N00897:100
Ichabod. Or, A discourse, showing what cause there is to fear that the glory…Ichabod. Or, A discourse, shewing what cause there is to fear that the glory…
Ichabod. Or, A discourse, showing what cause there is to fear that the glory of the Lord, is departing from New-England. Delivered in two sermons, / by Increase Mather ; [Eight lines of Scripture texts]Ichabod. Or, A discourse, shewing what cause there is to fear that the glory of the Lord, is departing from New-England. Delivered in two sermons, / by Increase Mather ; [Eight lines of Scripture texts]
Boston: printed by Timothy Green, 1702
Title page typeset from the transcription.
ICHABOD, OR, The GLORY Departing FROM New England › Sermon 2 › USE.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Consider IV. How Lamentable our state will be, if the Glory be once Totally removed. The Angels of Heaven lament over such a people. They mourned over Jerusalem saying, The Blessed Glory of the Lord is going from his place. Ezek. 3.12. So will they mourn over New-England if that Blessed Glory should utterly depart from us. And it may break our Hearts to think that ever such a ⟨p. 82⟩day should come upon us. For alas! When once the Glory is quite gone, it seldom returns again: But as tis said of the Living Creatures in Ezekiels Vision, Ezek. 1.17. They returned not when they went. So the Glory that went away from the Temple returned not when it went. When the Ark of Old (which did Symbolically represent the Divine Glory,) was in Judgment removed from any place it returned thither no more. It returned to Shiloh no more. It returned to Jerusalem no more, after the Lord had in displeasure caused it to be removed from those places. Thus when the Lord wholly removes His Gospel from a People, He is not wont to favour them with it again. Look over all Asia, and Africa, and you will see dismal Confirmations of this Truth. But if the Glory goeth away and returns no more, what will come in the room of it? What, but woeful Judgments? Mos. 9.12. W• to them when I depart from them. Yea, NEW-ENGLAND, Woe to thee in the day that the Lord shall depart from thee: In the bitter and doleful Day, when the Lord shall Totally depart from ⟨p. 83⟩thee. Such places as have been most Eminent for Religion, and the Light of the Gospel (as New-England has) when once they have sinned away that Light become the Darkest and Miserablest places under Heaven. A Famous Divine in England, relates that he went on purpose to some Towns where once had been an Eminent Ministry, to see how it was with them, and whether there were any footsteps of such a Mercy among them, but (he says) they were all overgrown with Thorns, and Nettles had covered the face thereof. It is often thus, Bethels do afterwards become Bethav•ns. Was it not said of Jerusalem, How is the Faithful City become an Harlot? It was full of Judgment, Righteousness lodged in it, but now Murders.