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,…

Then they dying in the ripeness of years, and in the fullness of days, are gathered in their due time into the Lord his barn, as a rick of corn. Then they having fought a good battle, run their full race, and kept a true faith, can with joy in Christ look for the crown of ⟨p. 179⟩glory which is prepared for them. To this wholesome meditation and fore-thinking of death, the daily mortality and dropping away of others ought to stir us up. For we see many round about us of the same complexions, of the same age that we are of, breathing, of the same air, using the same diet which we do, who go before us, and are gleaned from those miserable calamities, which our long contempt of the word hath threatened to¹ fall upon us. Let us labour then to lay up our flesh in hope, that our departure from hence, may be as the sailing over the Seas; as the travailing of a woman; as a delivery out of prison, and a returning from exile. Certainly a man is never more tried to be a Christian, than in contemning death: for Heretics concerning other things, may have as great gifts as² other professors, but in death they will bewray their hypocrisy, either in murmuring as dogs, or in unsensiblenes as blocks. But in Christians there appeareth such an heroical alacrity, tempered with so gracious humility, that they desire not to live, but to keep a good conscience; they refuse not to die for nothing, but for hope of a more happy inheritance. It may be, that others, as we said, may show some cheerful countenance to die, but it either proceedeth of some frenzy unadvisedly, or of rashness especially, or of numbness carelessly.

Then they dying in the ripenes of yeeres, and in the fulnesse of dayes, are gathered in their due time into the Lord his barne, as a ricke of corne. Then they hauing fought a good battaile, runne their full race, and kept a true faith, can with ioy in Christ looke for the crowne of ⟨p. 179⟩glorie which is prepared for them. To this wholesome meditation and fore-thinking of death, the daily mortalitie and dropping away of others ought to stirre vs vp. For wee see many round about vs of the same complexions, of the same age that we are of, breathing, of the same aire, vsing the same diet which wee doe, who goe before vs, and are gleaned from those miserable calamities, which our long contempt of the word hath threatned to