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 let us herein learn one point of wisdom more, which is, if God sometime shall threaten us by scaring, and shall sit him down again a little, and it falleth not out presently that we be punished, let us not thereby get occasion to flatter and deceive our selves, as though Gods rods were then clean overpast, as a storm carried away with a cloud; but let us carefully consider what were the causes that moved him to threaten us, and no doubt we shall find that even they were causes sufficient to provoke him to plague us: and if we will not call them to mind, and confess them while we have respite given us, they will never lin yelling and crying in the cares of the just and righteous judge for whole vessels full of vengeance to consume us utterly.

Now let vs herein learne one point of wisedome more, which is, if God sometime shall threaten vs by scaring, and shall sit him downe againe a little, and it falleth not out presently that wee be punished, let vs not thereby get occasion to flatter and deceiue our selues, as though Gods rods were then cleane ouerpast, as a storme caried away with a clowd; but let vs carefully consider what were the causes that moued him to threaten vs, and no doubt wee shall finde that euen they were causes sufficient to prouoke him to plague vs: and if we will not call them to minde, and confesse them while we haue respit giuen vs, they wil neuer lin yelling and crying in the cares of the iust and righteous iudge for whole vessels full of vengeance to consume vs vtterly.

Now as for the godly, and those that fear the Lord, and have their hearts upright before him, they are as it were forewarned and fully prepared whatsoever plagues come, they know that nothing shall come nigh them to hurt them, and they can see a glimmering of the thing a great way off, and the Lord telleth them before hand what he is minded to do: he told Noah before hand of the great judgement of waters when the whole world was drowned for sin: he told Lot how he was minded to burn and boil up the filth of Sodom: he told Moses before how he would destroy the Egyptians: yea and the Prophet David speaketh truly, The Lord revealeth his secrets to them that fear him; and yet notwithstanding the dear children of God, when as nothing will serve, they must then needs look for affliction. And if it be so that affliction must needs come, let us yet pray to God rather to lay any plague upon us than the famine of his word, and the subjection to the enemies of his grace; yea let us heartily confess our sins before God as David did at the threatening of the Lord by his Prophet: and if the Lord might put us in choice (if it seemed good unto his Majesty) whether we would fly before our enemies, or whether we would wish, or chose rather a dearth in the land, or a pestilence; let us from our hearts beseech the Lord God that we may rather fall into the hands of the Lord, than into the hands of cruel and persecuting men.