A02178:2320
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.
and seeing we believe as great things, what peevishness is it to doubt either of the comfortable assurance of our salvation present, or to despair of final perseverance in time to come? Against these we see the man of God opposeth his glorious rejoicing: wherefore the holy Ghost speaketh, Rom. 5 1. Being justified by faith, we have peace toward God through our Lord Jesus Christ. And 1. Pet. 1. 8. You believe in Christ, and rejoice with joy unspeakable and glorious. In which point we are taught, that this rejoicing of the heart, praising of God with our tongue, and holy security of the whole man is the spirit of faith; and this is our true joy, even our assurance, that we are righteous in Christ, that God is our portion, our inheritance, our guider, governor, and preserver of us to life everlasting, yea and this fruit of faith is a sure token of faith, though it be not always and in all men in like measure. Howbeit, where the want thereof is felt, we must remember both to mourn and groan in our spirits for the want of it, and also wait on God in the mean time, and use all means possible to recover the same. This certainty of our salvation spoken of by Paul, rehearsed of Peter, and mentioned of David, Psal. 4 7. is that special fruit then of faith, which breedeth that spiritual joy, and inward peace, which passeth all understanding. True it is all God his children have it not. One thing is the tree, and another thing is the fruit of the tree: one thing is faith, and another thing is the fruit of faith. And that remnant of God his elect which feel the want of this fruit, have notwithstanding faith, which manifesteth it self in them by groaning and sighing for it, and by the complaining of the absence of it. For albeit indeed there is no greater argument, that a man is alive, than his lively, quick ⟨p. 329⟩and cheerful spirits, his fresh memory, nimbleness and agility of body: yet it is some token also of life, when a man not having in himself this alacrity of mind & acrimony of welldoing, can complain of his lumpish, earthly and dead spirits, dull memory, and heaviness of body, as one that feareth and suspecteth these things to be forerunners of some fainting, languishing, or dangerous sickness, which is towards him.