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,…

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,² and that they may know all their religion to be but hypocrisy, and all their righteousness to be but unrighteousness: or for the abusing of their knowledge, in that they made it but a mask to juggle in, and that they made their affections to fight with their own judgements. We must remedy this, by not thinking of our selves above that which is meet, and by labouring to embrace the truth in truth. And here let us note, that many of Gods children accuse themselves of hypocrisy, when indeed they offend not in it, (for the most righteous persons are their own greatest accusers) and yet the accusation doth justly arise from some fault on their parts: for though they have done things in truth, yet because with truth they laboured not to see their secret corruptions, in some other matters, they sustain this trouble of mind.

But because we forget to speake of them, that in the examining of their liues past, are much grieued for the want of sinceritie, and for priuie vaine-glorie in themselues; let vs before we goe to the searching of our hearts in sinne to come, speake somewhat of this. Men troubled for this priuie pride are either touched, or not touched. If the veile of sinne 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 sinnes they should come to see the righteousnes that is in Christ Iesus, and so they shall the better be kept from being iusticiarie Pharises. For when being a long