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A02182
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Propositions containing answers to certaine demaunds in divers spirituall matters specially concerning the conscience oppressed with the griefe of sinne. With an epistle against hardnes of heat, made by that woorthie preacher of the Gospell of Christ, M. R. Greenham pastor of Drayton
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Greenham, Richard.
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1597
(1597)
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STC 12323; ESTC S120335
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28,959
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82
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for a time so that they feele in themselues the graces of the holie spirit to be as it were perished and dead Further to releeue the infirmitie of your iudgment in this part and point because I knowe it may much distresse you you must vnderstand there be two kinds of hardnes of hart the one which is not perceiued felt the other which is perceiued felt and of the former that there be two sortes the first which is most fearefull when any do purposely resist the motions of God his spirit willingly refuse the means of their salvation of the which Zacharie speaketh 7. 11. They refused to harken and pulled away the shoulder and stopped their ears that they shuld not heare yea they made their heart as an Adamant stone lest they should heare the Lawe and the wordes which the Lord of Hosts sent in his spirit by the ministery of his former Prophets The outragious sinne of these men the Prophet Esay expresseth in these their owne fearefull tearmes 28. 15. Wee haue made a covenant with death and we are at agrement with hell though a scourge run over and passe through yet it shall not come at vs for we haue made falshood our refuge vnder vanitie are we hid This was a fearfull estate indeede yet for all that no man can say but some of them hauing hardened their hearts might be and were afterwards converted the other kind of hardnes of heart which is not felt nor perceiued or if perceiued yet not felt which albeit is lesse fearefull yet is dangerous enough is in such who although they wilfully resist not Gods spirit in good meanes yet securely carlesly willingly they ly in sin and that without any remorse of it or any tast of good things Such was Davids state by the space of a yeare before Nathan the Prophet came to reprooue him and rouse him from his lulled sleepe both these kindes I am perswaded you are free from other wayes than in temptation Sathan may sometimes mooue you thereunto The other kind of hardnes of hart which is perceived and felt is of two sortes the one in them who are desirous of meanes whereby to be releeved although they doe finde small or no grace in themselues for a time In this kind the Prophet Esay in the want of some of Gods people complaineth Esay 63. 15. And such was Davids state after Nathan had reprooved him and Gods spirit began to work with him yet cryeth he out as ye heard before of the losse of Gods graces and when hee saith that God will accept of no sacrifices be they neuer so many or pretious without a contrite heart broken spirit he shewed that for a time even after the Prophet had reproued him he wanted both This is your cace and therefore in the state of salvation for David was in this cace even after he had confessed his sin as my trust is you doe and after he had receiued absolution and pardon from God by the ministerie of Nathan although he never felt any ioy thereof nor true griefe for the other yet because in truth of heart he confessed his sinne as I hope you do and was certainly perswaded of the pardonablenes of it by Gods mercy as you must be if you will haue mercie although he was farre of from feeling it or applying it to his woefull conscience his state was good and very well to be hoped of and you must know and be perswaded of Gods Saintes namely of David and Peter such others that they are ensamples for vs if wee will stay our selues vpon the word of God in the ministery of his servants and wait vpon the Lords good time vntil he come neerer vnto vs by his spirite neerer I say for he was come already vnto you or it may be he never went from you because to be grieued humbled with blindnes of minde and hardnes of heart to beleeue certainly the servāts of God which bring vnto vs glad tydings of salvation and the truth of Gods promises in generall and to long after comfort vsing the meanes of the word and praier the Sacrament of the supper the company of Gods children contrary to hope vnder hope yea without any present feeling all this is a certaine argument that Gods spirite is with such and therefore vvith you This estate though it be very grievous yet it is never dangerous much lesse is it fearfull vnlesse any be so wilful that they do perseuere and continue in desperate refusing of all good meanes Vnlesse they persevere I say for that through the subtill sleights of the spirituall adversarie his forcible power whereby God suffereth him sometime for a season to winnow them as wheat they are so bewitched and intoxecated that they are carried with violent force of temptation to waxe weary of it or to refuse all kinde of comfort by fittes yea almost to haue no desire at all vnto them yea sometimes even to speak evill of them but all this is but in temptation therfore God will be mercifull vnto them for Christes sake Thus Iob cursed the daye of his birth and wished to bee strangled Ieremiah almost repented that euer he preached in the name of the Lord both scarsely abslaind from blasphemy David moued with the spirite of ambition though dutifully admonished yet wilfully went on in numbring the people Peter also vaine-gloriouslie presuming of his owne strength beeing most wisely effectually praemonished of his weaknesse even by our Lord Iesus yet vvittinglie rusheth as an horse into the battell and then very cowardly yeeldeth and doublie denieth yea strengthneth his sinne with a threefolde corde and fastneth it with banning and cursing and yet all these obtained mercy bountifullie for why as Sathan had desired to winnowe them so our Saviour Christ prayed for them that their faith although it was battered yet it should not be destroyed although it were sore oppressed yet it should not bee extinguished And heere be you fullie perswaded that though Luke 22. the wordes seeme to runne as belonging to Peter I haue prayed for thee that thy faith should not faile yet that hee prayed as well for the rest of the Apostles yea for all the faithfull for first hee saith not Simon Sathan hath desired to winnowe thee but you why then saith hee I haue prayed for thee Verely because he shuld more grievouslie offend than the rest althogh their offence was very great therefore his and our most blessed Saviour applied to him the promise but did not appropriate it to him onelye and restraine it from the rest and compare with this place Iohn 17. 20. and you shall see that the heauenly veritie affirmeth that hee prayed not onely for the Apostles but for all those that should beleeue through their worde Yea further our Lorde Iesus Christ was yester day and to day and shall be for ever And as the Fore-fathers were baptised into him and did eat his fleshe and drink his
blood so vvas his prayer effectuall even to them vnder the Lawe much more vnto vs vnder grace and vvhen you can finde testimonie of your heart that when you would do well yet evil is present with you and that you do the evill you woulde not then doe not you it but sinne in you when it leadeth you captiue Rom. 7. Much more then when Sathan worketh with all buffeting you assure your selfe that God hath pittie on you and that the vertue of his power shall bee perfect in your weaknes 2. Cor. 12. 9. If you beleeue according to your faith be it vnto you but you will say you cannot beleeue that this vile and crooked hardnes of heart can bee remitted and renewed And this was the second point within the former part of my Letter I gaue you to vnderstand what was the cause of your excessiue distresse I besech you in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ that you will not willingly lye nor offer iniury to Gods spirit nor to your selfe who haue receiued it tell me what is the reason why you thinke you haue no faith verely because you haue no feeling nor noe other fruites thereof as you think vvell first then agree with mee herein as you must if you will not disagree with the trueth that feeling is but an effect a fruite of faith and therefore there may be faith without feeling as the cause may bee without the effect and the tree without any appearance of fruite yea of sap for a season And as a man sore wounded or diseased may for a season be depriued almost of al operations of the naturall life to the outwarde shewe and his owne iudgement and feeling so may a spirituall man bee sore wounded by Sathan and be diseased by present sight and feeling of his sinfull corruptions specially in that the life of the spirit ts not in him Thus Peters holie faile as you haue hearde or else the prayer of our Saviour prevailed not Thus when David Psalm 51. 12. declared that his heart was vncleane and his spirit crooked and vnstable and verse 14. that hee had lost the ioye of his salvation and the spirit of liberty or adoption yea vers 13. hee prayeth that God would not take his holy spirit from him therefore he was not depriued of the spirit of sanctification Heere seemeth repugnance but there is none he was depriued for a season of the graces of the sanctifying spirit but not of the holy Ghost wherewith he was sanctified which graces as God restored vnto him so I am perswaded that he will vnto you yea I doubt whether you are deprived of them but onely that partlie melancholie and partly Sathan working therewith makes you do iniury to your selfe to the graces of the spirit in you which I beseech you take heede of But the Messenger cannot stay I therefore cannot write as I wold either of this or of the remedies you shuld vse which hereafter I will if God shall enable mee And I praye you let mee vnderstand as I requested in the beginning of your estate in particular somewhat more that by this bearer if you can because he is of your acquaintance and will bring it vnto me faithfullie Onely I adde nowe vnto that which I haue written of hardnesse of heart at large that you must diligently obserue the word Create which Dauid vseth Psal. 51. declaring howe he had no feeling of his heart To this ioyne that which the Prophet Esay speaketh in the persone of God 57. 3. I create the fruite of the lippes to be peace as well to him that is far off as to him that is neere Therefore in Faith you may as well pray with the hope to obtaine as did David therefore saye vvith him often and vvith Gods people Esay 64. 12. O Lord thou art our Father wee indeede are clay but thou art our maker and wee are the work of thine handes c. Know you that God can cause Wolues Lyons Leopards c. wallowing with lambs calues and kyne Esay 11. 6. And that vvhich is vnpossible vnto men is possible vnto God euen to cause a cable rope to go through a needels eye that is to change the heart of the vnbeleeuing covetous and vvretched man much more yours yea knowe you that all things are possible to him that beleeueth Crye then I beleeue oh Lord help mine vnbeliefe and I do promise you in the name of our Lorde Iesus Christ that you shall haue your desire in goodnesse Thus abruptlye I must make an end I commend you vnto God and the vvorde of his grace vvhich is able for to builde you vppe and to giue you the right of inheritance amongst them vvhich are sanctified And the very God of Peace sanctifie you throughout that your vvhole spirit soule and body may bee kept blamelesse vntill the comming of our Lorde Iesus Christ Faithfull is hee vvhich hath called you and vvill do it I pray you pray for me and I trust as I haue so I shall pray for you and much more Yours in Iesus Christ to vse in any neede R. GREENHAM