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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.
Some also there are who usually whilst the ⟨p. 65⟩fearful judgement of God is before their eyes, either in themselves or in others, have a few glancing motions, and starting cogitations of their sins and of Christ his passion: yet at all other times their minds are so clasped up from thinking of temptations, & their hearts so locked up from foreseeing or forethinking of judgments, that they feel no godly sorrow. They mock the mourning days of the elect, as of them that be of a melancholy nature; they make a sport of sin, as little remembering the sting which will either prick them to the hart blood most fearfully in the hour of death, or meet them with griping agonies in the day of their visitation more speedily. But haply they think they have given good testimony & word of their repentance and remembrance of God, when they give one deep sigh and away, and pass over Gods heavy indignation as over burning coals. So that whilst the Lord in prosperity affordeth large pennyworths of his love unto them, they dally with his Majesty, and make a sport of his mercy. All which imperfections may be better corrected, if in our deepest rest with a reverent & humble fear of gods judgments, we did wait for the day of our trial, & prepare our selves to the lords visitations, as they who by the writing of their own conscience do acknowledge themselves by just title to be fosterers thereof: for the feeling of Gods mercy ⟨p. 66⟩must come from the sight of our misery by sin; which being pardoned, we shall soon have our infirmities healed. Wherefore let us first learn to cleanse our souls from sin, and then to sustain the sores of our body. Sure it is that if we have suffered our hearts to be harrowed with the rake of Gods judgements, (as occasion from the Lord hath been given) that we are become soft & well exercised in the fear of God: we shall come to the feeling of our sins, the sense whereof; if it bring as it were a sickness to the body & a corsey to the soul, it is an undoubted earnest of our regeneration, & happy are we if we find our selves so diseased and troubled with our sins, that we can hardly (being in the skirmish & agony) make any difference between the motions to any evil, & the consent unto the same:
Some also there are who vsually whilest the ⟨p. 65⟩