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,…

These things may serve to stir us up, to hunger and thirst after righteousness, & the hearing of Gods word. For by experience I have known and tried some, which in the beginning of their profession have been zealous, have taken pleasure in the word of God, have felt some comfort in the word, and for confirmation of their faith, both the word and the Saints of God were dear unto them. They have distributed to the poor, and have had many other graces, yet when they looked for the virtue and power and effect which the word should have wrought in their hearts, it was not in them, alas these things are now gone: but although the children of God have many several temptations, and that ⟨p. 292⟩often without any feeling of this, yet let them assure them of this, that be they whosoever they are, at one time or other they shall feel this mighty power of the spirit of God in them to quicken them up.

These things may serue to stirre vs vp, to hunger and thirst after righteousnesse, & the hearing of Gods word. For by experience I haue knowne and tried some, which in the beginning of their profession haue been zealous, haue taken pleasure in the word of God, haue felt some comfort in the word, and for cōfirmation of their faith, both the word and the Saints of God were deare vnto them. They haue distributed to the poore, and haue had many other graces, yet when they looked for the vertue and power and effect which the word should haue wrought in their hearts, it was not in them, alas these things are now gone: but although the children of God haue many seuerall temptations, and that ⟨p. 292⟩often without any feeling of this, yet let them assure them of this, that be they whosoeuer they are, at one time or other they shall feele this mightie power of the spirit of God in them to quicken them vp.

It is requisite therefore for them to know how this cometh, and what the remedy thereof is, that so they might find out the way to the attaining of it. Truly the Lord was found of us, when we sought him not, he made himself known unto us, when we were ignorant of him, he caused the light to shine on us, when we sate in darkness and in the shadow of death. It pleased him in the first shining of the Gospel to put the teat and the milk into our mouths, even as a good mother dealeth with her young child, and to put the clothes upon our backs, and to provide all things for us without asking: but after that the Lord hath thus nourished us, and regenerated us by his word and spirit, and found us out even then when we thought not of him, and then we like unto little children were ready to come unto him; behold here the great mercy and loving kindness of our God towards us; but when as yet notwithstanding these mercies are increased not in faith, in repentance and godly obedience unto the laws of God he still useth us as children, even as Christ used his Apostles, giving us to know and to see that surely there is good, and that there is comfort and salvation unto the children of God; thus God by little and little conveyeth his graces into us.