Primary Source

The Works of Richard Greenham

Name: The Works of Richard Greenham
Author: Richard Greenham

Richard Greenham 1612

Greenham's collected works present his pastoral theology, practical divinity, and spiritual counsel for believers navigating conscience and Christian living.

The fift and last edition: in which, matters dispersed before through the whole booke, are methodically drawne to their seuerall places, and the hundred and nineteenth Psalme perfected: with a more exact table annexed; EEBO-TCP A02178 (TEI), original spelling, printed page numbers

From the text

The opening of the work as printed, from p. 1, in the spelling of this edition.

HE vsed this triall of his affections; as of anger, griefe, ioy, or such like, in this manner: If by them he was made lesse fit to pray; more vnable to do the good he should, lesse carefull to auoid sin; then he thought [Triall of affections.] his affection carnall and euill, and not of God: but when his anger, loue, grief, and other affectiōs prouoked him more to pray, and made him fitter to do good, then he thought his affections to be sent from God, as a blessing vnto him.

2 God sheweth vs often in our affections, what we may doe in our outward actions.

3 Some labour more for knowledge, lesse for affection: some more for affection, lesse [How to labour for knowledge and affection.] for knowledge: some busie themselues in Church-discipline, and are slender sighted in their priuie corruptions: some be diligent to espie things in others abroad, and negligent to trie themselues at home: but it is good to match both together.

4 Rare good things are pleasant, but by vse they are lesse esteemed: and rare euill things are fearefull, but by vse they become lesse grieuous. This comes to passe, because we rather bring with vs naturall affections, of ioy, and sorrow, and feare, than spirituall [Naturall affections.] meditations, which are onely of the true ioy and sorrow.

5 We must euer learne to suspect our owne opinion and affection, when the case any [When to suspect affectiō. See more in the title of iudgement, sect. 1.] thing concerneth vs.

6 He said, that when for some causes naturall affection deceiued him: yet the ordinance of God caused him to doe duties.

7 He thought it not good at table to be extraordinarie either in ioy or sorrow, vnlesse it were for some special cause: but rather it were conuenient, priuately to a godly friend or before the Lord to powre out our hearts, and after the example of Ioseph to make our affections knowne as little in companie as may be.

1 HE thought all afflictions, to be puttings of him to God from slothfulnes. [Slothfulnes.]

2 It is a most certaine thing in Gods children, that the more their afflictions grow, the more their faith groweth: the more Sathan striueth to draw them from God, the more they draw neer to God: although indeed in feeling they cānot see somuch. [Feeling.]

3 Many can speak faire things in the eares of God, so long as they be in affliction: but afterwards they will speake euill things in the eares of heauen and earth.

p. 24 He said to one complaining of sudden gripes and nips in the bodie, Of sudden ◊eares [Of sudden gripes and nips in the bodie, and feares in the minde.] in the minde, that we should make our vse of them: and though it were hard to search the particular cause of them, it was both easie and sure to attribute it to our failing in religion, in not doing some good which God required at our hands: or if we did it, because we were too ceremoniall, and rested in the thing wrought. If we haue failed in not doing, it may be the Lord calleth vs to some thing to be done. Againe, by these sudden feares and griefes, the Lord will sometime prepare a way to come vnto vs, not much vnlike to a Prince, who before his comming hath a peale of gunnes as a warning peece, and then we are to meete the Lord with prayer: for now is the time, now is the fit oportunitie of praying, because the Lord will shortly passe by vs, and therefore we must stirre vp our selues. And hauing prayed▪ it is good to make an holy pursuite after him, as laying a godly claime to the promises of God, not in particular, but in generall: for who knoweth, but the Lord, what is good in particular for our saluation. Here he shewed by his owne example, to commend the vse of prayer, how he being once feared with deceiuable and grieuous visions, called to minde (being alone in the darke night) the vnbeliefe of the Disciples on the Seas, where our Sauiour Christ was asleepe: then he asked his owne soule whether he had prayed or no; or whether in prayer, he made not some haste out of it, as being desirous to [Prayer.] be rid of it. Then cōsidering that he gaue himselfe to God, who was the Lord of the night as well as of the day; of darknes, as well as of the light, he prayed againe, & to the praise of God he spake it, he slept more quietly than before, after he did so striue in faithfull prayer.

p. 25 In afflictions we must search the cause: first by ascending to God, then by descending [In afflictions to descend into our selues, and to ascend to God. Deut. 30. 1. 2. 3 4. Simile.] into our selues. First, we must ascend to God, pleading guiltie, crauing mercie, and not stand quarrelling with the malice of men, or hatred of the diuell against vs: for as it were no good wisedome for a man, condemned to die, to make any long suite to the Iaylor, or to the executioner, (for they be but vnder officers, & can do nothing) but he must labour to the Iudge, who can either reprieue or release him: so it is no good policy to stand about Sathan in our temptations, who doth all by constraint & restraint vnder the Lord: but we must goe to the principall, that is God, in whose hands are both the entrance, the continuance, and the issues of our sufferings. Secondly, we must search our selues, how farre either reason is vnreformed, or affections vnrenewed: knowing that the diuell himselfe [The diuell cannot hurt vs, till we haue hurt our selues.] can neuer hurt vs, vntill we haue hurt our selues. And looke in what measure our reason is corrupt, or our affections disordered, in that measure are we weake, and easier to be ouerthrowne of men, or of Sathan: and in what measure our reason is sound, and our affections sincere, in that measure we remaine inuincible. Before, and in all we must pray that the spirit may be giuen vs, that we neither adde nor detract, that we goe not too farre, nor come too short.

Keep reading

Full text search, AI synthesis across 1,234 Reformed primary sources, and seamless reading — all in one place.

Start Free Trial to Read

GRAVE COVNSELS, AND GODLY OBSERVATIONS: SERVING GENERALLY TO DIRECT ALL MEN IN THE WAIES…p. 1
Affections.p. 1
Afflictions.p. 1
Anger.p. 3
Angels.p. 3
Atheisme.p. 3
Calling.p. 4
Care.p. 4
Censures.p. 4
Conference.p. 5
Conscience afflicted.p. 5
Couering of infirmities.p. 7
Confession of sinnes.p. 7
Concupiscence.p. 8
Cause good.p. 8
Of naturall Corruption.p. 8
Despaire.A particular faith.p. 8
Death.p. 9
Desire.p. 9
Dispraise.p. 10
Diet.p. 10
Dreames.p. 10
Distraction of minde.p. 10
Dulnes.p. 10
Doctrine.p. 11
Exercise of religion.p. 11
Experience of our corruption.p. 11
Faith.p. 11
Familie.p. 12
Feeling.p. 12
Fruites of faith.p. 12
Falling into sinne.p. 13
Feare.p. 13
Feastings.p. 14
Friendship.p. 14
Grace of God.p. 15
Good workes.p. 15
Griefe for sinne.p. 15
Hardnes of heart.p. 16
Heresie.p. 17
Heart.p. 17
Haste, how it argueth vnbeliefe: and of Watching and waiting.p. 17
Humilitie.p. 18
Hypocrisie.p. 19
Iudgement.p. 19
Sound ioy.p. 19
Knowledge.p. 20
Loue of the creatures.p. 20
Madnes.p. 20
Matrimonie.p. 20
Meditation.p. 22
Commodities of meditation, and hurts of the want thereof.p. 22
Rules for Meditation.p. 23
Ministerie, Ministers.p. 24
Mirth.p. 25
Mercies.p. 25
Memorie.p. 25
Markes of the children of God.p. 25
Occasions of euill.p. 25
Patience.p. 25
Pitie.p. 25
Pouertie.p. 26
Preaching.p. 26
Prayer.p. 26
Praise.p. 27
Parents.p. 27
Prosperitie and Peace.p. 27
Rebuking or reprouing of sinne.p. 28
Regeneration.p. 29
Repentance.p. 29
Reproches.p. 29
Riches.p. 29
Sacraments.p. 30
Securitie.p. 30
Singing.p. 30
Sinne.p. 30
Sicke, and sicknesse.p. 34
Sathans practises.p. 35
Superstition.p. 35
Strange corrections.p. 35
Saluation.p. 36
To make speede to good things.15 16p. 36
Sleepe.p. 36
Sermons.p. 36
Schisme.p. 36
The true suruay and examination of our selues.p. 37
The motions of the spirit of God in vs.p. 37
Euill spirits.p. 37
Temptations.p. 37
Thankesgiuing.p. 40
Vnbeleefe.p. 40
Vngodlines.p. 41
Vse of the creatures.p. 41
Vnthankfulnes.p. 41
Visions.p. 41
Of Vsurie.p. 41
Word of God and the hearing of it.p. 42
Witchcraft.p. 42
Worship of God.p. 42
World.p. 43
Word preached.p. 43
AN OTHER ADDITION OF AN HVNDRED GRAVE COVNSELS OR DIVINE APHORISMES.p. 44
A THIRD ADDITION OF GRAVE COVNSELS, AND DIVINE DIRECTIONS, FOR THE ATTAINING AND…p. 51
TO THE RIHT VERTVOVS AND GODLY GENTLEWOMEN, MISTRIS ANNE BOVVLES, AND MISTRIS A. STEVENS…
WHereas all men desire to bee blessed, and the most men are deceiued…p. 71
How know you this?p. 71
What call you Gods word?p. 71
Which call you the holie Scriptures?p. 71
Are all things that are necessary for vs to know contained in them?p. 71
Is it lawfull for to adde or to take any thing from Gods word?p. 71
Why is it so grieuous a sinne?p. 71
Why is it requisite that the will of God should be set forth vnto vs?p. 71
Is it not lawfull to repose any part of Gods Worship, or of Saluation…p. 71
What followeth hereof?p. 71
How farre are wee bound to their doctrine and doings?p. 71
May all reade the Scriptures?p. 71
Why must all such reade the Scriptures?p. 71
Why else?p. 71
What if men cannot reade?p. 72
Is it enough to reade the Scriptures priuately, or with…p. 72
And is it enough to heare them read publikely in the Church?p. 72
Why must preaching be ioyned with • eading?p. 72
Why must Faith be mixed with the Word, read, and preached?p. 72
How many things are requisite to bee in euery one that will come to…p. 72
What is the first?p. 72
What call you the Law?p. 72
What if wee breake the Law?p. 72
What call you the Gospell?p. 72
What doth that worke in vs?p. 72
What must wee learne by the whole word of God?p. 72
What is required for our right and sound entrance to our saluation?p. 72
How shall wee come to the right sight of our sinnes, and a sound…p. 72
Where is the Law set downe?p. 72
Rehearse them.p. 73
How are they deuided?p. 73
What doth the first table teach vs?p. 73
What doth the second teach vs?p. 73
Why are the duties towards God set downe before the duties towards…p. 73
Why are the duties towards our neighbour ioyned to our duties towards…p. 73
What ensueth hereof?p. 73
Why are the Commandements set downe in ten parts, and not in generall?p. 73
Why are they set downe singularly or to euery one?p. 73
What followeth of this?p. 73
Are there not some rules which serue for the better vnderstanding of…p. 73
Rehearse the first Commandement.1. Pre •• pt.p. 73
What euill is here generally forbidden?p. 73
What good is commaunded?p. 73
What is it to haue God to be our onely God?p. 73
Which be those that properly concerne God, and therefore be the…p. 73
Rehearse the summe of them wher • b • the rest may be vnderstood.p. 73