A02178:628
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.
17 It is wonderful to see a poor sinner ready to swoon and fall dead almost at every little sin, when nothing in the world doth fear him or drive him to this fear; and yet when adversity, strange judgements of God, persecution & death come, to be exceeding1 patient and comfortable, courageous and valiant: and again, it is strange to see others, who marvel that men will suffer themselves to be feared with sin, and ask, what men mean to stand trembling at the word; yet let sickness come, or if the hand of God be upon them, or let death come towards them, they quail at the name of sickness, hell, or death, and either they prove very senseless blocks, or else they be in a most desperate estate Yea, if God begin to reckon with them, every stirring of a mouse, shaking of a leaf, moving of a shadow, every noise of the ear, every countenance of a godly man, every chirping of a bird, or drawing near of the least and weakest creature towards them, appals their courage, and makes them most fearful cowards. They most fear when God his judgements are executed, which fear least when they are threatened, and they fear least when God his judgements are accomplished, which tremble most when his wrath is denounced. Wherefore as we most long for courage and most loth cowardliness, when the evil day approacheth; so let us labour for a good conscience, which breedeth true boldness, & fly far from sin, which bringeth a spirit of fear on us. And surely experimental wisdom may teach us, that it is better to fear the evil to come, when only fear and no evil is upon us, than to fear then, when besides the fear the affliction itself so sorely presseth us, that we have no liberty or leave to breathe for any comforts, or to hope for any deliverance.