A02178:2123
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.
Othersome there be: who being put to open shame, are sorrowful indeed: but this is because they have sustained open shame, rather than because they have sinned against the Lord. These are in some degree better than the former, & yet they go not so far as they ⟨p. 266⟩ought to do: for the devil having bewitched them, doth persuade them it is no such matter as men would make them belee •e it is, and that as a wonder lasteth but nine days, so this shall be of no long continuance. Thus they are letted, so that the shame cannot enter into their hearts, there to work godly sorrow which may bring forth unfeigned repentance. This is daily seen in whores and thieves, and such like male factors, who although they make large promises of amendment, yet the punishment being passed, they fall into the like filthiness again. Some think that they do dissemble and deal deceitfully: but I think that they think as they speak, and speak with sorrow and grief. For will a thief purpose to steal again when he is ready to be hanged? Will a child purpose to play the wanton when he is a beating? No doubtless, but in the one there is a childishness to speak without advise; in the other is a seruilnes to be moved with nothing but present fear. I1 grant indeed there is hypocrisy in them, yet the gross hypocrisy whereby men labour to deceive others, is not in them; but the close & most dangerous hypocrisy whereby the devil hath beguiled their own hearts through his subtlety. This witchery of the devil (I say) is the cause why many promising amendment, do not perform the same. Thus we see how men do miss of that profit which ought to be reaped of open shame: we therefore are to take a better course, and to labour, that as our faces do blush before men, so our souls may be confounded before the Lord, that being throughly humbled under his hand by godly sorrow, it may please him in mercy to raise us up. Now if we doubt in this case whether our sorrow be sound or no, let us try it by these two rules. First, whether we2 can with contented minds take the punishment as a correction from the Lord, and yet mourn and be grieved for the sin: but in such a manner as giving place to Gods justice3