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,…

There are two things required in Religion, the substance and the ceremony¹ or visard, and we have but one of them. The first is a marvellous hard thing to circumcise our hearts, to make them bleed; we think it enough to hear, for opinions carry the common people: for they be like children, if they see a face in a glass, they think it is a man, and begin to talk of it and to it. This ceremonial hearing in times past it would now and then (as they say) do good: but now as one saith, is nothing but to hear, eat, drink, and talk. That a show is sufficient to move the multitude, it appeareth by Absalom, who although he were a beast; yet when he had made a vow, and Jezebel had proclaimed a fast, the people followed them, and said the Queen was become religious, & Absalom was worthy of a kingdom, and so the like hypocrites have an opinion of just men. The duty of reprehending is the duty of a good man, and under the law it was thus: the accuser was wont to throw the first stone: the thief on the cross said; Thou being in the same condemnation, darest thou reprove? Here is a case of premunire, which what it is on earth we know, and what it is in Heaven we shall know at that day: examples we have in Aaron, N•dab, Ab•hu, Uzza, and Ahaziah.

THere are two things required in Religion, the substance and the ceremonie¹