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 though our prayers be dull and full of wearisomeness, if the striving and straining of our selves to goodness be so hard, that we know not whether we strive for fear of punishment or for love of so good a Father: yet¹ if we feel this in our selves, that we would fain love the Lord, and be better, and being wearied and tired with our sins, long gladly to enjoy the peace of righteousness, and desire to please God in a simple obedience of faith; then let us comfort our selves; there is no time too late to repent in. For he cometh quickly to Christ (although in the hour of death) that cometh willingly, and in a desire of a better life: howsoever sin and Satan at that time would especially persuade him. For as the humming Be having lost her st••g² in another, doth still notwithstanding make a fearful and grievous noise by her often buzzing about us, but is nothing able to hurt us: so sin & death, having lost their stings in Christ Jesus, do not cease at all, even in the height of the parching heat of our consciences, to make a murmuring: and with furious storms of temptations to terrify us and our consciences, albeit they never sting us. Wherefore if Satan charge our consciences with ⟨p. 114⟩sin (if we can feel the things a little before mentioned in our consciences) let us bid him not tell us what we have been, but what we would be. For such we are by imputation, as we be in affection, and he is now no sinner, who for the love he beareth to righteousness, would be no sinner. Such as we be in desire and purpose, such we be in reckoning and account with God, who ³giveth that true desire and holy purpose to none but to his children whom he justifieth. Neither undoubtedly can the guiltiness of sin break the peace of our conscience, seeing it is the work of another who hath commended us as righteous before God, and saved us. It must indeed be confessed, that our own works will do nothing in the matter of justification, which from Christ, and in Christ is freely given unto us: it must be granted, that in our selves we are weaker, than that we can resist the least sin, so far off is it, that we can encounter with the law, sin, death, hell, and Satan: and yet in Christ we are more than conquerors over them all. When the law accuseth thee because thou hast not observed it, send it to Christ, and say;