A02181:123
Paramythion two treatises of the comforting of an afflicted conscience, writtenParamythion tvvo treatises of the comforting of an afflicted conscience, written
Paramythion two treatises of the comforting of an afflicted conscience, written by M. Richard Greenham, with certain epistles of the same argument. Hereunto are added two sermons, with certain grave and wise counsels and answers of the same author and argument.Paramythion tvvo treatises of the comforting of an afflicted conscience, written by M. Richard Greenham, with certaine epistles of the same argument. Heereunto are added two sermons, with certaine graue and wise counsells and answeres of the same author and argument.
London: printed by Richard Bradocke for Robert Dexter, 1598
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.
A letter from M. Richard Greeneham to a friend of his, M. M. against hardness of heart.
A letter from M. Richard Greeneham to a friend of his, M. M. against hardnes of heart.
I Beseech God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ give me his holy spirit in writing to give advice, and you in reading to receive it, Amen. Since the time I received M. S. his letter, wherein he declared his careful compassion over your estate, I have been not a little grieved because, partly for want of a convenient messenger, & partly because of my manifold distractions with the like occurrences & other weighty affairs, I have been hindered hitherto from writing unto you. And albeit even still I am in the same case, yet conscience towards God, compassion & love towards you, forceth me to overcome lets which hardly I could otherwise prevail against. And albeit I cannot write as I would, yet of that which I shall write proceeding from the forenamed grounds I look for some blessing from God through Jesus Christ if you will not too much faint in faith, and yield to the adversary: yea, if you will but hope so well of your self, as (in the fear of GOD I do write it) I hope of you. First, whereas it seemeth you are ⟨p. 89⟩sometimes grieved, because you tarried not still at Cambridge according to mine advise, you must know I advised it not as a thing necessary, but more convenient, as I then supposed, but I advised you to obey your father, if his pleasure still continued to have you home; whereunto you yielding, I cannot see •owe you offended, it being your Fathers pleasure you should so do. And who knoweth whether being there you might not have been as much troubled, there being no privilege for persons and places in such cases: And who knoweth whether it be the Lords pleasure, for the example and instruction (and I hope the consolation) of others in the end. And albeit you will now think that here you were nearer the moe and stronger means, yet know you and be persuaded, that God can and doth in such cases work by fewer and weaker, according to his good pleasure: Besides, it is in our corrupt nature to make much of such means as we cannot have, and not so to esteem those which God doth offer us, as we should; I beseech you therefore in the name of Jesus Christ, humbly to praise God for those means he offereth in mercy unto you, and to use them in faith accordingly; and so God shall bless you by them: