young child in Josephus, who, when his liesh was pulled in pieces with pincers, by the command of Antiochus, said, with a smiling countenance. Tyrant, thou losest time. Where are those smarting pains with which thou threatenedst me ? make me to shrink and cry out if thou canst ! And Bainham, an Enghsh martyr, when the fire was flaming about him, said. You papists talk of miracles ; behold here a miracle. I feel no more pain than if I were in a bed of down; it is as sweet to me as a bed of roses.2 Surely their strength was not the strength of stones, nor their flesh of brass, Job vi. 12, that they should not be sensible of so great sufferings ; but this was only from that signal presence of God, that made them endure grievous pains without pain, and most exquisite torments without torment, and sore sufferings without feeling of their sufferings, Heb. xi. 33-39. And other choice souls there were, who, though they were sensible of their sufferings, yet by the divine pre- sence they were filled with unspeakable courage, comfort, and alacrity. Laurence, when his body was roasted upon a burning gridiron, cried out, This side is roasted enough ; turn the other. Marcus of Arethusa, a worthy minister, when his body was cut and lanced and anointed with honey, and hung up aloft in a basket to be stung to death by wasps and bees; he, looking down cheerfully upon the spectators, said, I am advanced, despising you that are below. And when we shall see poor, weak, feeble creatures like ourselves defying_ their tor- mentors and their torments, conquering in the midst of their greatest sufferings, and rejoicing and triumphing in the midst of their fiery trials ; singing in prison, as Paul and Silas did ; kissing the stake, as Henry Voes did ; clapping their hands when they were half consumed in the flames, as John Noyes did ; calling their execution-day their wedding-day, as Bishop Eidley did; we cannot but conclude that they had a singular presence of God with them, that made all their suffer- ings seem so easy and so light unto them. Caesar cheered up his drooping mariners in a storm by minding them of his presence ; but, alas I alas ! what was Ogesar'g presence to this divine, this signal pre- sence that the saints have enjoyed in their greatest troubles and deepest distresses ? But,
[3.] Thirdly, Will the Lord be signally present with his people in their greatest troubles, deepest distresses, and most deadly dangers ? Then from hence you may see the weakness, madness, sottisliness, and folly of all such as make opposition against the saints; that offro7d, injure, and make head against those that have the p)resence of the great God in the midst of them, Isa. viii. 9, 10, and xxvii. 4 ; 1 Cor. i. 25. 0 sirs ! the weakness of God is stronger than men. What then ie the strength of God ? 1 Cor. x. 22, ' Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy ? are we stronger than he ?' Ah, who knows the power of his anger ! Ps, xc. 11, Jt is such that none of the potentates of the
^ Acts V. 40, 41, and ivi. 25; Rom. y. 3 ; 2 Con vii. 4, and xij. 10 ; 1 Pet. iv. 12-14, These scriptures are already opened and improved.
=> Clarke, as before, p. 397. See Clarke and Foxe for the names that follo^v.— G,
WITH HIS PEOPLE IN THEIR GREATEST TROUBLES. 549