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,…

In the primitive Church as they did every Sabbath receive the Sacrament, so they laid¹ something down to the use of the poor, which they did both to give some thankful testimony how the Lord the week before had blessed them, as also to show some godly token of their pity to their afflicted brethren. Concerning the exercises of love towards the credit of our brethren, if we shall hear of any secret reports tending to the discredit of others, we must not only carefully suppress it, but wisely endeavour to recover their former credit. This requireth heavenly wisdom, both to admonish the author of evil reports, as also to signify unto the man evil spoken of, what hazard and shipwreck of his good name is pretended: yet still concealing the person, and urging the report, that if the party be guilty, he may the sooner step out of his sin, the Lord having discharged such² a warning piece against him; or being guiltless, that he rather seek to prove by the rumour, than to pursue the author. But alas, the sin of our age hath not only brought in the ignorance, and banished the practise of this Christian duty: but also which more is, in stead of healing, we would the credit of others, and it is hard to discern whether there are more willing to report evil, or not unwilling to hear evil reports of others. Who³ seeth not the common profession of our Sabbath to be a table talking and vain babbling of the infirmities of others, tossing to and fro the credit of our brethren as a tennis ball: and this not only used among brainsick and unstable women, whose tongues labour of some greater infirmity, but also of men, who undiscreetly either set abroach, or draw out to the full measure and past measure the discredit of their neighbours, so that they are so far from salving such sores, and stopping such breaches, that they lance deeper and road further, then any have done before them.⁴

In the primitiue Church as they did euery Sabbath receiue the Sacrament, so they laide¹ something downe to the vse of the poore, which they did both to giue some thankefull testimonie how the Lord the weeke before had blessed them, as also to shew some godly token of their pittie to their afflicted brethen. Concerning the exercises of loue towards the credit of our brethren, if we shall heare of any secret reports tending to the discredite of others, wee must not onely carefully suppresse it, but wisely endeuour to recouer their former credite. This requireth heauenly wisedome, both to admonish the author of euill reports, as also to signifie vnto the man euill spoken of, what hazard and shipwrake of his good name is pretended: yet still concealing the person, and vrging the report, that if the partie be guiltie, he may the sooner step out of his sinne, the Lord hauing discharged such