Hardness of heart.: The works of the reverend and faithful servant of Jesus… by Richard Greenham | AskReformation

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:243p. 16¶2

2 To one that complained of hardness of heart, he said: You must wait for comfort, and know, that you can now no more judge of your self, than a man sleeping can judge of things which he did waking: or a man wandering in the dark can discern of bright colours: for as the one may while he waketh do excellent things, and yet now neither he himself knoweth of them, nor any other can espy them in him: and the other may be among¹ flowers, and for want of light, can have no use of his eyes, nor pleasure in the objects: so you have done great good things whilst God gave you a waking heart to put them in practise, and the light of his spirit to discern his graces in you, though now you have neither the sight nor sense of them: and this is the thing which deceiveth and disquieteth many: they look for that discerning of themselves (when in them Gods graces were more oppressed) which they had when Gods spirit wrought in the sweetest and fullest measure in them: and because there is some intermission of the work of new birth,² they think it is a flat omission in them of the spirit of God. But as it is a token of a mind too presumptuous and infatuated, in time of dead security, to persuade our selves still of that safety, for having those graces which sometime we had: so it is a sign of a mind abject, and too much despairing, to think that because that we have not even present feeling of those joys, glorious and unspeakable which we have had; therefore we never had •••m heretofore, or that we shall never have them again hereafter.

2 To one that complained of hardnes of heart, he said: You must waite for comfort, and know, that you can now no more iudge of your selfe, than a man sleeping can iudge of things which he did waking: or a man wandring in the darke can discerne of bright colours: for as the one may while he waketh doe excellent things, and yet now neither he himselfe knoweth of them, nor any other can espie them in him: and the other may be among¹ flowers, and for want of light, can haue no vse of his eyes, nor pleasure in the obiects: so you haue done great good things whilest God gaue you a waking heart to put them in practise, and the light of his spirit to discerne his graces in you, though now you haue neither the sight nor sense of them: and this is the thing which deceiueth and disquieteth many: they looke for that discerning of themselues (when in them Gods graces were more oppressed) which they had when Gods spirit wrought in the sweetest and fullest measure in them: and because there is some intermission of the worke of new birth,² they thinke it is a flat omission in them of the spirit of God. But as it is a token of a minde too presumptuous and infatuated, in time of dead securitie, to perswade our selues still of that safetie, for hauing those graces which sometime we had: so it is a signe of a minde abiect, and too much de•payring, to thinke that because that we haue not euen present seeling of those ioyes, glorious and vnspeakeable which we haue had; therefore we neuer had •••m heretofore, or that we shall neuer haue them againe hereafter.

1Simile.
2Note.