A31997:426
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
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.
Rule 13.
Study thy interest in the promises in the time of health, 1and outward prosperity; For I find by experience that a child of God (under outward affliction, or divine desertion, or extreme melancholy) is many times like a man in the dark. A man in the dark cannot (though never so learned) read in a book of the clearest print, or fairest character, he cannot (though never so active) undertake any thing of weight. No more can a child of God in the hour of distress, read his evidences for heaven, much less study to find out evidences; he looks upon all the promises with a black pair of spectacles, and wants light to see his interest in them. When Zion was ⟨p. 210⟩in distress,2 she said, God had forsaken her, 3and her Lord had forgotten her. When David was persecuted by Saul, he said in his haste, All men were liars, even Samuel himself, who had told him that God would bestow the Kingdom on him,4 He said in his haste he was cut off from before Gods eyes; 5Thus did Heman. Christ himself cried out, when he was upon the Cross, with a loud voice, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? As men in Ag•es and Fevers, are not fit judges of meats and drinks, (whether they be good or bad) because their palates are out of taste. So a distressed Christian, (when under extreme melancholy, divine desertion, or some great affliction) is no fit judge, at such a time of his interest in the Promises. And therefore my advice is, Make out thy interest in time of prosperity, and live upon it in time of adversity. Make, and read over thy Evidences for Heaven in