A02178:4626
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.
7 We may read in Exodus 17. 7. that the Israelites through distrust, doubted whether God was among them, because they saw not such visible signs of Gods presence and favour as they would. With the like doubt our Saviour Christ was tempted by the devil, Luc. 4 who laboured to make him doubt, whether he were the Son of God, because he wanted some things which were needful for this life: whereby we may learn to know our own corruption, how ready we are to judge, as the Israelites did, because we s•e not such ordinary helps as we and other of Gods children have at sometimes had: but we are to correct this in ourselves, and on the contrary to think that God is amongst us, and with us, although we see some tokens of his anger. Thus do we reason in religion. Is this true religion, seeing1 there be so many diversities of judgments, such little godliness, it is like it is not, but rather we are to look for some other: so we reason in the common-wealth. Is this government good, which bringeth so great hurly burlies, and so great troubles: so in marriage, when contentions and temptations do arise, then they think they were not joined together by God: so in every kind of trouble, we judge of the presence and providence of God by our outward sense & feeling. This is the policy of the devil, to cause men either to sink down2 in despair, or else to be impatient, & at the least to murmur. But to prevent this, these are some remedies following. The first, that we look to the word, and when we see that religion3 hath always had troubles, and so shall have still, then shall we straightways see that our judgement is fleshly. Secondly, when we see that many of Gods children in the world, as Job 4and others had trouble in their marriage, and yet that it was of God, then shall we learn that our judgement is not according to the spirit. Then let us consider that the devil doth herein exercise policy to overthrow our marriage, & we shall be wary to avoid them. And if many have been in this state, & yet the Lord hath not left them, why should we yield to the temptation of Satan, who would persuade us that our case is worse? Thirdly, we must