A02178:3085
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.
It may be we shall fail in some particular things, but it shall not break the whole course of our life: we may sin of human frailty, but we shall not sin of devilish hypocrisy;1 temptations may give us a foil, but they shall not finally overcome us; sin may dwell in us, but it shall not reign over us. Now when a man will be overwise and over righteous, not contenting himself with those ways, which the Lord in his word hath set down, he cannot be sound, because his religion being corrupt, his life cannot be uncorrupt.2 On the contrary, if we find our sins to be covered in Christ, that our ignorance is enlightened by his wisdom, our guilty lives justified by his righteousness, our unclean affections sanctified by his holiness, and our miserable and unstayed spirits stayed upon the hope of his redemption, we may boldly say sin shall not reign, and over master us, seeing God hath justified us, who will come and lay any thing to our charge? Wherefore seeing we are purified by faith, and our faith is grounded on Gods word, and ⟨p. 455⟩seeing all their civill behaviour is hidden under hypocrisy, covered with self-love, and3 stuffed with vain-glory, we may boldly say they are but hypocrites deceiving us with the histrionical visard of civill righteousness.
It may be we shall faile in some particular things, but it shall not breake the whole course of our life: we may sinne of humaine frailtie, but we shall not sinne of diuellish hypocrisie;1 temptations may giue vs a foyle, but they shall not finally ouercome vs; sinne may dwell in vs, but it shall not raigne ouer vs. Now when a man will be ouerwise and ouer righteous, not contenting himselfe with those waies, which the Lord in his word hath set downe, he cannot be sound, because his religion being corrupt, his life cannot be vncorrupt.2 On the contrarie, if we finde our sinnes to be couered in Christ, that our ignorance is enlightened by his wisedome, our guiltie liues iustified by his righteousnesse, our vncleane affections sanctified by his holinesse, and our miserable and vnstaied spirits staied vpon the hope of his redemption, we may boldly say sinne shall not raigne, and ouer master vs, seeing God hath iustified vs, who will come and lay any thing to our charge? Wherefore seeing we are purified by faith, and our faith is grounded on Gods word, and