The works of the reverend and faithful servant of Jesus Christ M. Richard Greenham,…

CHAP. XVIII. Godly meditations concerning Christs power against Satan, love to the faithful: and how he is our wisdom, righteousness, holiness: and of our communion with him.

CHAP. XVIII. Godly meditations concerning Christs power against Sathan, loue to the faithfull: and how he is our wisedome, righteousnesse, holinesse: and of our communion with him.

Christ careth for us, we must not fear a strong enemy, because we have¹ a stronger Captain. The Devil indeed is a Lion, but so is Christ a Lion, and that of the tribe of Judah: There is a Lion for a Lion; courage for courage. The devil is a Serpent, so Christ calleth himself the brazen Serpent: there is a Serpent for a Serpent; wisdom for wisdom; yea a Serpent of brass, to sting all the fiery Serpents of² the wilderness. But thou sayest, that Christ is called a Lamb and a worm. B• not discouraged, that is in respect of his Father, who found him as meek as a Lamb, who might have trodden on him as on a worm: but the devil never found him a Lamb, but a Lion. The meekness of Christ is stronger than all the power of hell, Joh. 18. When the devil seemed to be in his ruff, he sends a great crew to take a silly man: when he told them it was he whom he sought; this little word cast them down. What shall he do then in glory, when he cometh with thousands of Angels? This then is the conclusion: the devil is strong, but Christ is stronger, and chaineth him at his pleasure: The devil is wise, but Christ is wiser, and preventeth him in all his practises.

CHrist careth for vs, we must not feare a strōg enemie, because we haue¹ a stronger Captaine. The Diuell indeed is a Lion, but so is Christ a Lion, and that of the tribe of Iudah: There is a Lion for a Lion; courage for courage. The diuell is a Serpent, so Christ calleth himselfe the brasen Serpent: there is a Serpent for a Serpent; wisedome for wisedome; yea a Serpent of brasse, to sting all the fierie Serpents of² the wildernesse. But thou saist, that Christ is called a Lambe and a worme. B• not discouraged, that is in respect of his Father, who found him as meeke as a Lambe, who might haue troden on him as on a worme: but the diuell neuer found him a Lambe, but a Lion. The meeknes of Christ is stronger than all the power of hell, Ioh. 18. When the diuell seemed to be in his ruffe, he sends a great crew to take a sillie man: when he told them it was he whom he sought; this little word cast them downe. What shall he doe then in glorie, when he commeth with thousands of Angels? This then is the conclusion: the diuell is strong, but Christ is stronger, and chaineth him at his pleasure: The diuell is wise, but Christ is wiser, and preuenteth him in all his practises.

1. 1Christ is our Captain.Christ is our Captaine.
2. 2Christ a Lamb.Christ a Lambe.

2 They that will have a true faith in Christ, must believe in the ends, and in the mercies¹ of our salvation. The ends are, that Christ is made of God unto us, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, & redemption. Art thou afraid that thou shalt go out of thy wits, because thou fearest sin? Are thy cogitations confounded? Seest thou no knowledge, no not so much as a literal knowledge of thy salvation, but all is doubtfulness, all is dullness, all is deadness within thee, as though thou never knewest, heardest, or learnedst any thing? Now know, now is the time to believe, that whatsoever knowledge, experience & power² of understanding was in Christ Jesus, the same is made thine; he is the anointing that will teach thee, he is the Fathers counsellor, he is wonderful, he hath the knowledge of all mysteries, he is the spiritual interpreter of the law, unto whom as the Fathers did approach more nearly, so they did see the power of the law more clearly. He is our wisdom: both the teacher and the thing taught. Hast thou some good measure of knowledge, and yet thy life in no part being agreeable, nor proportionable to thy knowledge; thou art sore troubled for not walking in the ways of righteousness, thou feelest no goodness, thou thinkest thy self as a Sere tree without all fruit? Now remember that Christ Jesus who³ had no holiness by the flesh, by being borne of his mother, who saved great sinners, and made of persecutors preachers, would not have thee to seek for great things in the flesh, seeing himself got so little thereby, but would have thee seek thy righteousness out of thy self in him: who being no sinner indeed was an accounted sinner, and punished as a sinner for thee; that thou having no righteousness, mightest be accounted righteous, and⁴ rewarded as righteous through him. Well it may be, God hath given thee to walk so uprightly, as the world can in nothing charge thee: but thou fearest thy natural corruption, that thou shalt not persevere, thou tremblest to remember how many excelling thee in ⟨p. 655⟩gifts and graces of the Spirit, have fallen away from the truth, and thinkest all is but hypocrisy, and that thy hypocrisy will one day beguile thee, now call to mind that CHRIST is made to thee holiness, not as new Moses to follow, but as a true Messiah to believe in, the worker, author, and finisher of thy holiness:

So that albeit in respect of thy self to persevere,¹ it seems impossible, yet with him it is both possible and easy. What if thou hadst a multitude of sins, that thy corruption did swell till it burst? Mary Magdalen had seven² Spirits, and yet of all women she was most devout, most loving, most honoured to have the first sight of Christs resurrection. What if thou hast bin a brawned and infamous sinner, so that the name of sin hath been notoriously written in thy forehead? the Lord Jesus called and crowned Matthew the Publican with the dignity of an Evangelist. What if thy sin³ had taken a purple die and crimson colour in the blood of the Saints? Paul of a most grievour persecutor of Christ, was made a most glorious preacher of Christ. It may be thou fearest the corruption drawn from thy native country, the Cretans were converts, and the⁴ Corinthians became Christians. It may be yet thine hereditary, and natural corruptions cause thee to despair of comfort: consider the Lord can change the nature of a Wolfe into⁵ the nature of a Lamb, & the course of a corrupt nature in thee to the power of a supernatural grace. Oh there is one thing that troubles thee, many promises, few performed. Thou lookest for peace of mind, and behold a wound of the Spirit; thou art the Lord of the whole earth, and the heir of heaven, and yet hast not wherewith to help thy necessity:⁶ thou art a Lord of liberty, and yet put in prison. All this I grant, & yet in all this Christ is thy redemption; not suffering thee to be overcome of any of these in thy life, and who lie⁷ freeing thee from them in the life to come. Admit that thou wert cruelly persecuted, cannot he, that made the fire not to burn at all the children in the furnace, make the fire so easily to consume thee, as thou shalt comfortably bear it? Will not he that made the Lyons being hungry, not once to open their mouths on Daniel, to crush thee so gently, that thou shalt willingly sustain it? Now the means are the Word, Prayer, the Sacraments, and discipline of the Church. The Word even crucifieth Christ a new in thine hart, Prayer giveth thee a feeling of thy faith, the Sacraments confirm both thy faith and feeling;

and discipline continueth us in the obedience, both of the Word, and of Prayer, and of the Sacraments, and consequently, is a means to continue us in all those comforts, which by the other means are to be found in Christ.¹

and discipline continueth vs in the obedience, both of the Word, and of Prayer, and of the Sacraments, and consequently, is a meanes to continue vs in all those comforts, which by the other meanes are to be found in Christ.¹

1. 1The most holy have need of Christs righteousness: and the most righteous of his holiness.The most holie haue need of Christs righteousnes: and the most righteous of his holines.

3 Thou must ever beware of two extremities: The one, that thou labour not so for righteousness, that thou forget CHRIST to be thy holiness; the other, that thou so travel not for holiness, as that thou shouldest not remember him also to be thy righteousness. And so behave thy self in both, that thou beest most righteous in Christ, & yet thou must endeavour also to be holy, and though thou beest never so holy, yet know thou standest in need of the righteousness of Christ. Now to come to these things, thou must diligently attend on the word, whereby Christ Jesus is crucified a fresh in thine heart, on prayer, which worketh a feeling of thy Faith, on the Saints, which confirm thy Faith, and increase thy feeling.

3 Thou must euer beware of two extremities: The one, that thou labour not so for righteousnes, that thou forget CHRIST to be thy holinesse; the other, that thou so trauell not for holinesse, as that thou shouldest not remember him also to be thy righteousnes. And so behaue thy selfe in both, that thou beest most righteous in Christ, & yet thou must endeuour also to be holy, and though thou beest neuer so holy, yet know thou standest in neede of the righteousnes of Christ. Now to come to these things, thou must diligently attend on the word, whereby Christ Iesus is crucified a fresh in thine heart, on prayer, which worketh a feeling of thy Faith, on the Saints, which confirme thy Faith, and increase thy feeling.

4 CHRIST hath made us inheritors of his kingdom, which he holdeth by two titles,¹ first by inheritance, then by purchase. As he obtained by inheritance, he reserveth that² title to himself alone, but whatsoever he hath had by purchase, he hath given us the title of it. And not only this doth he give us, but also the graces of the spirit, though not to one all, nor to all in one measure. An afflicted mind seeing one of the children of God, have this, another that gift, is grieved that he hath not all. It is an error, Christ giveth not to one³ all, but divideth all among many. But there is one special grace which I cannot have, and that is feeling. Hast thou faith? blessed art thou that believest, and that without feeling. Do you believe? you have a rich gift, you must not have all. If you have any gifts, it is well, the gifts are divided. Be content with thy portion, and I say unto thee, that thy Faith without⁴ feeling, is more precious to God, than thy faith with feeling. If by thy faith thou hast made⁵ the devil a drone, that he cannot sting, and a toothless dog that he cannot bite, it is sufficient. Content thy self with thy portion, until the Lord come from heaven, until he be all in all, and then thou shalt have all joy in all perfection.

4 CHRIST hath made vs inheriters of his kingdome, which he holdeth by two titles,¹ first by inheritance, then by purchase. As he obtained by inheritance, hee reserueth that² title to himselfe alone, but whatsoeuer he hath had by purchase, hee hath giuen vs the title of it. And not only this doth he giue vs, but also the graces of the spirit, though not to one all, nor to all in one measure. An afflicted minde seeing one of the children of God, haue this, another that gift, is grieued that he hath not all. It is an error, Christ giueth not to one

5 Two things are necessary, truly to espouse us to CHRIST; the one is to use the pure means: the other, to use those means with a pure heart.

5 Two things are necessarie, truely to espouse vs to CHRIST; the one is to vse the pure meanes: the other, to vse those meanes with a pure heart.

CHAP. XIX. of Death and Judgement.

CHAP. XIX. of Death and Iudgement.

Many make no account of the death of the soul, because they feel it not as they do¹ the death of the body. Every man feareth a Palsy, an Epilepsy, and an Apoplexy, because they strike dead: but if a man be in a consumption, where he shall be decaying seven years, he thinks nothing of it. Likewise if an house fall suddenly, we say it perisheth, but if it moulder away we little regard it. In Hosh. 5, vers 7. 12. The Lord threateneth ²to be a Lyon to Israel, and a moth to Judah. Surely, when the wrath of God, as a moth hath secretly fed on us ere we know it, our souls do as it were bleed to death. For as he that bleedeth to death feeleth little, until suddenly his strength faileth; so in the death of the soul, a man doth not perceive how his strength is gone, or ever he be aware. It may be³ the Lord will not be unto us as a Lyon, but as a moth, we shall not happily die of an Apoplexy, but of a consumption, and CHRIST the Saviour shall laugh at our destruction.

MAnie make no account of the death of the soule, because they feele it not as they doe¹ the death of the bodie. Euery man feareth a Palsie, an Epilepsie, and an Apoplexie, because they strike dead: but if a man be in a consumption, where hee shall be decaying seuen yeares, he thinks nothing of it. Likewise if an house fall suddenly, we say it perisheth, but if it moulder away we little regard it. In Hosh. 5, vers 7. 12. The Lord threatneth ²to be a Lyon to Israel, and a moath to Iudah. Surely, when the wrath of God, as a moathe hath secretly fed on vs ere we know it, our soules doe as it were bleede to death. For as hee that bleedeth to death feeleth little, vntill suddenly his strength faileth; so in the death of the soule, a man doth not perceiue how his strength is gone, or euer he be aware. It may be³ the Lord will not be vnto vs as a Lyon, but as a moath, we shall not happily die of an Apoplexie, but of a consumption, and CHRIST the Sauiour shall laugh at our destruction.

2 We can better away to meditate on Death which Satan covereth with eternity following,¹ then on the day of Judgement, where we must all make our account.

2 We can better away to meditate on Death which Sathan couereth with eternitie following,¹ then on the day of Iudgement, where wee must all make our account.

1. 1Meditation of Judgement.Meditation of Iudgemēt.

3 The bare meditation of Death doth so far move us from suffering our delights to dwell on earthly things, as that Reason dissuadeth us not to make any cost about a Tenement¹ where we know we shall dwell but a while. Yet such bare imaginations of Death may build up in the mean time the kingdom of pride in us. Wherefore it shall be more² available, if with our meditation of putting off this earthly tabernacle, we think also of putting on the heavenly Tabernacle, and of putting on the royal robe of Christs righteousness, without which we shall never stand with comfort before the great Throne of Gods Judgement.

3 The bare meditation of Death doth so farre moue vs from suffering our delights to dwell on earthly things, as that Reason disswadeth vs not to make any cost about a Tenement¹ where wee knowe we shall dwell but a while. Yet such bare imaginations of Death may build vp in the meane time the kingdome of pride in vs. Wherefore it shall be more² auailable, if with our meditation of putting off this earthly tabernacle, we thinke also of putting on the heauenly Tabernacle, and of putting on the royall robe of Christs righteousnes, without which we shall neuer stand with comfort before the great Throne of Gods Iudgement.

1. 1Simile.
2. 2Meditation of death.

4 The cause why we be so loth to die is, because we cannot find in our conscience that¹ we have done that good thing for which we came into this life.

4 The cause why we beso loth to die is, because we cannot finde in our conscience that¹ we haue done that good thing for which we came into this life.

1. 1Loth to die.