A02178:3092
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.
To apply this to our selves, if a man now a days •e called a precisian, or termed by the name of a Puritan, & that some worldlings thus reason with him: What will you become1 a Precisian? will you give over and forsake your friends? and commit your self to their2 company, who are not able to prefer, pleasure, nor profit you? will you now enter so hard a life? and suffer so odious a name? Doth it not come to pass, that this first blast bloweth us away? Other some can be content to give their names to God, but when they can take3 no course to get living and preferment, then they begin to shrink. These men making godliness a gain, will so long worship God, as they may get profit by it. But we must neither let contempt abash us, nonbenefits allure us, and when all law is against us, and of all we shall be trodden under foot, when we shall be compassed with so many evils that these temptations will come upon us, it is better for you to give over, than thus to run on, and to put your self in danger: that which hath been in you, was but a melancholic humour, if you give place to such affections, you may hurt your self: when all these things shall meet with us, we must show our love by resisting them and cleaving to Gods law. If we be not Jeroboams, yet we may be Rehoboams; Jeroboam he set up Calves; R••o•o•• a4 while determined to keep the laws of the Lord, but afterward he fell to […] exercise. This now is a singular trial of his love, who saith of himself for our instruction, I have bin had in derision, and the bands of the wicked have robbed m••e, &c. They have fo••ged lies and laid snares for me, yet do I not forsake thy law. So that no injuries could weary him, no contempt discourage him, no benefits allure him, no subtle dangers make him to quail in despair: his faith was so sound in Gods word, and his love so pure in an whole heart. One thing we have omitted in the former reason which here must not be left out. If we be espoused to Christ in the Gospel, we are assured that he will keep us from falling, or if we fall he will save us from lying in our sins.