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,…

and to such as acknowledge this murmuring to be a sin, and be grieved for it, there followeth remedies to help out of it.

and to such as acknowledge this murmuring to be a sinne, and be grieued for it, there followeth remedies to helpe out of it.

For as much as impatience and murmuring proceedeth from infidelity, the remedy¹ therefore must be fetched, first from faith in Gods mercies, & in the benefits which Christ hath by his death purchased unto us, and in the hope of the Resurrection to everlasting life, and in Gods fatherly providence: which things if we do believe, we must also believe that God in this life will sufficiently minister unto all our wants: and unless we do believe² them, we do not, neither can we believe with assurance that the Lord will preserve us. But if we doubt whether the Lord will help us in earthly things, we must needs much more doubt of his favour in spiritual benefits First therefore the great and rich mercy of the Lord, and his favourable dealing with us, being duly considered, shall be very profitable to work in us patience: for if we see how the Lord forbeareth us, and rewardeth us, not according to our sins: •ay, if we see that when for the ripeness of our sins he might³ confound us, yet •e doth not so much as punish us; and when he might justly punish us, yet he dealeth mercifully with us, and bestoweth his mercies upon us. If (I say) we can acknowledge this to be his ordinary dealing, that by his long suffering he doth lead us to repentance, and by his manifold mercies he doth as it were wean us from our sins, this would much bridle our murmuring, and instruct us to patience. And yet we see a further thing then this in this people of Israel: for the Lord doth not only bear with their sins, and bestow many mercies upon them; but to help them, and to do them good, he doth use extraordinary means; as to bring down bread from heaven, to make water gush out of the Rock: where he showeth, that for the safety of his people, even when all means do fail, and when to mans judgement there is no way to find out help or deliverance; yet there will the Lord magnify his mercy towards his servants, and will work wonders for their preservation. He doth not thus deal with the Israelites only, but he maketh this his ordinary dealing with his servants from time to time. As Moses applieth this place, when he saith, The Lord hath fed thee with this Mnna forty years that thou mayest know