A02178:2407
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.
Moreover, it is requisite that they also fear the Minister, or else can they in no ease reverence and honour him: for where fear is not, all honour is absent, and so consequently all duty extinguished. And this fear must not be a feigned and counterfeited fear: but when he shall come before the Minister to ask him any question, he must consider that he cometh to talk with the messenger of the Lord, whom he ought to hear as well as if the Lord himself were present. For this is most certain, where a faithful Minister is that doth1 sincerely and purely preach the word, it is all one as if the Lord himself dwelt personally among us: and his own self hath verified the same, saying: He that heareth you, heareth 2me. And therefore it behooveth us to give a proof of our fear, love and obedience towards the Lord, by receiving his word with such fear and reverence as beseemeth his subjects, although the same proceed out of a mortal mans mouth. It is a common thing among us, the Ambassador of a Prince is received with great honour & reverence, yea his message is to be received as undoubtedly, as if the King were present himself, yea they that shall despise his authority shall be as heinously accounted of, as if they resisted and rebelled3 against the Kings own person: And shall the Ambassadors of the living God, who is King of all Kings, be received less worthily than the other, whose authority is both greater and the message weightier? Truly whosoever shall take scorn to yield this duty of ⟨p. 353⟩fear and reverence unto the Minister, let him be assured that he scorneth not him, but the Lord that sent him. But some will object: what shall we make a God of our Minister, and is he so to be feared as you say? I answer thee, that I mean nothing less, nay I hold him accursed that shall challenge such dignity unto himself. But this fear must ye yield not to the person, but to his office which is by the word of God, to remit your sins, and to give you assurance that they are washed away by the blood of Christ, if you be truly penitent for them; and that you are made heirs of the kingdom of heaven, whereof you need not to doubt. On the contrary, if you be not penitent, by his office he hath authority to bind sins here on earth justly to everlasting condemnation, which the unpenitent may be as sure to suffer as they see the light of the day: