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,…

His mightiness is enough to give me courage, yea and shall be even when I am forlorn, I know that the diminishing of my body, goods, friends, or any other thing is a calling of me to that which never shall diminish nor decay, I believe that my Lord and my God allureth me daily thither; that I might not doubt that when my body is laid in the grave, and there consumed as it were to nothing, yet notwithstanding my soul resting in the bosom of the Lord, shall return unto me and shall rise to glory: even as it (resting in this life, in the mercies of Christ) did rise to grace: verily I see, & that with joy, that my flesh must go to decay: for look what freshness soever was in it, it diminished¹ day by day. And I need not go far to seek for death, for I feel not so small an infirmity in my body, but the same is unto me a messenger of dissolution. Yet for all this I shall see my God, and when I am covered in the belly of the grave with moulds, I am assured, that he will reach me his hand to lift me up again to the beauty of his inheritance: so that this small cottage and shed of leaves, being brought to the grave, shall be carried into an incorruptible tabernacle. Thus communing with our own harts, and being still in the peace of a good conscience, concerning our outward sufferings, we shall find that the Lord by his fatherly & loving chastisements, intendeth nothing more than to prove our ⟨p. 116⟩obedience, as good reason it is that he should, and to confirm our faith, as also is most necessary. How be it still as I said, he useth a fatherly correction, that is, in mercy, measure, and judgement. For as he striketh us down in anger for our sins with the one hand, so he raiseth us up again in love for our salvation with the other hand. For albeit his corrections be wearisome wounds to flesh and blood, yet are they sovereign medicines to the soul and conscience, especially when the Lord giveth us that privilege of his children, that by his holy spirit he doth overmaster us, least that finally we should be his judge, and he not ours. And for this cause the Lord is often times provoked to put on (as it were) a contrary face, and to lock us up in a prison of adversity, to restrain us from the liberty of our sins, which Satan fain would make us violently to rush into.

His mightines is enough to giue me courage, yea and shall be euen when I am forlorne, I know that the diminishing of my body, goods, friends, or any other thing is a calling of me to that which neuer shall diminish nor decay, I beleeue that my Lord and my God allureth me daily thither; that I might not doubt that when my body is laid in the graue, and there consumed as it were to nothing, yet notwithstanding my soule resting in the bosome of the Lord, shall returne vnto me and shall rise to glory: euen as it (resting in this life, in the mercies of Christ) did rise to grace: verily I see, & that with ioy, that my flesh must goe to decay: for looke what freshnes soeuer was in it, it diminished