A02178:3726
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.
If we will rejoice in GOD his word, God will rejoice in us. But alas! do not all men rejoice in vanities? and yet they shall perish with men, and men shall perish with the abuse of them Whereas that joy so far excelleth this; how is it that this is so far preferred ⟨p. 584⟩before that? Do we not think him to be a foolish man, who will make the day of1 his pleasure in playing and sporting, whereas he should make it the day of his profit in buying and selling? Would we not account him a mad man, who might be encouraged to go into the field, with a promise to carry away the victory, and to triumph over his enemies, if he linger the time until the occasion be past, by the incurse of his enemies, and so he willingly leese the victory, and make his adversaries to triumph over him? How foolish then are they to pass the Sabbath, which is the market day of the soul, and wherein the Lord calleth us to come buy honey, wine, milk and oil, and that without penny or pennyworth, in vain pleasures willingly, to leese such spiritual and heavenly profits? And how mad are they that on this day may receive both counsel for policy, and furniture for strength, to encounter against the world, the flesh and the devil, and run rather to ••• thy pleasures, suffering themselves willingly to be a pray for the devil, to be seduced by sin, to be overcome of the flesh, and trodden down of the world? True it is, that we have2 many bickerings, and fight many skirmishes in the week days: but on the Lords Sabbath especially we fall to the main battle, and we come as it were to hand-strokes, and buckle with our enemies hand to hand. Do we not think this a dangerous thing then, when the Lord doth offer as it were into our hands the spoil of sin, Satan, the world, and the flesh, and we willingly and unthankfully will suffer our selves, and offer our selves to be spoiled of them? Where is now our joy in the word? where is our spoil wherein we should triumph? Well, if men rejoice so much when they give the foil to their enemies, and pray upon the spoils, we may easily conjecture how greatly they sorrow, that take the foil at their adversaries hand, and are become a pray and a spoil before them. For the same is the reason of contraries. And to apply this same to us: