A31997:481
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.
3 The Lord brought me to a spiritual astonishment, that I cried out, What shall I do to be saved! and said with Paul, Lord! what wouldest thou have me to do? Do but make known to thy poor creature what thy will is, and I thought I could do any thing, or suffer any thing for the Lord. But since I have had some more knowledge of the holy Will of God, woe is me! what a barren and unfruitful heart have I! a heart that can neither do, nor suffer any thing for the Lord, as I ought to do: But this I can say, that the astonishment I was in by the sight of my sins, and the misery I was plunged into, put me on the performance of holy duties, especially prayer.
3 The Lord brought mee to a spiritual astonishment, that I cried out, What shall I do to bee saved! and said with Paul, Lord! what wouldest thou have mee to do? Do but make known to thy poor creature what thy will is, and I thought I could do any thing, or suffer any thing for the Lord. But since I have had some more knowledge of the holy Will of God, woe is mee! what a barren and unfruitful heart have I! a heart that can neither do, nor suffer any thing for the Lord, as I ought to do: But this I can say, that the astonishment I was in by the sight of my sins, and the misery I was plunged into, put mee on the performance of holy duties, especially prayer.
4 The Lord took me off my own ⟨p. 239⟩bottom, off my own righteousness, and made me to see that that was but a sandy foundation, and would not hold out. I was not taken off from the performance of holy duties; no, I thought with my self that I am commanded by God to perform holy duties, which is the way and means whereby we may meet with God (For he is ordinarily to be enjoyed no where but in his own ordinances) but the Lord took me off from resting and trusting in Ordinances. And as he made me to see that without the practise of them he would not accept of me; so also he made me to know that it was not for holy duties, for which I was accepted. The sins that cleave to my best performances, are enough for which the Lord may justly condemn me, if I had no other sins.