A02178:3751
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 very Heathen had a taste of these unquiet brunts & anguishes of spirit, which they termed Furies, which toss a mans conscience with such continual accusations, as neither1 eating nor drinking, nor sleeping nor waking, nor speaking, nor keeping silence they can find any quiet. Neither is there any greater plague than this, as testifieth the Wise Man in the book of the Proverbs: Give me any plague, saving the plague of the heart, &c. No marvel: for when our reason and appetite fight one with another, and there is an hurly burly within us, we shall find nothing to be more precious than the peace of conscience, which so commendeth us to God, that we shall find in trouble peace, in banishment our country, in imprisonment liberty, in death life. What madness then is it to put this peace from us, and to hale towards us as with cart ropes these direful plagues of the spirit, which so torment us in this life, & without repentance in death will bring us to hell. If then by the grace of God his spirit, we would oft set before us some serious meditation of death, and think earnestly of our departure from hence, even as our deliverance out of the flesh were then at hand, doubtless we should find by that an approved trial of the image of that estate which we should have, if death indeed were present. And if in the quietness of our minds on our beds at midnight, we would without hypocrisy present our selves before God his judgement seat, as if Christ in that instance did appear in the clouds, we would redeem this benefit and peace of conscience with all the goods in the world. Wherefore as the Prophet exhorteth us, it is good thus to examine our selves, and not to tarry the trial of our hearts, until affliction cometh upon us, but in the calm of our minds to use this practise in trembling. Let us pray then that this may still sound in our ears, that unto them that love God, all things shall turn to the best, as we may see Josh. 1. Psalm. 1. Rom. 8. And as to them that love, all things counted ill, do turn to the best: so to the wicked all things that are counted good do turn to the worst: so that when a mans conscience doth boil with sin, all his pleasures, profits and glory will the further feed on him to his grief, and awake the more the troubles of his mind.