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,…

10 We must not be proud in our gifts, for God hath in judgement given judgement to¹ many simple ones to spy us out. If we confess to God, we must frankly and freely bring our selves into the presence of God, and lay our hearts naked and b•re before him: we must not as harlots wipe our mouths and say we have offended, and yet fall into sin again: but with remorse of conscience acknowledge them, and with fear and reverence leave them.

10 We must not be proud in our gifts, for God hath in iudgement giuen iudgement to¹ many simple ones to spie vs out. If we confesse to God, we must frankly and freely bring our selues into the presence of God, and lay our hearts naked and b•re before him: we must not as harlots wipe our mouthes and say we haue offended, and yet fall into sinne againe: but with remorse of conscience acknowledge them, and with feare and reuerence leaue them.

1. 1Spiritual pride.Spirituall pride.

11 Many think it to be easier to confess their sins to God, than to acknowledge¹ them unto men: but it seemeth to be contrary: for he that refuseth to confess his sin before man, in whom is but a drop of the indignation against sin, which is fearful in the Lord, will not willingly open them and strip them naked before the majesty of God. And he that can frankly stand as a penitent before God and his Angels, he will not stick to confess his sin before the face of men. Behold our father Adam whilst there was no man to fear him, the Lord cometh at the first to him by prick of conscience, he hideth himself with figtree leaves: to this prick of conscience the Lord sendeth a voice or a noise that is heard: Now not content with a few leaves, he goeth into the thicket of wood: at the length the Lord to draw him out of his hypocrisy, bringeth him into the plain, & urgeth him with substantial questions: he not able to hide himself any longer, hideth sin, and shifteth it off to Eva. Why doth the holy Ghost thus orderly & particularly set down this matter, but to show that though we have a prick of sin by nature in part to confess sins, yet nakedly to uncase thy sins before God, is a hard thing to flesh and blood, the Devil lying by, prompting us, that in so doing we shall bring our selves to despair, we shall run out of our wits, we shall kill our selves, and never live merry day again? In that notable Psalm of instruction, 32. we are taught, that then there is hope our sins are forgiven, when God emptying our harts of all guile, we can be content freely to give God the glory, and to shame our selves before men. We see when his great affliction could not bring him to confess his sin, yet no comfort came to him, until by Gods grace he grew to this issue, that he reckoned up the whole catalogue of his great sins: so