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,…

Surely these are dangerous temptations, and therefore are not to be kept close, which our nature will easily incline unto: but particularly are to be confessed of us. For the devil will come sometime to thee, to keep thee still in a general acknowledging of sin, and urge thee on this manner: Surely thou must needs do this sin, thou seest thou canst have no •ase, until thou hast consented, thou art ordained to it: the reason why thou art thus incessantly tempted, is because thou doest not thus take thy pleasure. Go to deny¹ God, believe not his word: it is but a policy to keep men in aw•; Religion is no such matter as men take it. Thus for fear of yielding on the one hand, and for shame of disclosing the temptations on the other hand, many men have pined away, and almost have been overcome by them. If we should disclose this (say these men) what would people say of us? They would count us Atheists, they would think us the wickedest men in the world. Well, for our instruction and consolation herein, let us learn that these kinds of temptations, are either corrections for some sins past, or punishments for some sin present, or forewarners of some sin to come. We shall see many tempted to adultery, who (no doubt) cannot be brought to commit it; and yet because in their youth they have committed it, and not repented of it, it comes to them again. The like may be observed in theft, in gluttony, and in other temptations, which are not so much sent unto us, presently to overcome us, as to put us in mind, that sometime heretofore we having bin overcome with them, should now repent for them. Sometime a man shall lie in some sin, whereof when he will not be admonished, neither by the public nor private means, then some other strange temptation shall fall upon him, differing from that wherein he presently lieth, to admonish him of that other sin. As when a worldling shall be tempted to adultery, a thing which he hath no desire to do; yet it is to make him look to his worldliness, whereof he hath so strong and thorough a liking: wherewith if then he will not be awaked, he may suddenly fall into that too, and so by the punishment of God, in punishing one sin with another, both his sins shall be to his great shame laid open, and one sin shall make known another.

Surely these are dangerous temptations, and therefore are not to be kept close, which our nature will easily incline vnto: but particularly are to be confessed of vs. For the diuell will come sometime to thee, to keepe thee still in a generall acknowledging of sinne, and vrge thee on this manner: Surely thou must needes doe this sinne, thou seest thou canst haue no ase, vntill thou hast consented, thou art ordained to it: the reason why thou art thus incessantly tempted, is because thou doest not thus take thy pleasure. Goe to denie