Their glory shall fly away like a bird

Their glory shall fly away like a bird.

Men glory in their outward pomp and prosperity, and their children, but both these shall fly away like a bird. That is, 1. Suddenly. 2. Swiftly. 3. Irrecoverably.

A bird that you have in a cage, you have kept it perhaps many months, and upon some advantage gets out and in a moment she is gone, suddenly, and then she goes away swiftly that you cannot follow her, and then irrecoverably that you can never take her. All outward glory is uncertain; in Prov. 23:5, Will you set your eyes upon that which is not? Certainly riches they make to themselves wings, and fly away as an Eagle into Heaven; fly away like a bird, and that bird, the Eagle, that flies so swiftly that there is no getting her again: How many lately in Ireland, and in our own land, that have had estates in the evening, and all has been gone away swiftly like a bird before the morning? They have been rich in the morning and have been even beggars in the evening. Let us take our hearts off from glorying in all outward excellencies, and seek that glory that is abiding, that is constant, that is everlasting. We should look upon all outward comforts now as upon the wing; if ever you had cause to look upon all the outward comforts in the world as upon the wing, you are to do it now, never make account of any settlement in any comforts in the world, at this day they are all upon the wing. We cannot reason thus, We have enjoyed such prosperity thus long, and therefore we shall still enjoy it longer. No, all outward comforts flies away like the bird: that comes in one moment that before came not in many years. In Jeremiah 9:23, Thus says the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth, glory in this, That he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord, which exercise, loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth: for in these things I delight says the Lord. Your delights are in other vain things, in estates, in bravery; but in these things I delight, says the Lord God, and if you will glory, do you glory in those things that I myself delight in; your glory in the midst of your prosperity which flies from you like a bird, but the Lord that is the glory of his in the midst of their adversities, flies to them like a bird. I say, the glory of the wicked in the midst of their prosperity flies from them like a bird, and the Lord God who is the glory of the saints flies to them in their afflictions like a bird. Thus you have this very phrase in Isaiah 31:5, As birds flying, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it, and passing over he will preserve it. [As birds flying] it's a metaphor taken from the bird when she sees the young ones in any danger of the kite she flies with speed to save them, As birds flying, so will I defend Jerusalem. Your glory gets away and flies from you in your prosperity, but the glory of the saints flies to them in their adversity.

Secondly, the glory of their posterity shall flee away like a bird; that is, the Lord will cut off their numerous posterity, their young men, that there shall be few enough left among them. They gloried in their number. The blessing of God upon Abraham's seed came very swiftly after it began to come; and now God threatens it shall go away as swiftly. As you may find it if you observe the story of the increase of the seed of Abraham, if you reckon it from the time of their going into Egypt: there was, you know, but threescore and ten souls that went into Egypt of Abraham's seed; but when they came out of Egypt, which was but two hundred and fifteen years after they went in; for the four hundred and thirty is to be reckoned from the promise to Abraham until their coming out of Egypt, and it is clear that there were two hundred and fifteen years from the promise to their going into Egypt, so that there were but two hundred and fifteen years from their going in, to their coming out; and see how swiftly they did increase, from threescore and ten souls (for there was no more then, but) there came out from twenty years old and upwards, men of war, six hundred thousand, three thousand, five hundred and fifty; there were increased of Abraham's seed in two hundred and fifteen years, six hundred thousand, and three thousand, and five hundred and fifty, as you may see in the book of Numbers; besides, the Levites, with the number of the males, from a month old and upwards, was twenty and two thousand; besides the women and all the other children: and this was in that time when they were in bondage. Thus the glory of Abraham's seed came very swiftly. And now it shall fly away like a bird, they shall decrease more than they did increase.

Godliness brings blessings swiftly, and wickedness it causes blessings to depart away swiftly again like a bird.

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