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,…

There are none almost but at one time or at another they seek God, though the common sort do it at the last cast in their extreme agonies, and when health and friends fail, they go to him. But Malachi saith, God is a King, and will have his seniority, and in this order of seeking, many good men are deceived: for so they cousin not, nor deal falsely, they think they may scratch worldly riches; but the Lord will not have us to take the silver of worldly things, before the gold of godliness, neither must the servant first wait some hours on himself, and then on his master, but contrary. As there is a seeking, so in seeking there is an order. This is Gods prerogative to be sought first, Matth. 29. He is a fool that thinketh that the gold of the Temple, that is riches, is better than the piety in the Temple, which sanctifieth the gold. Solomons choice must be our direction. Abraham sought obedience before his own country: Joseph and Moses sought God rather than Pharaoh. But we seek preposterously, giving youth to pleasure, old age to God, we make our eldest children Lawyers, the second or youngest Divines, where as our fathers made the first borne to serve the Priesthood. In our contracts we first seek wealth, and then religion, a cursed match. Well, because we can see no impiety, but a contrariety, we may so seek God, that we shall not find God. Wherefore let us seek God in his word, and that not in a piece of the word, but in all the word, not making a conscience of some sin, and yet retaining some other sin. God will not be halved, and quartered in quantity, because he is indivisible in substance. Many will use a restrained obedience, and the world would have a placard still for some sin. Such a one was he that would have a dispensation for kneeling in the house of R•mmon with his master. Ananias would keep some part to himself. God will be sought totally in respect of his word, as also he requireth an universality in seeking of himself. We must not seek God and the world together, we must not have two strings to our bow, having one eye on the word, and an other on the world. We must not think if we have God it is well, if we have him not it is no great harm, proposing piety to our selves so long as we be in the Church, and promising immunity to our selves being out of the Church.