A02178:4872
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.
2 Truth is a thing specially esteemed of the Lord, and it is a service so acceptable unto1 him, that he will not be without it, and therefore a rent or pension due unto the Lord. But why doth the Lord so require truth at our hands? the Prophet saith, The Lord hath magnified his truth and his name above all things, and he hath put on himself, as his name, to be called 2the God of truth. And Christ the second person in Trinity witnesseth his death to this, in3 calling himself, not the God of truth, but truth itself, and he bare witness before Pilate, 4that he especially came into the world to bear witness to the truth, so greatly he loved it. For the holy Ghost we read Joh. 14▪ He is said to be the spirit of truth. So we see how great5 a thing this truth is with God, for he makes himself glorious in this title, and makes it the Crown of his head, his Son, his Spirit, his Ministers are glorified by it. In a second respect6 truth is dear, for that Adam being charged to beware of the forbidden fruit, had his first assault of Satan against the Lords truth, & back-sliding from it, he lost all his possession in Paradise. Because of this dealing of the Devil in Paradise, ever since the Lord hath been very jealous of his truth, and wills men should whatsoever they do remember to pay him truth. The third respect, why the Lord will have truth, is, because it is a thing most concerning us, and comforteth us in the agony of a distressed conscience. For in this7 case mercy cannot so comfort us, for God hath justice as well as mercy, and he is just as well as he is merciful; and for Christ he cannot comfort us, for he is not given to all, and it may be not to thee, and therefore in these two only there is no comfort. But to challenge the Lord his truth is best, and his faithfulness in giving Christ, whom he hath promised, is our chiefest hold, and nothing can put us beside it. This is the surest tenor of our salvation, because by this we hold whatsoever we hold, and howsoever we are defective in other things, yet in respect of truth we must make much of it. Thus in these respects, that