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,…

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 ⟨p. 336⟩place effectually that were needless. Let us take heed therefore we deceive not ourselves in thinking that affliction is the only means to bring us to God, and so neglect the due preparing by the law till time of affliction. We see that is the means rather than this: and affliction indeed is the curse of God. Now the curse of God is the verifying of his law: and though it please God to bless it; as he doth always to his children, for all things turn to the best to them that love him, yet ought it not to be the means to humble us rather than the other. The end of affliction and of threatening both is to humble us; and therefore it were better to be humbled by threatening than by experience of punishment; for the threats of the law may do this as well as affliction, if we be not unwise.

And as for those whom the Lord as yet hath laid no scourge vpon them, let them not long for it, but let them lay the law of God and the threatnings thereof vnto 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 ordinarie meanes appointed of God to procure and conserue health, which as many of vs as are not vnwise, will obserue. Now if for want of discretion, or for greedie desire we neglect this, and so by gathering together of ill and noysome humors within vs we endanger our life, yet to saue our life wee will suffer the working of the most strong purgation, that the Physition shall prescribe vs: so the law that is, the ordinarie meanes to make vs apt to heare the word of peace and saluation, and ought of vs to be obserued and applied vnto vs, that we may thereby be preserued rather than by affliction; yet if our mercifull Lord and only Physition of our soule shall with tender compassion looke vpon our sores, and shall see the maladie of our soule to bee incurable without the strong purgation of affliction, then ought we euen with good courage to take it, except we will suffer and see our endlesse vexation. So purgation is good, but it is more wisedome to obserue diet: and affliction is profitable; but if the law might take