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 Prophets meaning is this: I am even as a lump of flesh, I am like an image, or like an idol of Gods child, I bear the face of his child, but I am as dead, and as a block, or a stock, or an idol. For as an idol hath eyes and seeth not; ears, and heareth not; mouth and speaketh not; feet and goeth not: even so have I eyes, but I see not the glory of my God; I have ears, but I hear not the word of God; I have a mouth, but I show not forth the judgements of God; I have feet, but I walk not in the law of my God. The just shall live by faith, Hab. 2. Rom. 1. Now I live no more, but Christ liveth in me, saith the Apostle. Oh that men would consider this, that they are dead otherwise than their life is hidden in the promise, and they have no life but in Christ, and from his spirit. If the Prophet said this of himself, where is the faith of our protestants, where is the life of the godly, where is their hope of a better life, where is their practise of repentance, where is the peace of conscience, that passeth all understanding, where is the joy of Christians, where is the care of mortification, where is the quickness of sanctification; where are all these become? They are few and dead to good works, they live in sin, they be but Christians in name, they are very idols: There is no life but in the word, which we must find by experience in our selves. When Gods children find this life of God in them, then are they merry and glad; but when they feel, that God withdraweth his spirit from them, then they see how they are dead, dull, and careless, as they were wont to be before they were regenerate. Shall not this make us more careful and zealous of good works, and to be more jealous of our ⟨p. 497⟩selves? Let us consider this, that it is a joy to have a life: and that even the life of God, the life of Angels, the life of Christ, when we contemn this life: when we are zealous of good works, when we feel spiritual joys, when we look for a crown of glory, when we labour to be renewed to the image of Christ. This is an heavenly life, and though we will sweat, and eat, and drink, this is common with the beasts of the field, and having no experience of faith in us, we are either dangerously sick, or altogether dead.

The Prophets meaning is this: I am euen as a lumpe of flesh, I am like an image, or like an idoll of Gods childe, I beare the face of his childe, but I am as dead, and as a blocke, or a stocke, or an idoll. For as an idoll hath eyes and seeth not; eares, and heareth not; mouth and speaketh not; feete and goeth not: euen so haue I eyes, but I see not the glorie of my God; I haue eares, but I heare not the word of God; I haue a mouth, but I shewe not forth the iudgements of God; I haue feete, but I walke not in the law of my God. The iust shall liue by faith,