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,…

Common practise doth further teach us, that when we can hear the word without all trembling at God his judgements, when we can pray without all fear before the Majesty of God, when we can come to the discipline of the Church without all reverence of the ordinance of the Lord; all is in vain. Again, let us hear with too much trembling, and we shall learn nothing; let us pray with too servile a fear, and our worshipping of God will be without all comfort and uncheerful. Thus if we neither lessen sin, that is sin indeed, neither make sin of that which is not sin in truth, it is good to proceed to this three-fold examination, & to lay the edge of this doctrine more near our affections, because many will be sound in this ripeness of knowledge and barrenness of conscience, to speak, dispute and declaim of all these things very skilfully, which flickering in the circumference of the brain, and not sitting at the ground of the heart, do seal up a more just sentence of condemnation against them. To help this evil, we must meditate deeply of the Law and of the Gospel, together with the appurtenances of them both, that finding ourselves far from Gods blessings promised to the keepers of the law, and seeing our selves near to the curses due to the breakers of the law, we may raise up some sense of sin in our selves. Yet herein we must not stay our foot, but give a further stride: for whereas many by a diligent view of the law, have come to the sense of sin in themselves, and saw plainly their own condemnation: yet because they laboured not to see the guiltiness acquitted by the remission of sin in Christ, they plunged themselves into a bottomless¹ sea of sorrows. Others having passed these degrees, and hitherto made these steps to avoid the wound of conscience, have come also too short, and missed of the mark: when because besides the sense of sin pardoned by the death of Christ, they felt not also the virtue of his passion crucifying sin in them, but saw that with the remission of sin was not joined the mortification of sin; they feared that there was no forgiveness for them, but still languishing with sorrow, they thought themselves to stand charged with their former guiltiness.

Common practise doth further teach vs, that when we can heare the word without all trembling at God his iudgements, when we can pray without all feare before the Maiestie of God, when we can come to the discipline of the Church without all reuerence of the ordinance of the Lord; all is in vaine. Againe, let vs heare with too much trembling, and we shall learne nothing; let vs pray with too seruile a feare, and our worshipping of God will be without all comfort and vncheerefull. Thus if we neither lessen sinne, that is sinne indeede, neither make sinne of that which is not sin in truth, it is good to proceed to this three-fold examination, & to lay the edge of this doctrine more neere our affections, because many will be sound in this ripenes of knowledge and barrennes of conscience, to speake, dispute and declaime of all these things very skilfully, which flickring in the circumference of the braine, and not sitting at the ground of the heart, doe seale vp a more iust sentence of condemnation against them. To helpe this euill, we must meditate deeply of the Law and of the Gospel, together with the appurtenances of them both, that finding ourselues farre from Gods blessings promised to the keepers of the law, and seeing our selues neere to the curses due to the breakers of the law, we may raise vp some sense of sin in our selues. Yet herein we must not stay our foote, but giue a further stride: for whereas many by a diligent view of the law, haue come to the sense of sinne in themselues, and saw plainly their owne condemnation: yet because they laboured not to see the guiltinesse acquited by the remission of sinne in Christ, they plunged themselues into a bottomlesse