A02178:1600
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.
Let us then have such an eye to1 every blow, that whensoever the Lord shall lay any cross upon us, we be ready to receive it, and to yield up our bonds unto him, the condition whereof is, that we be ready to remove whensoever he pleaseth, knowing that Gods providence forceth us always to the best, and as most may make for the hastening of our souls to our everlasting inheritance. Let us learn not to reckon without our host, and that we hold our prosperity of the Lord not in fee simple, but as tenants at will, that is, from day to day, resigning to God the sovereignty of revoking us when it pleaseth him. Thus it becometh the Lord to change our estate, that we become not snared in the gifts of prosperity, and become so foolish as not to keep on our way to the heavenly life. Our natural inclination is to forget that we are on earth as pilgrims; to leap up into the clouds, and to promise unto our selves the whole course of our lives to be in prosperity: and so long as God letteth us alone at our case, we take our selves (as it were) to be petty Gods. But when we see our selves shut up, and know not what will be the end of our misery, finding our selves to be entertained in this life but as journey men, waged for the present day, but not knowing what will become of us the day following: we desire to take our rest in the bosom of Gods providence, and so much we strike our sails the lower, when the Lord proclaimeth war with our secure prosperity: which persuadeth us that we shall live for ever, and driveth us from bethinking us of our miseries and frailties. Wherefore let us ⟨p. 117⟩cut out our prosperity by the pattern of humility, and in our best estate, put our selves2 in readiness to suffer adversity, and when we are well, to look for worse, and keep a good watch when God handleth us most gently, that in abounding we may foresee our wants, in health our sickness, and in prosperity our calamity: for concerning things of this life the faithful are to stand in a doubt, that that which they hold with one hand, may be taken away with the other. We must not think that we shall ever enjoy our liberty, & that we shall see no cross: but we must lay open our selves to receive stripes from the Lord, knowing that our least cries will stay his greatest scourges. Let us look to be assaulted, but not unmeasurably, because God will assist us.