A02180:76
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.
As we require these things to be the matter of our Ministry in such a perplexity; so I would wish the persons ministering to be men learned and of sound judgement, ⟨image 54⟩wise, and of Godly experience, meek and of most loving spirits: for when the troubled patient shall be persuaded of our knowledge and discretion, and therewithal shall perceive us to come in tender and loving affections, I think an entrance is in a manner made, and all prejudice is taken away, so as we may the more freely work upon the grieved Conscience; first bringing them to the sight of sin, as to some cause of their trouble.
As we require these things to bee the matter of our Ministerie in such a perplexitie; so I would wish the persons ministring to be men learned and of sounde iudgement, ⟨image 54⟩wise, and of Godlye experience, meeke and of most louing spirites: for when the troubled patient shal be perswaded of our knowledge and discretion, and therewithall shall perceiue vs to come in tender and louyng affections, I thinke an enteraunce is in a manner made, and all preiudice is taken away, so as wee may the more freely woorke vppon the greeued Conscience; first bringing them to the sight of sinne, as to some cause of their trouble.
Herein we must labour to put away all confusion and blindness of sorrow, ⟨image 55⟩endeavouring by wisdom to bring the parts wounded to some certain object & matter of their trouble; and so draw out of them the confession of some especial, secrete and several sin; I say secrete and several sins, because I know, how many (through a palpable blindness or disordered discerning of sin) talk nothing so much as of sin; and yet they either descry several sins, or they will not be brought to acknowledge their secrete sins: whereof the one proceedeth of the ignorance of the Law of God, the other of self love, which maketh ⟨image 55⟩