A02178:3415
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.
Here we are to observe, how the Prophet maketh an experience of the Lord his dealing, and thus reasoneth with him: I see thou Lord dealest mercifully with them that love thee: but I love thee: therefore Lord deal mercifully with me. This deceiveth many: we read not the1 word of God for imitation, or as thinking that those affections which we read to have been in the children of God are to be required in and of us also; but let us know, that whatsoever have been the strangest and rarest affections of God his children, they are for us to follow. For though we cannot attain to them in the like measure that this man of God, because we will not deny, that he had a greater measure of Gods spirit than we have; yet we must by using the like means attain to some measure, if not an hundred fold, yet threescore and thirty fold. Now we see, that he having obtained the like graces with God his people, craveth here the like mercies with them For his sense is evident: as thou diddest not make a covenant with thy servants after their sins, but according to thy mercy, even so Lord deal with me. Here is no special thing mentioned, but he setteth down that, which hath been, and may be in the children of God. He prayeth no• for any special mercy then, but for that mercy, which by experience he hath seen ratified in others: likewise he speaketh not here of any extraordinary graces of God his holy spirit, but of them which are ordinary and incident to any one of God his children as to another, although not in like measure. And surely we have not the like mercies with them, because we have not the like graces that they had. To love the word of God as gold, to gape after it, to breath and2 ••nt for it, are singular gifts of God, but given to none in that time, with such special prerogative, as they may not in some measure be given to the Saints of God in our time, if we so loved the Lord. For that which the Apostle Peter said of them, that feared the Lord, to wit the Lord hath no respect of persons, but they that feared the Lord are accepted: the same the Prophet speaketh here in effect of them that love the Lord. For when the promises are general in pronouncing, we must make them particular by a several applying of them to our s•lues. Let us then be ashamed of our selves for our wants of love.