A02178:2303
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.
we must be as much afraid and grieved to lose our faith in God his promises, as we are to lose the evidence of our lands; we must be as careful to use the sacraments, as to keep whole and unviolated the seals of our evidences; we must be as careful to perform to God that which his will requireth of us, as to receive of him that which in his testament is bequeathed us, otherwise we have nothing to do with God, & God hath nothing to do with us in mercy, God is none of our inheritance, neither are we his inheritance. Such then as will come a• their leisure, and when they list, or when the world will afford no further profit, nor the flesh further delight, as they did most unthankfully in the Gospel, who preferred their marriage, bargaining, and toiling in the earth to the heavenly banquet, are not in any assurance, that God is their portion; for where our portion is, there is our delight; & where we look for inheritance, there we provide for assurance; and where we look for treasure, thither we go with joy: wherefore until we set the word aloft in our consciences, we can find no assurance that God is our portion, or that we are his. The equity hereof appeareth, Deut. 9. 29. ⟨p. 323⟩where the people are called the inheritance of the Lord: and Deut. 32. 9. The Lords portion is his people: Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. For as possessions in times past were chosen out by lines, so the Lord is said to divide to the Nations their inheritance, and to separate Jacob as a part for himself. Neither must we shuffle off this from our selves, seeing the Apostle (1. Pet. 2. 6) calleth us a spiritual house, and an holy Priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices: and the holy Ghost (Revel. 1. 6.) saith, We are made Kings and Priests unto God through Christ. Wherefore seeing the Lord dealeth so favourably with us, that when hell was our portion by our birthright, he hath measured out heaven for us by the promulgation of his Gospel; when we were guilty of damnation, hath made us inheritors of salvation; and when Satan made claim to us, he hath rescued the title of us to himself: what an hellish pride were it, not to set God aloft? what presumption were it, not to make him our chief delight, seeing he before freely hath made us his chief delight? If then we desire that God should be our inheritance, we must be his;