A02178:1595
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
Part 2 › Treatise 2: THE SECOND TREATISE, BELONGING TO THE COMFORT OF AN AFFLICTED CONSCIENCE.
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.
Wherefore if we shall find our selves forsaken of God, so as we perceive nothing but matter of despair, let us still hold our own, & in the certainty of our faith stay our selves, sith Christ is given us of God, that he might extinguish sin, triumph over the law, vanquish death, overcome the devil, & destroy hell, for our only comfort and consolation. But peradventure some will say, my faith is weak and cold, and my1 conscience is as a flaming lamp and burning furnace: I fear the Lord will still pursue me with his wrathful indignation: Thou doest well to fear; but fear and sin not.
Wherefore if we shall finde our selues forsaken of God, so as we perceiue nothing but matter of despaire, let vs still hold our owne, & in the certaintie of our faith stay our selues, sith Christ is giuen vs of God, that he might extinguish sin, triumph ouer the law, vāquish death, ouercom the diuel, & destroy hel, for our only comfort and consolation. But peraduenture some will say, my faith is weake and cold, and my1 conscience is as a flaming lampe and burning fornace: I feare the Lord will still pursue me with his wrathfull indignation: Thou doest well to feare; but feare and sinne not.
- 1Good fear.Good feare.
For fear which subdueth the security of the flesh is in all most requisite, in that the weaker we are in our selves, the stronger we are in God. But that fear is dangerous, which hindereth the certainty of faith, in that it encourageth our enemy more fiercely to set upon us; when we (coming into the camp) will cast away our armour especially which should defend us. Comfort thy self, the Lord will not quench the smoking flax, nor break the bruised reed, he looketh not on the quantity, but on the quality of our faith. For as a good mother doth not reject her child because through some infirmity it is weak, feeble, and not able to go alone, but rather doth pity and support it, least peradventure it should fall, and recompenseth that with motherly affection, which in her child is wanting