A02178:3858
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
Part 4 › MEDITATIONS ON PROV. 4. VERS: 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 2… › Part
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.
Vers. 16. For they cannot sleep except they have done evil; their sleep departeth except they have caused some to fall, &c.
Vers. 16. For they cannot sleepe except they haue done euill; their sleepe departeth except they haue caused some to fall, &c.
The law and precept which was provided for the avoiding of evil company, was most effectually set down in the two former verses. The reasons of this commandment1 do follow in the four next verses. These reasons are in number two. The first is drawn from the perverse and crooked nature of the will and disposition of wicked men, in the 16. 17. and 19. verses. The second is drawn from the state of the godly, and from their behaviour, vers. 18. The nature of the wicked is such, that they count wickedness as pleasant as wine, and therefore they make ungodly practises their chiefest delight; it is their2 meat and drink to do evil, they are best refreshed when they most offend: neither are they content with their own wickedness, but they do moreover cause other to fall into wickedness. If they cannot come by their purpose; if they have not great occasion to work that which they have devised; if they have not made some fitter for their ungodly ⟨p. 612⟩friendship, then their sleep departeth from them, they cannot be at rest. For as the hungry man cannot sleep quietly, because his appetite continually craveth meat: so the wicked taketh no rest nor sleep, if he be not st•ffed, if he have not his b•l•ie full of wickedness.3 How careful ought we then to be to avoid evil company? how jar must we fly from it, and how heartily should we hate it continually? Here we may note the contrary, as a very special sign and mark of the true child of God: for if we can make it our mete and our drink to do good, as our Saviour Christ saith, It is my mte o do the will of my Father: and as Job saith, I esteemed it more then mine appointed oode. And again, if we can count it the great comfort of our harts, and solace of our souls, when we can do good o other,