A31997:121
The Godly mans ark, or, City of refuge, in the day of his distress…The Godly mans ark, or, City of refuge, in the day of his distresse…
The Godly mans ark, or, City of refuge, in the day of his distress discovered in divers sermons, the first of which was preached at the funeral of Mistress Elizabeth Moore : the other four were afterwards preached, and are all of them now made public, for the supportation and consolation of the saints of God in the hour of tribulation : hereunto are annexed Mris. [sic] Moors evidences for heaven, composed and collected by her in the time of her health, for her comfort in the time of sickness / by Ed. Calamy ...The Godly mans ark, or, City of refuge, in the day of his distresse discovered in divers sermons, the first of which was preached at the funerall of Mistresse Elizabeth Moore : the other four were afterwards preached, and are all of them now made publick, for the supportation and consolation of the saints of God in the hour of tribulation : hereunto are annexed Mris. [sic] Moores evidences for heaven, composed and collected by her in the time of her health, for her comfort in the time of sickness / by Ed. Calamy ...
London: printed for John Hancock, 1658
Sermon 1: The Godly mans Ark; OR, City of Refuge in the day of his Distresses. SERMON I.
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.
1 God never afflicts his people, but out of pure necessity, 1 Pet. 1. 6. Though ow for a season, if need be, ye are •• waviness. As a most loving Father, ⟨p. 26⟩never corrects his child, but when he• is forced to it. He willingly provides for his child, but punisheth him unwillingly. So God freely loadeth with his blessings, but he never chastiseth his children, but when forced to it, therefore he saith expressly, Lam. 3. 33. He doth not afflict willingly, Isa. 27. 1. Fury is not in me. It is we that put Thunderbolts in Gods hand. If the S•n did not first draw up the vapours from the earth, there would never be any thundering, or lightening. God would never thunder from Heaven with his judgements, if our sins did not first cry to Heaven for punishment. As Christ whipped the sellers of Oxen and Sheep out of the Temple with a whip made (in all probability) of their own cords; So God never scourgeth us, but it is with a whip made of our own sins, Prov. 5. 22. Rom. 2. 5.—Thou treasurest up to thy self, &c. God hath a double treasure, a treasure of mercy, and a treasure of wrath; his treasure of mercy is always ⟨p. 27⟩full, but his treasure of wrath is empty, till we fill it by our sins. And therefore when God punisheth his children, he calls it a strange work, and a strange act, Isa. 28. 21. It is observed of the Bee, that it never stings, but when provoked: Sure I am, that God never afflicts his children, but out of pure necessity.