A02178:3214
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 free will offering, &c. We are here also taught, to give unto the Lord a free offering, for he loveth a cheerful giver, and cannot abide us to come unto him by constraint. The Lord in the old time would have the fattest of the flocks, & the purest, and why? because he would thereby try his people, whether his people would offer cheerfully and willingly or1 no; & by so much it was unto him more acceptable, by how much it was offered more freely. So Abel, Gen: 4 offered of the fat of the flock, that is, of the best. A mans sacrifice may be refused, because of his corruption in him, and there is no grace in man, without Faith in Christ, which may stand him in steed, to make his sacrifice acceptable before God. We must then pray unto God, that we may offer our prayers freely, that they may not be customable, but that there may be in us a lust, a spirit, a desire to pray, remembering this saying of the Prophet, accept the free will offering of my lips. His meaning then of his words briefly, is this2 much, I do not this O Lord constrainedly, or against my will, but with a free good will, and cheerful heart, I make my prayer unto thee. We see then our dullness and weariness in our prayer, which we must bewail in our selves, as that which hindereth us from the favour of God. Would we deal so with a Prince, as to offer unto him the evil things, as saith Malachi, chapt: 1. 8. And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame, and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy Prince, will he be content with thee, or accept thy person? saith the Lord of hosts. If we had a supplication to our Prince, would we come so sluggishly, ⟨p. 484⟩so unreverently, so carelessly, as we come to pray? not remembering his Majesty, neither3 feeling our wants, nor desiring our requests, nor fearing the repulse, would we not shake off all this sluggishness, and deadness? then let us translate this to the seeing of GOD by Faith, and coming before his presence by prayer, do we come before his Majesty, as pricked with a fear thereof? are we pressed with feeling our wants? do we fear the repulse? Oh let us crave by prayer, that we may not come in fashion, but in fear, not on custom, but of conscience, and with a free spirit.