A02178:3110
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 profit, we must gather the particular out of the general doctrine1 on this manner: whosoever shall have the commandments of God ever with him, he shall be wiser then his enemies, than his teachers, than the ancient: but David did so, or we do so: therefore David and we shall find this wisdom. But some man will say, Experience teacheth us a clean contrary doctrine, that Gods children are not so wise in2 their light, as the children of this world are in their generation. I answer: That it is true, experience proveth, and our Saviour Christ teacheth, but this I add, that the experience cometh from our small sight of the word, and not for any want of the word it self, when Gods children have it on their side. And our Saviour Christ his speech tendeth rather to show what it is, through our corruption, than what it ought to be; so that justly he useth it to our shame. Indeed civill wisdom which choketh in them all temptations,3 ⟨p. 461⟩with worldly delights, having the devil to be their school master, doth work in them a contentation of mind, while for a season, they smother, as they think, the judgements of God breathing upon them. And because on the contrary, the spirits of Gods children are occupied in heavenly things, yet often the flesh so laboureth against the spirit, that whilst they would be wiser than the Lord, or would use any indirect means against their enemies, or in using good means, fail in prayer, or, in not staying themselves on Gods providence, and appointed time of deliverance, it cometh to pass that they are overcome. *But whilst they renounce themselves, and their own wisdom, and crave counsel of God in his word, and the direction of his Spirit by prayer, whilst they use good means in a good cause, and keeping a good conscience, wait on the hand of the Lord, they shall be sure to have the overthrow of their enemies. Proof doth teach us that a silly soul in the Country, which walketh in the ways of the Lord, will soon discover the shifting policies of a worldly learned man, brought up in the University; because the wrath of the Lord hangeth over the one, and his merciful spirit watcheth over the other: But so long as we will shoot with Satan in his own bow, and repel policy with policy, what