A02178:2606
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.
Thirdly, this is another misery of hypocrites, that they live in continual fear and1 danger: there are holes in their masks, (at least there will be) and their double dealing shall be seen into: it shall sometime or other come to light, how they have abused Gods presence, and dissembled with their brethren, by making fair shows, and pretences of that which they never meant: their sins shall not always lie hid, but either they will give over all, in time of persecution, as the stony ground did; or in hope of promotion, as Judas, and Ahithophel did, and so discover their false-heartednes: or else it shall be drawn2 forth by their speeches, in their merriments, or in their distempers; or else Gods spirit in godly men, shall descry it, by working in their hearts, a vehement suspicion of them, and causing them with a judicious eye, more narrowly to pry into their works, and ways. By one such means or other, God will lay them open to the view of the world: so that being in such peril, they cannot but have a fearful heart, and a restless conscience. And to this purpose, notable is that saying of Solomon: He that walketh uprightly, walketh boldly 3or surely, but he that perverteth his ways shall be known. Whence it is apparent, that the upright man needeth not to fear any thing, he needeth not to be afraid of ill men: for though they may disgrace him, they cannot shame him: he needeth not to be afraid of good men: for the oftener he speaketh unto them, and converseth with them, the more he is approved by them: neither needeth he to be afraid of God, for he that searcheth the heart and the reins, knoweth and alloweth of the integrity of their souls. They have no cause of fear for the present, because all things go well with them: neither is there any for afterwards, because all things shall go well with them, for they shall never fall away from God: None can pluck them out of his hand; Satan cannot, because he that is 4in us, is stronger then he that is in the world: sin cannot, because grace will prevail against it: the world cannot, because this is our victory, whereby we overcome the world, 5