r of a vifible Church of Chrift. 107 feeing there are fuch excellent Properties therein, and efpecially being fo often preft by the great God to keep it up, and to maintain it? We have a new Command for it and an old Command; it is a Duty that was enjoined from the Beginning, the Love ofChrilt is held forth as the Pat- tern of it ; we are bid to love, as Chrift loved us. And it is alto held forth as the reafon of it; If God fo loved us, we ought alto to love one another. 4. The Decay of Love in Members towards God and one another, is the fearful Fore- runner of the Downfal of a Church, Rev. ii. This was that the Church ofEphefus was charged with, clbou haft l ft thy firfl Love: Then fol- lows an Exhortation to repent, and to do her firft Works. This Exhortation is backed with an afonilhing Argument, Or e f Iwill come unto thee quickly, and remove thy Candle- flick out of its Place, except thou repent. God threatens to unchurch them, and that quickly. This I call an alto- nithing Motive: I look on it to be a heavy Stroke upon a People, when God unchrcheth them : The Lord Both in fome relpeE remove his Pretence from a People when he removes the Candlellick; he pulls down the Houle that he was faid to dwell in ; the Glory of the Lord removes and may we not fay, Wo be unto us if God depart from us ? Go to Shilo, laid God, Ter. vii. 12. the Place where I fet my Name at thefrrfl, and fee what I did to them. And it were meet for us to go to Shilo alto, and take a view how God dealt with them. Some account you have, Pfal. lxxviii. 6o. He forfook the Tabernacle of Shilo, the rent which he had pitched among Men, andgave his Strength into Captivity, and his Glory into the Enemy's Hands ; he gave his People al% over unto the Sword, andwas wroth with his Inheritance. When the Lord bids them go to Shilo, and fee what he did to them, Ter. vii. he threatens them at the fame Time that he would do to them as he had done to Shilo. The Manner of God's unchurching a People is very terrible to confider; fome brief Account we have of it, Ifa. v. 6. ..Ind now go to, I will tell you what I will do to my Vineyard: I will take away the Hedge, and it fhall be eaten up ; and break down the Wall thereof, and it (hall he trodden down; and I wsrill lay it wage; it (hall not 6e pruned, nor Jigged, but there
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