A02178:4239
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.
How be it when the Lord hath soaked and softened them a little in the brine of affliction they are less stark, and begin to yield, there is a great change and wonderful alteration in them, their lust is cooled, their wrath is pacified, their concupiscence is abated, their gluttony well tempered, their covetousness fully satisfied, their affections are so tamed, and their corruption so subdued, that they think themselves highly indebted and much beholden to the cunning skill of affliction, which so wonderfully bringeth them down.
How be it when the Lord hath soked and softned them a little in the brine of affliction they are lesse starke, and beginne to yeeld, there is a great change and wonderfull alteration in them, their lust is cooled, their wrath is pacified, their concupiscence is abated, their gluttonie well tempered, their couetousnesse fullie satisfied, their affections are so tamed, and their corruption so subdued, that they thinke themselues highly indebted and much beholden to the cunning skill of affliction, which so wonderfully bringeth them downe.
3 Now let us consider, how under the cross we are made more zealous in the means of our salvation. How customably hear we, how coldly pray we, how carelessly receive we the Sacraments, what fear, what indignation, what heat, what wrath, what repentance doth the discipline of the Church work in us, what majesty appeareth in our public exercises, what authority and fruit in our private meditations? But if the Lord rouse us up from this apoplexy and dead numbness of spirit by some fatherly correction, how profit we by the word, how beautiful are the feet of them, that bring the glad tidings of salvation, how sweet are the promises, how soon do the threatenings work on us, how zealously will we pray, how glorious are our feelings, what joys unspeakable in the Sacraments, what fear of sin, what trembling at God his judgements, what indignation with our selves, doth the Church censure work in us? and whereof cometh this? Surely because being driven out of every cranny and crevice, where we were went to be harboured, we can find no rest, until we come under the roof of the Lord his house, who in all our dangers, and after all our rebellions, will not push us out of his door, he will take up such Lazarus,