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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…Edmund Calamy, 1658

Rule 4.

pp. 174–18830 passages

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.

:348p. 174

Rule 4.

:349p. 174–175

4 Study thy interest in the main and fundamental Promise, ¹and that will help thee to make out thy interest in all the other; The main and fundamental Promise, is the Promise of Christ. For all Promises, whither Spiritual o• Temporal, are made to us, in and ⟨p. 175⟩thorough him. God hath promised, never to leave us, nor forsake us, and that all things shall work together for our good; that is, if we be in Christ, God hath said, all things are ours, whether Paul, or Apollos, whether life or death, ²whether things present, or things to come; but it is with this Promise, if we be Christs: Whosoever takes any comfort from any Temporal promise, and is not in Christ, doth but delude and cheat himself. This then is thy work; O Christian! study thy interest in Christ, make out that, and make out all. If no interest in Christ, no interest in the Promises; If an interest in Christ, an interest in the Promises; let this then be thy daily business to make it out to thy soul,³ that Christ is thine.

4 Study thy interest in the main and fundamental Promise, ¹and that will help thee to make out thy interest in all the other; The main and fundamental Promise, is the Promise of Christ. For all Promises, whither Spiritual o• Temporal, are made to us, in and ⟨p. 175⟩thorough him. God hath promised, never to leave us, nor forsake us, and that all things shall work together for our good; that is, if wee be in Christ, God hath said, all things are ours, whether Paul, or Apollos, whether life or death,

:355p. 176–177

1 The Universality of the promise of Christ. ¹Christ Jesus with all his benefits is promised to every one who is willing to lay hold on him,² as he is tendered in the Gospel. The Apostles are commanded to go into all the world, and to preach the Gospel to every creature; he that believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved, &c. If thou hast a heart to believe, be thy sins never so great, it is for the honour of Jesus Christ to pardon them. As the Sea covers great Rocks, as well as small, so the Mercy of God in Christ will pardon great sins, as well as little. ³It will cost Christ as little to wash away the guilt of great sins, as of small. Christ is a great Physician. And David prayeth, Pardon my iniquity. for it is great, Psalm •5. 11. Though thy sins be never so bloodily circumstantiated, though never so often reiterated, though thou ⟨p. 177⟩beest never so loathsome, yet if thou canst believe; There is a Fountain opened to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin, and for uncleanness; and therefore let no man exclude himself from a right to Christ, who is willing to take Christ upon Christs terms. He that excludes himself, offers the greatest injury imaginable.

1 The Universality of the promise of Christ. ¹Christ Jesus with all his benefits is promised to every one who is willing to lay hold on him,² as hee is tendred in the Gospel. The Apostles are commanded to go into all the world, and to preach the Gospel to every creature; hee that beleeveth, and is baptized, shall bee saved, &c. If thou hast a heart to beleeve, bee thy sins never so great, it is for the honour of Iesus Christ to pardon them. As the Sea covers great Rocks, as well as small, so the Mercy of God in Christ will pardon great sins, as well as little. ³It will cost Christ as little to wash away the guilt of great sins, as of small. Christ is a great Physitian. And David prayeth, Pardon my iniquity. for it is great, Psalm •5. 11. Though thy sins bee never so bloodily circumstantiated, though never so often reiterated, though thou ⟨p. 177⟩beest never so loathsome, yet if thou canst beleeve; There is a Fountaine opened to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Ierusalem, for sin, and for uncleanness; and therefore let no man exclude himselfe from a right to Christ, who is willing to take Christ upon Christs termes. Hee that excludes himself, offers the greatest injury imaginable.

1First, the universality of the Promise of Christ
2Mark 16. 15, 16.
3Magnus de caelo venit medici•s; quia magnus in terra jacebat a• gro•us Aug.

:359p. 178–179

Ans. Who told thee so? It is one great sign thou art not, because the Devil would persuade thee that thou art. But howsoever, Secret things belong to God, but those things which are revealed, to us, and our children. God hath kept the black Book of Reprobation secret. He openeth the whole Book of Election to some of his children, but he keeps his black Book unrevealed. It is a sin for any man to think himself a Reprobate (unless he can prove that he hath sinned the sin against the Holy Ghost) for this thought would hinder him from the use of means for his salvation, and cause him to despair, which is a sin of the first magnitude; and therefore take heed of complementing thy self into Hell by a sinful modesty, in refusing to believe in Christ: Take heed of dallying or delaying in the great work of laying hold upon Christ upon Christs terms. Remember, God excludes none from Christ, but such as ⟨p. 179⟩exclude themselves by unbelief. And remember,¹ Whosoever believeth not the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Ans. Who told thee so? It is one great sign thou art not, because the Devil would perswade thee that thou art. But howsoever, Secret things belong to God, but those things which are revealed, to us, and our children. God hath kept the black Book of Reprobation secret. Hee openeth the whole Book of Election to some of his children, but hee keeps his black Book unrevealed. It is a sin for any man to think himself a Reprobate (unlesse hee can prove that hee hath sinned the sin against the Holy Ghost) for this thought would hinder him from the use of means for his salvation, and cause him to despair, which is a sin of the first magnitude; and therefore take heed of complementing thy self into Hell by a sinfull modesty, in refusing to beleeve in Christ: Take heed of dallying or delaying in the great work of laying hold upon Christ upon Christs termes. Remember, God excludes none from Christ, but such as ⟨p. 179⟩exclude themselves by unbeleef. And remember,¹ Whosoever beleeveth not the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.

1Joh. 3. 36,

:360p. 179–180

2 You must study the Freeness of the Promise of Christ.¹ God promiseth Jesus Christ freely, Ho every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; Come ye, buy, and eat, yea, come by Wine and Milk without money, and without price, &c. Christ is offered in the Gospel, sine pretio, sine merito, sine motivo, without price, without merit, and without any motive inducing on our parts. Therefore the Holy Ghost saith, Whosoever will, ²let him take the water of life freely. Let not then thy undeservedness hinder thee from laying hold upon Christ, as thy portion. Say not, I am not worthy that Christ should own me. Christ will own thee, not because thou art worthy, but because he delights in mercy, Micah 7. 18. Say not, I am not humbled enough, and therefore I ⟨p. 180⟩dare not lay hold upon Christ. For humiliation is not required to make us precious to Christ, but to make Christ precious to us, and if thou beest so far humbled, as to be willing to take Christ upon Christs terms, thou art humbled enough, unto Divine acceptation, though not unto Divine satisfaction. Every stung Israelite, who was enabled to look up to the brazen Serpent, was healed, though he was not stung to that proportion that another Israelite was.

2 You must study the Freeness of the Promise of Christ.¹ God promiseth Jesus Christ freely, Ho every one that thirsteth, come yee to the waters, and hee that hath no money; Come yee, buy, and eat, yea, come by VVine and Milke without mony, and without price, &c. Christ is offered in the Gospel, sine pretio, sine merito, sine motivo, without price, without merit, and without any motive inducing on our parts. Therefore the Holy Ghost saith, VVhosoever will, ²let him take the water of life freely. Let not then thy undeservedness hinder thee from laying hold upon Christ, as thy portion. Say not, I am not worthy that Christ should owne mee. Christ will owne thee, not because thou art worthy, but because hee delights in mercy, Micah 7. 18. Say not, I am not humbled enough, and therefore I ⟨p. 180⟩dare not lay hold upon Christ. For humiliation is not required to make us precious to Christ, but to make Christ precious to us, and if thou beest so far humbled, as to bee willing to take Christ upon Christs termes, thou art humbled enough, unto Divine acceptation, though not unto Divine satisfaction. Every stung Israelite, who was inabled to look up to the brazen Serpent, was healed, though hee was not stung to that proportion that another Israelite was.

1Study the freeness of the Promise of Christ. Isa 55, 1.
2Rev. 22. 17.

:363p. 181–182

Answ. By no means. The reason is, because this very condition is the free gift of God. The Apostle saith, Rom. 4. 16. Therefore it is of Faith, that it might be by grace. The condition of Faith doth not make the offer of Christ, not to be of grace, but therefore it is of faith, that it might be of grace, for as Christ, so also faith is the gift of God. ¹We do not preach conditions unto justification in a Popish sense (as if they merited out of congruity the pardon of sin) or in an Arminian sense (as if we could do any thing by our free-will (without grace) to dispose our selves unto justification) but in a Scripture sense, we say, That all those on whom God intends to bestow Christ freely, he freely openeth their ⟨p. 182⟩eyes to see their undone condition out of Christ, he humbles them under the sense of their sad condition, and out of his free mercy enables them by faith to lay hold upon Christ, and to accept of him upon his own terms; Faith is not the cause for which, but the cause without which, God will not give us Christ.

Answ. By no means. The reason is, because this very condition is the free gift of God. The Apostle saith, Rom. 4. 16. Therefore it is of Faith, that it might bee by grace. The condition of Faith doth not make the offer of Christ, not to bee of grace, but therefore it is of faith, that it might bee of grace, for as Christ, so also faith is the gift of God. ¹Wee do not preach conditions unto justification in a Popish sense (as if they merited out of congruity the pardon of sin) or in an Arminian sense (as if wee could do any thing by our free-will (without grace) to dispose our selves unto justification) but in a Scripture sense, wee say, That all those on whom God intends to bestow Christ freely, hee freely openeth their ⟨p. 182⟩eyes to see their undone condition out of Christ, hee humbles them under the sense of their sad condition, and out of his free mercy inables them by faith to lay hold upon Christ, and to accept of him upon his own termes; Faith is not the cause for which, but the cause without which, God will not give us Christ.

1Eph. 2. 8.