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 Lord sent plagues on the Church of Laodicea▪ not so much for gross and notorious sins, but because they were not humbled and zealous enough, but such as might more easily have fallen into deeper enormities hereafter. If men use to try gold seven times in the furnace, not for any mass of dross in it, but to prove it; how much more had the Lord need to try our faith, although we be not given to any great and notable crime? For as there may be two uses in the trying of gold, the one to purge it from dross, the other to fine it the more: so there are two uses of corrections, the one to punish sin, the other to try their faith. And although the Lord more principally doth not punish sin, but rather secondarily, chiefly trying the patience of his children: yet when men cannot accuse us, neither we can accuse our selves, yet the Lord will purge us from some secret corruption, which may breed a sin in time to come. And hereupon it cometh, that privy pride, secret self-love, close covetousness, hidden hypocrisy, and such like are counted sins of God his children, though of worldlings they be thought good virtues. But some will say: Is this the truth, ye stick to? Is this the Gospel, which ye profess? See, what hurliburlies, see how many opinions there are, what a company of religions are start up, see what denying of the faith, what gross sins are sprung up, see what deaths, plagues, and wars are accompanied with it? Surely it seemeth that this is not the ⟨p. 234⟩Gospel. Before all things were in better case, no such disturbance in religion, no such noise of notorious sins, no such turmoilings on every side, all things were at good quiet: but now we have more troubles, than ever in former times were heard of. The wicked do not only break their necks at this block, but God his own children have dangerously stumbled at it. For when Job, David▪ Jeremiah without God his spirit beheld the prosperity of the wicked, and the adversity of the godly, they confessed their feet had almost slipped, saving that they durst not condemn the generation of God his children. To remedy this the holy Ghost saith, that, when the graces of God do most appear, then will the Lord send greatest judgements for the contempt of his Gospel in the wicked, and for the neglect of it in the godly.

the Lord sent plagues on the Church of Laodicea▪ not so much for grosse and notorious sinnes, but because they were not humbled and zealous enough, but such as might more easily haue fallen into deeper enormities hereafter. If men vse to trie gold seuē times in the furnace, not for any masse of drosse in it, but to proue it; how much more had the Lord neede to trie our faith, although we be not giuen to any great and notable crime? For as there may be two vses in the trying of gold, the one to purge it from drosse, the other to fine it the more: so there are two vses of corrections, the one to punish sinne, the other to trie their faith. And although the Lord more principally doth not punish sinne, but rather secondarily, chiefly trying the patience of his children: yet when men cannot accuse vs, neither we can accuse our selues, yet the Lord will purge vs from some secret corruption, which may breede a sinne in time to come. And hereupon it commeth, that priuie pride, secret selfe-loue, close couetousnes, hidden hypocrisie, and such like are counted sinnes of God his children, though of worldlings they be thought good vertues. But some will say: Is this the truth, ye sticke to? Is this the Gospell, which ye professe? See, what hurliburlies, see how many opinions there are, what a companie of religions are start vp, see what denying of the faith, what grosse sinnes are sprung vp, see what deaths, plagues, and warres are accompanied with it? Surely it seemeth that this is not the