A02180:65
A most sweet and assured comfort for all those that are afflicted in conscience…A most sweete and assured comfort for all those that are afflicted in consciscience…
A most sweet and assured comfort for all those that are afflicted in conscience [sic], or troubled in mind. Written by that godly & zealous preacher, M. Richard Greenham. With two comfortable letters to his especial friends that way grieved.A most sweete and assured comfort for all those that are afflicted in consciscience [sic], or troubled in minde. Written by that godly & zealous preacher, M. Richard Greenham. With two comfortable letters to his especiall friends that way greeued.
London: printed by John Danter for William Jones, 1595London: printed by Iohn Danter for William Iones, 1595
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.
With such kind of stratagems our adversary the devil being well acquainted, doth often practise this policy. If he see us without all fear too quietly to rest in our selves, he thinketh his assault must needs be the stronger, because our assistance is the weaker. Again, if he descrieth in us a cowardly fear and fainting of heart, before we once begin to join battle with him; he will set upon our immoderate fear, and as villainously as suddenly stab us to the heart, & make a present spoil of us.
With such kinde of stratagems our aduersarie the diuell beeing well acquainted, doth often practise this pollicie. If hee see vs without all fear too quietly to rest in our selues, he thinketh his assault must needes be the stronger, because our assistaunce is the weaker. Againe, if he descrieth in vs a cowardly fear and fainting of heart, before wee once begin to ioyne battaile with him; hee will set vppon our immoderate feare, and as villainously as sodenly stab vs to the heart, & make a present spoyle of vs.
Common practise doth farther teach us, that when ⟨image 46⟩we can hear the word without all trembling at God his judgements, when we can pray without all fear before the Majesty of God, when we can come to the Discipline of the Church without all reverence of the ordinance of the Lord; all is in vain. Again, let us hear with too much trembling, & we shall learn nothing; let us pray with too servile a fear, & our worshipping of God will be (without all comfort) uncheerful. Thus if we neither lessen sin, that is sin indeed; neither make sin of that which is not sin: in ••uth it is good to proceed to ⟨image 46⟩this threefold examination and to lay the edge of this doctrine near our affections, because many will be found in this ripeness of knowledge and hardness of conscience to speak, dispute and declare of all these things very skilfully, with flickering in the circumference of the brain, and not sitting at the ground of the hart, do seal up a more just sentence of condemnation against them. To help this evil we must meditate deeply of the Law & the Gospel, together with the appurtenances of them both, that finding our selves far from Gods blessings by the law, & seeing our