N00395:55
Work upon the ark. Meditations upon the ark as a type of the church
Work upon the ark. Meditations upon the ark as a type of the church; delivered in a sermon at Boston, and now dedicated unto the service of all, but especially of those whose concerns lye in ships. / By Cotton Mather. ; [Four lines of quotations]
Boston: printed by Samuel Green, 1689
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
APPLICATION.
How much ought all Church-Officers then […] Work out their own Salvation with Fear and trembling! As on the one side, No True Christian, should Despair of his own Sincerity, because the Minister that was the Instrument of his Conversion, has proved a •icked man: so on the other side, No church-Officer should Presume his Condition […] be good, because of a sacred Function pertaining to him▪ We that are at work upon the Ark, had need to make sure of […], that we be not shut out, when the Floods […] great Water do come nigh unto us. Know […], that Men of Renown in the Congregation, may go down into the horrible Pits, the •iery Vaults, of the lowest Hell. We shall •e worse than those that are already there, […] we do not at this awful Intimation, Believe and Tremble. It is a Lamentable con••sion which is instanced unto us in Mat. •·22. Many will say, Lord, have we not Prophesied in thy Name? Then will I profess unto •hem, I never knew you; Depart from me! Thus in the Dreadful Day of God, we may •ome to plead, Lord, Had not I the Office of ⟨p. 18⟩Serving thy Table, and Keeping thy Treasure in thy House? We may come to plead, Lord Did not I go before thy People in singing of thy Praises? Yea, we may come to plead, Lord was not I a Pastor, and a Preacher to a Flock […] thine? Yet may he pass that Ireful Direful Sentence on us, Depart from me, I know yo not! O take heed of Incurring such Doom: Let us all carefully make our Calling and Election sure.