A02178:3627
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.
On the contrary, when we have been travailing in our worldly business▪ many things have occupied our senses, and after much travail, we provoke our appetite to receive •e••e; and after much labouring, and much eating •o•ned •••• ea•••es, much dullness ••••peth upon us, which hardly will admit us with any good profit to hear the word of God. For even Gods children though they •i•ive by all means, that they become not oppressed with meat and drink; and yet they feel after their •epa••, a natural •ea•ines and dullness, which maketh them less able and fit to receive the word with readme and reverence. For to the receiving of the word and prayer, two things especially are necessary:1 that is, a prepared mind before we begin; and an examination, that meditation with our selves after we have ended: else, if we come hand over head, as good never a whit as never the better. True it is indeed, that as a man going continually in the sun shall in time have a black hew: so in oft hearing a man may attain to some knowledge, but he shall never without this true preparation and examination of his heart attain to the soundness of judgement Most needful it is with prepared minds to come to the word and prayer; because2 when we hear the word, the Lord cometh down into the Church as it were among us; and when we pray, we mount up as it were to heaven among the Angels: wherefore w• •re not to come to so high a banquet with unwashed ••nds not to draw near to the marriage, without our wedding garment; but we must take heed, with what foot we enter into the house of the Lord, east happily we offer the sacrifice of foes. For fooes think they have done well, when they have given their bodily presence, when they have heard and prayed as others do, never preparing their hearts, or examining their own wants. But we must learn truly to search our selves, and according to our necessities we must