Eli trembling for fear of the ark a sermon preached at St. Mary Aldermanbury,…

That you may the better understand this text, you must know, that what ever God threatened against old Eli, in the second and third chapters, it was because he did not restrain his two wicked sons from their lewd courses, and is here executed in this fourth chapter; and therefore we read in the beginning of the chapter, that four thousand of the children of Israel were slain by the Philistines; and the Elders of Israel met together to consider what they might do to repair this great loss; they confess that it was the Lord that had smitten them; Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us? But they foolishly imagined that the way to repair the loss, would be by fetching the Ark from Shil•e, and carrying it into the battle; whereupon they appointed Hophni and Phinehas to take the Ark of the Covenant, ⟨p. 2⟩and carry it into the battle, thereby imagining, that the presence of the Ark would secure them from ruin: But herein they were miserably mistaken; for the reason why they were smitten, was not because the Ark was in the Camp, but because sin was in the Camp; for as Augustine observes, The Ark wherein the two Tables were, would not pro••ct those that had broken the two Tables; the Ark of the Covenant would not preserve those that had broken their Covenant with God; therefore notwi•• standing the presence of the Ark, there were thirty thous••• o• the children of Israel slain in the battle, and Hop•ni and Phinehas that bore the Ark, were slain, and the Ark itself was taken prisoner.

THat you may the better understand this text, you must know, that what ever God threaten'd against old Eli, in the second and third chapters, it was because he did not restrain his two wicked sons from their leud courses, and is here ex•cuted in this fourth chapter; and therefore we read in the beginning of the chapter, that four thousand of the children of Israel were slain by the Philistines; and the Elders of Israel met together to consider what they might do to repair this great loss; they confess that it was the Lord that had smitten them; Wher•fore hath the Lord smitten us? But they foolishly imagined that the way to repair the loss, would be by fetching the Ark from Shile, and carrying it into the battel; whereupon they appointed Hophni and Phineas to take the Ark of the Covenant,