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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A78903	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. 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, B.D. and pastor of the church at Aldermanbury.	Calamy, Edmund, 1600-1666.; Moore, Elizabeth, d. 1656?	1657 (1657)	Wing C247; Thomason E1616_1; ESTC R209627	96,958	299

deserved them For though afflictions are not alwaies sent directly and especially for sin yet sin is the original and foundation of all afflictions Quest What course must wee take to How to finde out the particular sin for which God afflicts us finde out what that sin is in particular for which God corrects us Answ 1 Sometimes wee may read our sin in our punishment Adonibezek though a Heathen King did this Judg. 1. 7. Threescore and ten Kings having their Thumbs and their great Toes cut off gathered their meat under my table as I have done so God hath requited mee I read of holy Ephrem that hee was converted by the sutablenesse of his affliction unto the sin hee had committed for hee saw clearly that his misery came not by chance but from God immediately and for sin As a man may sometime gather the disease of the Patient by observing the Physitians bill so hee may guesse at his sin by considering his punishment 2 Consider what that sin is for which thy conscience doth most of all accuse thee Conscience is Gods Vicegerent his bosome Preacher And when wee sleight the voyce of conscience God seconds it with the voyce of his rod which speaks the very same language that conscience doth 3 Consider what is the sin of thy Complexion and Constitution what is thy Dilectum delictum thy peccatum in delitiis thy beloved sin what is that sin to which thou art most of all inclined and if that sin prevail over thee and thou canst not say with David Psal 18. 23. I have kept my self from mine iniquity It is very probable that for the subduing of that sin thou art corrected of God 4 If ever thou hast been at the gates of death despairing of life consider what that sin was which did then most of all trouble and perplexe thy conscience or if ever thou hast been in a dream supposing thy self to bee dying and breathing out thy last what was that sin which did then most of all affright thee It is very likely that God by afflicting thee intends to get that sin more conquered and mortified 5 Consider what those sins are for which thy godly Minister under whose care thou livest doth reprove thee and of which thy true and real friends do accuse thee for if thou hast sleighted the voice of thy faithful Minister and friends surely God out of his love to thee followeth their advice with the voice of his Rod that thereby hee may open thine ear to discipline and command thee to depart from those iniquities But if thou canst not finde out that particular sin for which God afflicts thee labour to repent of every sin and then thou wilt bee sure to repent of that sin If thou canst not finde out the Bee that stings thee pull down the whole hive or the thorn that pricks thee pull down the whole hedge Do that out of wisdome which Herod did out of malice who because hee could not finde out the Babe Jesus killed all the children in Bethlehem from two years old and under that so hee might bee sure to kill Jesus Let us seek the utter ruine and death of all our sins and then wee shall bee sure to destroy that sin for which God afflicts us and when the cause is removed the disease will forth-with bee cured and the Almighty pacified and reconciled unto us 2 Let us labour that the good wee reap by our afflictions may abide upon us after The good wee get by our Afflictions must remain with us after our recovery our recovery from them There are very many who while they are under the Rod seem to bee very penitent and do purpose and promise to amend their lives but as soon as the Rod is removed they return like the Dog to the vomit c. Such was Pharoah whilst hee was plagued he confessed his sin and prayed for pardon but as soon as ever the judgement was gone hee hardened his heart Such were the Israelites Psalm 78.34 35 36 37. They were not stedfast they turned back Just like a truantly School-boy who while his Master is whipping him will promise any thing but when it is done forgets presently to do what hee promised Or like unto water which while it is upon the fire is very hot but as soon as ever it is taken off the fire presently groweth cold I knew a man who in the time of his sickness was so terrified in his conscience for his sins that hee made the very bed to shake upon which hee lay and cried out all night long I am damned I am damned and made many and great Protestations of amendment of life if God would bee pleased to recover him In a little while hee did recover and being recovered was as bad and as wicked as ever before And therefore let us labour that the good wee get by our afflictions may not vanish away with our afflictions but may abide on us after wee are recovered that wee may bee able to say with David It is good for mee that I was afflicted not onely that I am but that I was David praiseth God in health for the good hee had got in sickness and which still abode with him Let us say with the same Prophet Psal 66.13 14. I will go into thy house with burnt offerings I will pay thee my vows which my lips have uttered and my mouth hath spoken when I was in trouble Let us pray unto God that his afflictions may not onely skin over our spiritual diseases and coup up our sins but mortifie them and so change our natures that wee may never return to folly I will conclude this point with a famous saying of Plinius Secundus worthy to bee written in letters of gold A friend writes to him and intreats him to give him advice how to frame his life so as hee might live as becomes a good man Hee returns him this answer I will not prescribe many rules there is this one onely which I commend to thee above all other Ut tales esse perseveremus sani quales nos futuros profitemur infirmi Let us labour to continue and persevere to bee such when wee are well as wee purpose and promise to our selves to bee when wee are sick There is hardly any man so wicked but hee will in sickness make many and great promises of a new life and of universal reformation if God would restore him Now then if wee not onely bee such but continue to bee such when restored as wee promise to be when sick then wee shall bee excellent Schollars in the School of Affliction and God will either as I have already said deliver us out of affliction or send us to heaven by affliction So much for the first Truth supposed The End of the first Sermon THE Word of God is the Saints Delights SERMON II. PSAL. 119. 2. Unless thy Law had been my delights I should then have perished in mine Afflictions NOw I

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. 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 B. D. and Pastor of the Church at Aldermanbury London Printed for Jo. Hancock Brother to the late deceased Eliz. Moore to be sold at the first shop in Popes-head Alley next to Cornhill And for Tho. Parkhurst at the three Crowns over against the Great Conduit at the lower end of Cheapside 1657. TO Those of Aldermanbury-Parish together with all others who attend constantly upon the Word of God there preached and more especially to such of them who are admitted to partake of the Lords Supper there administred Beloved in the Lord I Need not spend much time in giving you an account how these ensuing Sermons come to be made publick It is not because they are more worthy than those which you hear weekly Nay I may truly say without boasting they are lesse worthy though I think none of them much worth than many others It is not because I desire to bee in print But it is 1 To present you with the Pattern of a Woman whom God did pick out to make an example of great affliction and great patience that when you come into great troubles you may bee comforted with those comforts with which shee was comforted 2 To acquaint you with the pains shee took and with her diligence in time of health to make her salvation sure That so you may bee provoked to lay up sutable seasonable and sufficient provision against an evil day and not have your Evidences for Heaven to get in the hour of adversity It is the grand sin of most people to delay and prorogue their solemn preparation for affliction and sickness till they come to bee sick and in affliction There are many in Hell who purposed to repent but were prevented by death therefore Bernard saith good purposes Bona proposita gehe●nam intrant bona opera coelum go to Hell and only good performances lead into Heaven To prevent your delaying and deferring to provide for affliction these Sermons are printed and to perswade you that whatsoever you do for Heaven you would do it speedily and with all your strength The Subjects handled are so plain and easy and the stile so rude and unpolished that I was resolved to ●ave buried them in perpetual oblivion had I not been conquered by this following together with the forementioned consideration that they are calculated only for people under great troubles at which times learned debates about Discipline and controverted points of Divinity painted Eloquence and curious Language are of very little esteem and account Afflicted consciences are oftentimes puzzled but never comforted with doubtful disputations Neat and elegant expressions may skin over but cannot cure spiritual diseases Nothing can heal a wounded conscience and keep a man from sinking into dispondency in the day of great tribulation but a real right and particular Application of the Promises to help a doubting Christian to perform this great work there are thirteen plain Rules and Directions laid down in the following Treatise My prayer is that they may prove useful and successeful Seneca indeed comforts his friend Polybius and perswades him to bear his afflictions patiently because hee was the Emperours Favourite and tells him That it was not lawful for him to complain while Caesar was his Fas tibi non est de fortuna conqueri salvo Caesare friend But this was but a poor Cordial For Caesar himself a little while after was so miserable that hee had not a friend to help him much lesse was hee able to help his friend The Word of God affords a better Cordial It bids a true Child of God not to bee over much dejected under the greatest affliction Fas tibi non est de fortuna conqueri salvo Deo salvis promissionibus Dei because hee is Gods Favourite It tells him that it is not lawful for him to complain while God is his friend and the Promises of God his rich portion and inheritance Though Job lost all hee had yet hee lost nothing because hee lost not his God who is All in All and they who have him have All. My purpose at first was only to have printed the Sermon preached at Mris. Moores Funeral together with her Evidences for Heaven collected by her in the time of her health But the importunity of friends hath overswayed mee and caused mee to adde four more preached immediately afterwards on the same Text. And now Dearly Beloved having this fair opportunity to speak to you in writing give mee leave to propound and lay before you some cautions and admonitions some Rules and Directions for the right ordering of your lives and conversations in these dangerous and divided times that so you may bee able after my decease to have them in perpetual remembrance 1 Take heed of mistaking in the great work of Beleeving and Repenting Faith and Repentance are the two great Gospel-graces And the reason why so many miscarry to all eternity is not for want of them such as they are but upon a pure mistake in thinking they have them when they have but a shadow of them Where one goeth to Hell by desperation hundreds go thither by presumption O! quam multi cum hâc vanâ fide vana spe ad aeternos labores descendunt How many thousands go to hell with a vain faith and hope of Heaven And therefore bee much in examination whether your Faith bee right or no. Examine your selves whether yee bee 2 Cor. 13. 5 in the Faith prove your own selves To bee mistaken in the great work of Beleeving is to bee necessitated to damnation Mark 16 16 For hee that beleeves not shall bee damned Ask your souls often whether your Repentance bee of a right stamp or no whether it bee a Repentance unto life a Repentance never to bee repented on To bee mistaken in purchasing of Lands can but hurt your outward estates but to bee mista●en in the graces of Faith and Repentance will undo your souls to all aetenity What the Characters of a true Faith and true Repentance are you have frequently heard I will not now repeat them Only remember that self-flattery is self-mockery that soul-delusion is soul-damnation Pray unto God to deliver you from that great murderer of souls the sin of Presumption 2 Take heed as I have said of delaying and putting off the great work of providing for Heaven till sickness or oldage The Lord Christ commands you to seek first the Kingdome of God and his