A02178:1553
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,…
The works of the reverend and faithful servant of Jesus Christ M. Richard Greenham, minister and preacher of the Word of God collected into one volume: revised, corrected, and published, for the further building of all such as love the truth, and desire to know the power of godliness. By H.H.The workes of the reuerend and faithfull seruant af Iesus Christ M. Richard Greenham, minister and preacher of the Word of God collected into one volume: reuised, corrected, and published, for the further building of all such as loue the truth, and desire to know the power of godlinesse. By H.H.
London: printed by Thomas Snodham and Thomas Creede for William Welby, 1612London: printed by Thomas Snodham and Thomas Creede for VVilliam VVelby, 1612
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.
yet the hidden corruption of our nature, may threaten some heinous downfall in1 time to come, which hath made men of very good report & conversation to hang down their heads, and fear their secret hypocrisy, as that which may break forth to the shame of all their former life, in time to come.
yet the hidden corruption of our nature, may threaten some hainous downfall in1 time to come, which hath made men of very good report & conuersation to hang downe their heads, and feare their secret hypocrisie, as that which may breake forth to the shame of all their former life, in time to come.
- 1Secret corruption.
But because we forget to speak of them, that in the examining of their lives past, are much grieved for the want of sincerity, and for privy vain-glory in themselves; let us before we go to the searching of our hearts in sin to come, speak somewhat of this. Men troubled for this privy pride are either touched, or not touched. If the veil of sin was so great in them, that it hid Christ from them; it is the good will of God, that by this sight of their secret sins they should come to see the righteousness that is in Christ Jesus, and so they shall the better be kept from being justiciary Pharisees. For when being a long1 time well brought up, and leading a civill life, the devil would persuade us of some inherent righteousness in us; it is the wisdom of our God to touch us with the conscience of most hidden corruptions, as also to certify and make known unto us, that even from our birth there was a secret seed of sin in us, which (without the Lord watching over us) would surely have broken forth to his dishonour. As for them which have had some working in them, and yet are often plunged with sore distresses, this trouble cometh to them for two especial causes, either for some hypocrisy, that they did more in show than in truth: wherefore the Lord bringeth them back again to see their corrupt proceedings,