A02178:4109
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.
And here we must understand, what manner of wisdom this skill of counting brings us: there is wisdom of health, and there is wisdom of sickness, and this is it, which we shall learn. And what is that wisdom? surely by a continual thinking, that death is nigh, and persuading our1 ⟨p. 661⟩selves that death is within a minute, what no law, prince, parents or punishment could do, that death will easily dispatch. By this they that before had no delight in the word if once they take this account, that every day they think they draw their last breath, the2 word will be full of comfort to them. And then the meditation of death working above the hope of long life, the wisdom of sickness will be found to be above the wisdom of health. In this case men will give counsel, that before could take none, and this is that wisdom of the point of death, & nothing can teach us better. We see the effect of this in Hezekiah, when the tally of his days was left him, we see his meditation, which was such as the holy Ghost hath put it in perpetual record, we see his behaviour most worthy our meditations. Neither is this in Hezekiah only a well disposed man, but even in the wicked, as Belshazzar, who seeing the number of his days, and that he was found too light, begun to quake, and his knees did shake presently, and so began to be wise. Thus we see an effect both in the wicked and in the godly, of this meditation most necessary.
And here we must vnderstand, what manner of wisedome this skill of counting brings vs: there is wisedome of health, and there is wisedome of sicknesse, and this is it, which we shall learne. And what is that wisedome? surely by a continuall thinking, that death is nigh, and perswading our1 ⟨p. 661⟩selues that death is within a minute, what no lawe, prince, parents or punishment could do, that death wil easily dispatch. By this they that before had no delight in the word if once they take this account, that euery day they thinke they drawe their last breath, the