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,…

Cease then to gaze at the work of God, and labour to gauge the pride of your own hearts in affection, which the Lord is constrained to shame us with, for the abuse of his graces, for the discredit of his word, the contempt of his glory, and for the neglect of our own salvation: which being before purposed, rather then it should be unaccomplished, we shall have shameful Sergeants¹ sent unto us; as fire on our houses, wars to spoil our goods, sickness to weaken our bodies, and torment of mind to scourge our consciences, which will draw us out by the ears from the heavy slumber of sin, wherein we snorted. And thus fitly, though suddenly, we are slipped into the second point and observation of this doctrine, which is, that we should not be too hie to enter into the gates of adversity, nor being entered, to behave our selves unpatiently, as though it would undo us to sit in the house of mourning a while: rather we must rejoice in it, and be thankful for it, saying with the Prophet: It is good for me ô Lord that thou hast afflicted me, &c. because the holy Ghost here telleth us that² lowliness goeth before honour, and in the school of humility, we shall learn the way to true glory and Nobility. Neither do I here mean, that affliction in it self hath of it self such virtue, as to humble us truly under the hand of God: but when the spirit of God worketh with it, that then it will breed in us the fruits of righteousness, repentance, faith, and holiness; it will drive us to seek comfort in the world, to ask comfort by prayer, to yield comfort by compassion on other mens evils. And therefore it is necessary against the policy of Satan, who would discourage the Saints of God in their profession, by dressing them with afflictions, to stay our selves in this testimony of the holy Ghost,³ that before glory goeth affliction, and after lowliness cometh honour, either in this life, or in the life to come, or in both. This must further teach us to profit by the threatenings of God publicly preached, not to threaten them, or to murmur against them that lay the⁴ judgements of God against us in the law: this must cause us to make much of them, that by sharp censuring of us, will soonest draw us out of sin. This must work in us a desire to