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,…

Now if affliction be such a notable thing, and the Lord worketh even eternal life thereby oftentimes to those whom he hath elected and called to be his, how lovingly ought they to embrace it to whom the Lord so fatherly doth offer it? and how patiently and cheerfully ought they to bear it, inasmuch as they thereby may assure themselves that God hath severed them from the world, and from those on whom he meaneth to show no mercy in the day of his wrath?

Now if affliction bee such a notable thing, and the Lord worketh euen eternall life thereby oftentimes to those whom hee hath elected and called to bee his, how louingly ought they to embrace it to whom the Lord so fatherly doth offer it? and how patiently and chearefully ought they to beare it, in asmuch as they thereby may assure themselues that God hath seuered them from the world, and from those on whom he meaneth to shew no mercie in the day of his wrath?

And as for those whom the Lord as yet hath laid no scourge upon them, let them not long for it, but let them lay the law of God and the threatenings thereof unto their hearts to humble them thereby. It is better to be humbled thereby than by affliction, and yet better by affliction than not at all. To commend affliction and to mislike of preaching of the law, is as though one should commend a sore and dangerous purgation, and mislike a good diet. A good diet is able, and it is the ordinary means appointed of God to procure and conserve health, which as many of us as are not unwise, will observe. Now if for want of discretion, or for greedy desire we neglect this, and so by gathering together of ill and noisome humours within us we endanger our life, yet to save our life we will suffer the working of the most strong purgation, that the Physician shall prescribe us: so the law that is, the ordinary means to make us apt to hear the word of peace and salvation, and ought of us to be observed and applied unto us, that we may thereby be preserved rather than by affliction; yet if our merciful Lord and only Physician of our soul shall with tender compassion look upon our sores, and shall see the malady of our soul to be incurable without the strong purgation of affliction, then ought we even with good courage to take it, except we will suffer and see our endless vexation. So purgation is good, but it is more wisdom to observe diet: and affliction is profitable; but if the law might take