3 70 A sermon Preached it Aldermatkury Church, that Nation 'cannot but ftand; but when God is gone, and the Gapel gone, thencomes the milery of a Nations and the tongue of man is not able ro exprek the mifery of that Nation where the Aik, of God is taken : (hall I give a hint , and fet it out a little , in five parti. culars. z . When the Ark ofGod is taken then the Trays ofSion mourn) and none come to the Solemn Alemblies Wad the complaint of the.Church, Lament. 1.4. That is matter offadnefs. z. when the Ark of God is taken, then the Minifters ofChrifi are striven into Corners, EArnd that is matter of heart-trenolling. 3. When the Ark of God is taken, then the Souls of many are in dam. g-er ; when the Goipel isgone, your Souls are in httz.ard : Mere is caufe offadneffe. 4. Then do the Enemies of God Blaffiheme, and are ready tofay Where is your God ? then do the enemies of God Triumph, Pfal. 42. IQ, As with a Sword in my Bones mine enemies reproachme ; while they fay daily unto me, Where is thy God ? , 5. Then is fetus ChriP trampledover foot, and the Ordinances of Gocl.defiled;44i4rampled on ; and then Blalpherny and Atheifm comes in like anarmedman, 4. The people ofGod moil needs tremble when the Ark is in danger, becaufe of their acceffarinefs to the lofingof the Ark ; and this was that whichmade old Ely fo much troubled, becaufe lie knew kwas for his fin that Godfuffered the Ark to be taken : Heknew that his not punifhinghis two Sons, was one great caufe of that great Iaughter the people of Ifrael met withal, and that made him trem- ble. There is no perfon here in this Congregation, but his heart will tell him, he hathcontributed fomething, towardmhe for: of the Ark. None ofus fo holy but our Confciences inufbaccufe us ; five have done fomething that 'might caufe God to take the Arkfrom u, And therefore Mr. Bradford, that bleffedMartyr, faid in his Prayer, Lord it was myunthankfulnele for the Gofpel, that brought in Popery in Queen Maries ,days ; and my unpuitfolnelre under the Gofpel, :that was -the caufe of the untimelydeath of King Edward the fixth, and thofe that fled in Queen Mariesdays, fadly complained that they were the caufe of Gods takingaway the Gofpelfrom England. 0 beloved, it is for thy fin and my fin, that the Ark of God is in danger ; and therefore the Lor,d give us trembling folicitous hearts, what fhall.hecome ofthe Ark. Icome now to Application. Nfe i . If this be theproperty ofa truechild of God, to he foli- totous when the Ark ofGod is in danger, and to have filchahem- blinz 0.
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