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,…

Would it not grieve a good […] to labour many Winters and Summers, and in the end to find no Ha•uest? what […] full thing, think you, would it then be to a Minister, after he hath long travailed to •••• no fruit? The Lord undoubtedly will punish such fruitless Professors, with hardness of heart, i• they will not hear with care, that care may cause prayer, that prayer may bring forth meditation, and meditation may have in fruit in godliness, and practise in perseverance.

Would it not grieue a good 〈…〉 to labour many Winters and Sommers, and in the end to finde no Ha•uest? what 〈…〉 full thing, thinke you, would it then be to a Minister, after he hath long trauailed to •••• no fruit? The Lord vndoubtedly will punish such fruitlesse Professors, with hardnes of heart, i• they will not heare with care, that care may cause prayer, that prayer may bring forth meditation, and meditation may haue in fruit in godlinesse, and practise in perseuerance.

In this verse then, the Prophet declareth, that as before he used the right means to godliness,¹ and therewithal had the proof of good effects: so now he had power from God, to resist all lets, hinderances, and encumbrances thereunto. Whereby he teacheth us, that these two things especially make to attain true godliness; the one, to use good means thereto; the other, to avoid carefully all occasions which may hinder us from the same. Neither must we think that all these things can be done presently: for if Rome was not built all in one day, who would think Jerusalem should be built in one day? Surely the necessity²