Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A32065
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A sermon preached at Aldermanberry Church, Dec. 28, 1662 in the fore-noon by Edm. Calamy.
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Calamy, Edmund, 1600-1666.
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1663
(1663)
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Wing C267; ESTC R26578
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12,270
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28
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Maries dayes and my unfruitfulness under the Gospel that was the cause of the untimely death of King Edward the Sixth and those that fled in Queen Maries days sadly complained that they were the cause of Gods taking away the Gospel from England O Beloved it is for thy sin and my sin that the Ark of God is in danger and therefore the Lord give us trembling solicitous hearts what shall become of the Ark. I come now to Application Use 1. If this be the property of a true child of God to be solicitous when the Ark of God is in danger and to have such a trembling heart for fear of the Ark then this is a certain sign there are but few that are the children of God in truth O where is the man and where is the woman that like old Ely sits watching and trembling for fear of the Ark I suppose you all believe and have cause to believe that my comming here this Morning was not by way of design but the meer Providence of God and therefore what I say should be premeditated but this I may say and it must not be denied but that the Ark of God is in danger of being lost and that will appear by these Reasons First In reference to the many sinnes in this Nation for let me tell you there is not one sin for which God ever took away the Ark from any people but it is to be found in England Did the Church of Ephesus lose the Candlestick because they had lost their first love And have not we lost our first love to the Gospel and to the Ordinances And did the Church of Laodicea lose the Candlestick because of lukewarmness and are not we lukewarm Did the people of Israel as here in the Text lose the Ark because they abhorred the offerings of God and do not you do so are not the sins of Israel amongst us the sins of Germany and the sins of all other Nations about us And can any man here before God this day in this Congregation that considers the great unthankfulness of this Nation and the great prophaneness and wickedness of this Nation but they may conclude the Ark is in danger and God may justly take the Ark from us I might tell you of the drunkenness adultery covetousness injustice and uncharitableness c. that doth abound amongst us and I might tell you of Sanctuary sins prophanation of Sabbaths and Sacraments our unthankfulness and unfruitfulness and unworthy walking under the Gospel And you of this place God may very well take the Ark even from you and indeed it was the great interest I had in you the which while I live I shall ever own and that great affection and respect I had to you that I would not send you home this day without a Sermon and let you go without a blessing Now can any of you in this Parish and this Congregation can any of you say God may not justly take the Gosspel from you You have had three famous Successors Doctor Taylor for seven years and Doctor Stoughton for seven years and my Self I have been with you almost four and twenty years and may not God now unchurch you by suffering you to want a faithful Minister to go in and out before you This is one Reason upon which account I may safely say the Ark of God is in danger and Aldermanberry may truly fear the loss of the Ark. Secondly another Reason is the abundance of Priests and Jesuits that are in the midst of us and the preaching of Popery amongst us and the proneness of people to run headlong to the garlick and onyons of Egypt again This is argument sufficient to make us believe the Ark of God is in danger And shall I add the discontents and divisions in the Nation as Christ saith A Nation divided against it self cannot stand but I leave these things to your considerations I do believe there is none here but will confess the Ark of God is in danger to be lost But now where are our old Elys to sit watching and trembling for fear of the Ark Where is Phinehas his Wife that would not be comforted because the Ark of God was taken Where are our Moses's Our Elijah's Our Uriah's Where are they that lay to heart the dangers of the Ark You complain of Taxes and decay of Trading of this civil burden and that civil burden but where is the man or the woman that complains of this misery the loss of the Ark Most of you are like Galio he cared not for these things if it had been a civil matter then he would have medled with it but for Religion he cared not for that every man is troubled about meum and tuum about civil concernments but who layes to heart who regards what shall become of Religion There is a strange kind of indifferency and lukewarmness upon most peoples spirits so they may have their Trading go on and their civil burdens removed they care not what becomes of the Ark. There is a Text of Scripture I shall not spend much time in opening it but I would have you well consider it Hos. 7. 9. Strangers have devoured his strength and he knoweth it not yea gray-hairs are here and there upon him yet he knoweth not Shall I say gray-hairs are upon the Gospel I come not hither to prophecy I say not the Gospel is dying but I say it hath gray-hairs for you have had the Gospel a hundred years and above and therefore it is in its old age and I dare challenge any Schollar to shew me an example of any Nation that hath enjoyed the Gospel for a hundred years together Now that gray-hairs is to a hundred years is no wonder Well gray-hairs are here and there and yet no man layeth it to heart Now shall I spend time to shew you what a great sin it is not to be affected with the danger that the Ark of God is in consider but three particulars First it is a sign you do not love the Gospel if you had any love to it you would be troubled more for the danger of the Ark then for any outward danger whatsoever I read that among the Romans when any man was accused for his life all his relations put on mourning Apparel and they followed him to his Tryal in mourning thereby to shew their love to the party in danger Now did you love the Gospel the Ministers of the Gospel and the Ordinances of Christ you would all put on mourning and lament for the Gospel the Ark of God that is in danger and because you do not it is a sign you have no love to the Gospel Secondly It is a sign you have no interest in the Gospel for interest will stir up your affections it is a sign you are not concerned in the Gospel for if you were concerned in it you would be affected with it as those that were interested in those persons that were in that