86 The Glory of the Gofpel, Ezek·9·l· Before the Executioners of Vengeance came with their ilaughter Weapons, theG!oryof the Lord went away from the Cherub, and then the Wrath of God falls upon men to the utmofi , as upon the Jews, I ThejJ.2. I 6. that ts, in greater extremmes than upon any other. Neither is the Tenure of us Get~tiles fo fure as ~asthms, tt was as thetr Freehold, Rom. 9·4· To them appertatncd the Adoption, The Glory, the Covenants, the Promifes, Rom, 1 ~.21 • If God {prJred ll6t thoJattlral branchu, take hetd how he jpare not thee: Be not btgh m111ded, but fear. Towards thee, Goodnefs, if thou continue in his goodnefs, otherwife thot< fhalt bt cut off, verfe 22. And yet they are cut off and have been thefc t6oo ) cars, and that Glory which belonged to them i~ departed from them, and not yet returned ; and have we not cauf; to fear? To that end,let us confider fome Signs of the departure of this Glory from a People ; and this in thofe degrees wherein ufually it departs, Fitft, When thofe outward Priviledges, which I mentioned before which have been Pawns of its Prefencc, are a going, and a People is bereft of them . for when you fee the Train departing, and the Followers fent away, you expect the Court removes fhortly. When Qod turneth the glory of a Kingdom into Jhamt, as Hofta 4- 7• he threatneth, makes it bafe in tht eyu of its Nrighbours as Ezek.•7·'4· He did that of Judah before Captivity, fo as they are made ~ derilion to thofe tow~om they were a terrour: When we fee Bleilings ebb, At– tempts blafied, Armtes blown away, and .dtlfolved as Dufi-heaps in a Nation that was once honourable,victorious, terrible, profperous. Winter i& 11igh, when Leavesfall off. . And fa God did with the .1ews, before that final taking of the Gofpel from them, by taking firfi away their beauty, their honour and glory, and outward Liberties and Priviledges of a Nation, which once they had enjoyed ; broke the Staff of Beauty, and then of B<Jnds, Zach.u. •o,14· then di(uniting and fcat– tering them over the face of the Earth. , The Second thing that departs before the Gofpel departs, is, The inward glo– rious prefence of God's Spirit, which once did lhine in his Ordinances. Tb:it though men enjoy the outward viftble ligns of his prefence, have the Ark, and preaching of the Gofpel, and Cherubims among them, yet the Spirit is gone, Ezek.9·l• It is faid, that the Glory wmt up from the Chert~bims, before the de– firuction that followed; that though the Cbtrubims, and Templt, and Ark !\ill remained, yet the Glory was gone. Now the Chtrubims ftgnified the. Mini– JIIrs of the Gojpel, as you !hall hear anon; Now when God withdraws his Spirit from us, then the Glory goes hence; for in this 2 Cor.J. this is that which makes the Gofpel glorious, the Miniflra– tion of the Spirit: fo that as the glory of the Body is gone when the Soul is out, fa the glory of the Gofpel is gone when the Spirit is departed , for without it, it is but a dead Letter. For the Kingdom of God (Paul fpeaks it of Preaching of the Gofpel,) 1 Cor,-4:2.0, confifls tJot in word, bm i11 power. So that when that Power is gone, the Kingdom is gone. Now whilfi that Power goes forth, fa long God hathEleCj:tocall, 1 Thej[.1 .4,)· Ktwwit1gyo11r Eleflion to be of God; /;ecm<[t ottr Gojpel wM not i11 word 011/y, but in power, and in the HotyGhojl, a11d i11 much aJJurana. And when the Elect is gone, God takes away the Gofpel. But when you !hall hear Sermons, that lay open the excellent things of the Law, and difcovcr the Secrets of the Gofpel, which the At~gels pry into, and yet the Holy Ghofi withdraw himfelf, thaJ: neither wicked are convinced to fall down, and fay, God is amongfi them: The high For.trelfes of Carnal opinion, Corrupt practifes, are not call down m the Congregauons that hear them; nor are they reformed at all,bur they that were filthy, are filthy !\ill. When the bell are dead, and dull, and cold under it; their Mearts are not warmed, as they were wont, to bum with them, as the Difciples hearts were when they went to Emmmu. When
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