A02178:3191
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.
The second thing whereby we are hindered, is that, wherewith Satan doth buffet us:1 when we have made some breach of our covenant made to the Lord, saying: Thou hast not2 kept thy promise, thou hast broken thy bond, thou hast violated thy covenant, and to do this once is as good as twenty: this will be a sufficient evidence against thee why doest thou therefore continue, and strivest any further in vain? We see how this prevaileth oftentimes, because there is no greater sin, than the sin of them, who sometimes have been religious, and by this practise of the devil, for some particular offence, have been persuaded that they have made an utter breach of their covenant. We answer for this,3 that seeing that Christ did not only die for our sins before Baptism, but also for our sins after Baptism, and did not only satisfy for our sins committed before our calling,4 but for those also which we commit after our calling, though through infirmity and frailty we have fallen, and yet not lying down in presumption and malice, but there is a reverent fear & trembling in our hearts, that our corruptions rebelled against the Lord, the particular covenant being broken cannot take away the general, and cannot be excluded, but must be included in the same. When then we have made a breach of humane oblivion, and not of obstinate maliciousness, this is as well forgiven in the general, as other sins. We may see this in politic matters between a good Lord and his servant,5 (for I presuppose a merciful, a courteous Lord) the Lord will not be displeased for failing in some particular performance of some particular covenant, so he findeth him ready to yield honour and obedience to the general covenants which are between them: even so the Lord, whose love exceedeth the love of a father, Psal. 103. and of a mother, Isaiah. 49. towards his, will spare us for a particular breach, so it be not a general contempt, and done of wilful malice. If then in such a case we will humble our selves with sorrow, that we displeased our God, and desire the Lord not to take vengeance for any final breach, because there was no final intent to fall from the Lord, we shall surely find mercy and pardon at