A02178:1965
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.
The due consideration whereof must wane us from the world and surfeiting pleasures, which lock up our hearts that the Lord cannot enter in. We cannot well run with the Hare, and hold with the Hound, we ⟨p. 221⟩cannot hold fire and water together, we cannot reconcile Christ and Belial, light & darkness, God and the devil. If one be up, the other must down, if one be down, the other will up. Again, we marvel that after the word preached, we are so overtaken with our accustomed pleasures and profits, seeing that whilst we did hear, we had a secret and sweet disliking of sin, and an irking of our selves for the same, so long as these afterthoughts correct the former. Surely I answer out of Paul, 2. Cor. 3. 3. because we are yet carnal, we are more carnal than spiritual, we are babes in Christ, we have but young beginnings in Christ, but old proceedings in the world. Why then do we come to God so halting and limping? even because we are not come to any good growth in new birth. Howbeit, let us beware that we continue not still to be starvelings, least it breedeth in us a sickne▪ unto death both of body and soul. If we were more spiritual than carnal, & had the Spirit poured upon us in some plentiful measure, & were fully persuaded of God his providence watching over us, of the ministry of his holy Angels waiting upon us, & assured of the glory of the life to come, feeling the mighty power of the word, of the law to humble us, of the Gospel to breed faith in us, of the Sacraments to seal us, of Christ to live in us; oh how should we live in this world! Whilst Christ lived in Paul, he used this world as though he used it not, he felt such joy in the fruits of the Spirit, that all other things were vile unto him So the cause why good motions die in us so soon, and the suggestions of the flesh prevail so strongly against us, is, because we are more carnal than spiritual. Many rules may be given, how a man may use himself: but to set down all, either we shall come short, or else in reaching some good measure of them we may swell in privy pride, but learn this well, and learn all: which after a long part of a sermon our Saviour Christ concludeth with Matth. 6 33. First seek ye the kingdom of God and his righteousness &c. This is hard: