A02178:1743
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
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.
To these we must join meditation, either about the means of our salvation, or about the works of God: upon the means, as in accounting1 with ourselves, what things being read & preached, chiefly did touch and concern us, what special feelings, & comforts the Lord gave us in our prayers, what increase of faith in God his promises, and of repentance in purposing a new life we had in the Sacraments, that thus we may make a private and peculiar use of the public and general means. About the works of God, partly concerning those properties which are in himself,2 as his mercy, justice, wisdom, trueth, power & providence, partly concerning his creatures, and works of his hands, wherein he hath left certain impressions and qualities necessary for our use, & profitable for our instruction. For the former, the practise of the Prophet and duty of all good professors, Psal. 92. doth sufficiently show, that it is one special work of the Sabbath to commend & declare the kindness of the Lord, to rejoice in the works of his hands, to praise his truth and to show forth his righteousness. In which Psalm the man of God protesteth that the works of God are only glorious to the godly, and how the unwise and wicked men cannot consider of God his works, nor discern his judgements, because they measure the condition of men by their present estate, not looking either how God hath dealt before, nor considering how that though the faithful seem to wither, and to be cut down by the wicked, yet they shall grow again and flourish in the Church of God, as the cedars do in mount Lebanon. Now as with the exercise of the word we have the Sacraments to strengthen our faith: so with the meditating of the works of God we are to strengthen our selves with the beholding of God his creatures, as the heavens and the scope, beauty, and continual course thereof, and the earth, which should have been all as pleasant as the garden of Eden, if Adam had continued in his innocency, whose work as it was by the light of nature to view the creatures of God, so also is it our work by the light of Gods grace and holy spirit to do the same. To this end the Prophetical king, Psal. 19. setteth down the exquisite workmanship, proportion, and ornaments of the heavens, saying, The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth the works of his hands. 2.