The works of the reverend and faithful servant of Jesus Christ M. Richard Greenham,…The workes of the reuerend and faithfull seruant af Iesus Christ M. Richard Greenham,…

And to reach our complaint one degree further. Behold, the more we seek outward pleasures and to avoid the inward trouble of mind, the more we haste and run into it, and suddenly plunge our selves in a wounded spirit ere we be aware. Who posteth more¹ to become rich, who hopeth less to become poor, than the merchant man? who adventureth great treasures, who hazardeth his goods, who putteth in jeopardy his life; and yet suddenly he either rusheth upon the rock of hardness of heart, or else is swallowed up of the gulf of a despairing mind: from which afterwards he cannot be delivered with a ship full of gold. Woeful proof hath confirmed, how some men (wholly set on pleasures, such as could not away to be sad, and to be hedged up always of godly sorrow) have had their tables made snares, and even their excess of pleasures hath brought excess of sorrows, and whilst they laboured to put the evil day far from them, they have used such follies, as have bred them most bitter and terrible torments of their fearful and trembling consciences.

And to reach our complaint one degree further. Behold, the more we seeke outward pleasures and to auoid the inward trouble of minde, the more we haste and runne into it, and suddenly plunge our selues in a wounded spirit ere we be aware. Who posteth more¹ to become rich, who hopeth lesse to become poore, than the marchant man? who aduentureth great treasures, who hazardeth his goods, who putteth in ieopardie his life; and yet suddenly he either rusheth vpon the rocke of hardnesse of heart, or else is swallowed vp of the gulph of a despairing minde: from which afterwards he cannot be deliuered with a ship full of golde. Wofull proofe hath confirmed, how some men (wholy set on pleasures, such as could not away to be sad, and to be hedged vp alwaies of godly sorrow) haue had their tables made snares, and euen their excesse of pleasures hath brought excesse of sorrowes, and whilest they laboured to put the euill day farre from them, they haue vsed such follies, as haue bred them most bitter and terrible torments of their fearefull and trembling consciences.

1. 1In seeking so greedily for earth and so faintly for heaven, we think we labour for our peace, but we hasten this way into many griefs & sorrows.