A02178:2615
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.
A second mark is to have a continual increase in godliness: neither to wax worse,1 nor to stand at a stay, but still to strive to grow better and better, as the Apostle Paul testifieth that he himself did: I forget that which is behind, and endeavour my self to that which is before: and follow hard toward the mark, to the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 2And having showed what he did himself, he annexeth an exhortation also for us: Let us therefore as many as are perfect, (that is sincere, and void of gross hypocrisy) be thus minded.3 He was not as a vain foolish man, who running in a race will be ever & anon looking back how much ground he hath rid: but his eye was upon the mark, considering how much he had yet to run, how far off he was from perfection: and the same mind should be in us, and will be in as many of us, as are endued with the same spirit that Paul was. We must every day labour to abound more and more in all wisdom and in all goodness. 4If we prayed once a day in private, and that somewhat coldly at the first, we must afterward pray twice or thrice, or oftener in a day, as occasion is offered, and that more fervently,5 and feelingly then we did in the beginning. If we did read and meditate more seldom, and with greater weakness and distraction at our first entrance into profession, in our proceeding, we must use those exercises more frequently, and perform them more seriously and cheerfully: and the like may be said for all other duties. Thus if we can labour to do, and when we slip, and so are stayed now and then in our race, yet if we recover6 our selves with speed, and set sure•, and look better to our steps, and make more haste in our way then we did before: we must not be discouraged, though we find not so good a progress as were to be wished for: God will accept of our endeavour, and his spirit will bear us witness that we have a true heart; Notwithstanding we come far short of that we should, and other of Gods Saints do attain unto. But on the contrary, if we stand at a stay, or start aside like a broken bow, and so turn back again unto folly, it is much to be suspected that we never had any soundness in us.