A02178:2304
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.
if we be his, he must take up wholly our souls and bodies in his word; which if we despise, undoubtedly we shall be despised of God. Mark then in the latter end of this verse, he saith, I how shal• maintain my lot. As if the man of God should say: Howsoever the world judgeth, that my estate cometh of other men, I know it cometh of thee: and, Prou. 16. 4. Thou Lord hast made all things for thy own sake, although other think things to be fortunate, and subject to luck; and when as others think it strange, that the son of Ishai should come to the government of the Common-wealth, yet thou alone hast done it. Neither are we thus alone maintained of God in our outward estate, but also in spiritual things, we are kept by his power, as 1. Pet. 1, 5. We are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. And howsoever the world marvelleth that we live, yet we (saith the Apostle) are kept by the secret finger of God, & that unto salvation. This happy assurance caused Paul to say, 2 Timo. 1. 12. I know i• whom I have believed, and I am persuaded he is able to keep that which is committed to him against that day. In which doctrine is •• small comfort, in that we have not our salvation in our own custody, neither hath the Lord left us to our selves in the con lucting of our bodies & souls, but hath given the whole and happy government to his Son Jesus Christ: in which dignity we far excel Adam in the estate of innocency. For albeit we are by him and in him fallen from it (so weak was our estate, and so brittle was our hold whilst man possessed it) yet having it restored, the credit and custody of it resteth not on our weakness, but on the mighty power of Christ, from whom it cannot be taken. Such is the merciful wisdom of our good God. Wherefore our Saviour Christ, Joh. 6 •aith, that he is the shepherd, and that we are in his custody. For whereas like sheep of our selves we are ready to go astray and wander, the Lord with his shepherds crook will fetch us again to the fold; and when we are lost in the wilderness and dark places, he will find us ou•; when we see no issues of our matter, he will be faithful unto us, if we commit our selves unto him. We see now the blessed security of God his children is herein, that their lot is not in their own hands. This doctrine also is full of comfort to us in these times: