A02178:5017
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.
CHAP. XIX. Of sin.
CHAP. XIX. Of sinne.
Violent good things and constrained deserve no praise, and therefore the Lord suffered Adam to be able to sin, that not sinning when he might have sinned, he might truly be rewarded; and not to have sinned when there was in him none ability to sin, was worth no commendation. And therefore the Papists do evil in charging God, that he might have given him such gifts, and right use of his gifts as he should not have sinned, as also that he might have hindered this evil. But the Lord was no more the cause of sinning, than the soul is the cause of halting in a man. For as in a lame man the soul is only the cause of moving, and the shrinking of some vein, or crookedness of the leg is the cause of unperfect moving; likewise God is the cause of every action in man, but our own corruption is the cause of the sin of the action: and yet for all this the Lord draweth out good even from the vilest actions. Wherefore neither doth the Lord evil himself, nor suffereth evil to be done, but as he driveth out a more good than there is ill in the action it self.
VIolent good things and constrained deserue no prayse, and therefore the Lord suffered Adam to bee able to sinne, that not sinning when hee might haue sinned, hee might truly bee rewarded; and not to haue sinned when there was in him none abilitie to sinne, was worth no commendation. And therefore the Papists doe euill in charging God, that he might haue giuen him such gifts, and right vse of his gifts as he should not haue sinned, as also that hee might haue hindred this euill. But the Lord was no more the cause of sinning, than the soule is the cause of halting in a man. For as in a lame man the soule is onely the cause of mouing, and the shrinking of some veine, or crookednes of the legge is the cause of vnperfect mouing; likewise God is the cause of euery action in man, but our owne corruption is the cause of the sinne of the action: and yet for all this the Lord draweth out good euen from the vilest actions. Wherfore neither doth the Lord euill himselfe, nor suffereth euill to be done, but as hee driueth out a more good than there is ill in the action it selfe.