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
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 heart made by that woorthie Preacher of the Gospell of Christ M. R. GREENHAM Pastor of Drayton MATTH 11. 28. Come vnto mee all ye that labour and are loaded and I will ease you c. EDINBVRGH PRINTED BY ROBERT Waldegraue Printer to the Kings Majestie ANNO 1597. Cum Privilegio Regio CERTAINE DEMAVNDS answered by M. GREENHAM a learned man 1 IT is harder to beleeue in the abundance of worldly meanes than it is in the wante of them for they as it were are vailes set betwixt God and vs they stay our sight in them that it cannot pearce to God 2 Heathen men were humbled by their dreames wee are not humbled by the worde they that will not profite by Gods judgments in other shal feel themselues we haue no claime to Gods mercie offered in the Gospell vntill wee be humbled by his threatning in the Lawe 3 If wee go on still in sinne God will go on still in judgment but if our hearts relent from sinne God will release his sentence of punishment 4 As the Gospell first began by simple Fisher-men to bee preached but afterward being received in loue grewe to the other more learned sorte so for not receiving the worde in loue but hauing our eares tickling to newe doctrine heresies and sects beginning now amongst vs but in the simpler sort and ignorant men of the cuntrie are like to invade the best learned And God purposing to punish the coldnes of our age can aswell now send an hereticall spirite not onelie into the common people but into 400. learned Preachers as he did in times past send a lying spirit into 400. Prophets 5 If we think wee may speak wee will speak toe soone if we may keep silence wee will hold our peace toe long when we much loue the persons to whome we speake wee flack our zeale in rebuking of sinne if we be zealous against sinne we flack our loue to the person 6 As in marriage though the parties met in the flesh without any sanctified means to assure themselues to be joyned of the Lord yet if God afterwarde giue them grace to liue holilie in their meetings he sheweth not only that their corrupt meeting is pardoned but that nowe their meeting is blessed So if entring into a calling for want of guifts and affections we haue no assurance at the first of a warrantable calling yet if GOD afterwards furnish vs with able gifts and sanctifie vs with pure mindes hee doth not onely shewe vs that our former sinne is pardoned but also that he is well pleased with this calling wherevnto he hath blessed vs. 7 Sathan vnder the colour of repentance bringeth many into an extreame sadnes and stricktnes in vsing the creatures of God againe vnder pretence of Christian libertie and delivering of men from extreme griefes hee allureth them to an vnmoderate and an vnsanctified mirth and intemperate vse of the creatures of God so blinding judgment hee after corrupteth affection 8 The best art of memorie is to bee humbled at Gods threatning and comforted at his promises for sure it is that exceeding griefes or exceeding joyes leaue great impressions in vs. 9 The best art of Logick is to reason E converso out of that saying of PAVL There is no Temptation hath overtaken you but it hath overtaken others And to say thus There hath no temptation overtaken others but the same may overtake vs This will teach vs to speak charitablie and profitably of other mens infirmities 10 We may not go to see vngodlines to breed a greater detestation of it in vs for first in respect of our selues for presuming oâ— a thing not warranted it is the just judgment of God that wee should learne to fall into that sinne whereof before we were ignorant Secondly in respect of our brethren it is vnlawfull for if they be strong we offend them if they be weake we mis-lead them Thirdly in regard of Gods glorie it is vnlawfull for such should be our zeale therevnto if not having hereticall spirits by the motions of Gods spirit to speak against it yet that we should not once see such a thing 11 As natural men vse Gods creatures to stirre vp a naturall comfort so spiritual men should vse them to stir vp some spiritual comfort and to stir vp godly joyes in themselues for as Sathan seeing men of a sanguine complexion and sanctified laboureth to mix with their spirituall joy a carnall joy so seeing some of a malancholick complexion sanctified to haue spirituall sorrowes hee striveth to bring vpon them carnall sorrowes 12 If you desire to heare the worde with profit obserue these things before you go to the Church humble your selfe in praier to God that hee may prepare your vnderstanding affection and memorie to receiue and that the Preacher may speake to your conscience 13 After in hearing with some short praier apply the severall thretnings promises and instructions to your owne estate when you are come home from hearing change all that you remember into a praier and desire God that you may remember it most when you shuld practise it and vse to teach others and to conferre of all things remembred It is a good thing to remember a thing diligently and the reason of it 14 Let vs not complaine of the want of Discipline but be thankful for the discipline we haue it is the Lords wil even in this want of Discipline to advance his owne glory in taking that to himselfe which otherwise we would attribute to Discipline for besides that he doth that by his word and praier which may bee done by Discipline it may be discipline wold hide many hypocrites which now are discovered and cover many christian true hearts which now are knowne for they that are godly nowe are godly of a conscience being a discipline to themselues but many may seeme godly in discipline which doe it of feare and not of loue 15 No trouble shoulde hinder vs in our calling vnlesse it be in cace of meare vngodlines for if for every troble or for many troubles a man may forsake his calling he should be out of any calling forasmuch as every calling hath his lettes and troubles 16 Though all exercises of pure Religion purelie vsed doe strengthen judgment and whet vp affection yet reading hearing and conferring do most strengthen judgment and in part whet on affection But praying singing and meditation do most chiefly whet vp affection but in part strengthen judgment and vnderstanding 17 As a loving husband will not take away his loue from his wife for some particular wants so long as shee keepeth her loue wholly and truly vnto him So the Lord will not cast off his loving kindnes to vs for speciall wants or frailtie in particular commandements so long as we generally labour to please him 18 One being
more if happely they growe herein negligent in which repetition of their vowes and promises which argueth their great desire of their hearts for looke what one delighteth in hee often speaketh of it and in many wordes they declare that as even in things agreable to nature wee will helpe our delight by often speaking and repeating of them so much more this help is requisit in things aboue nature and among all the partes of godlines which are aboue nature and chiefly in thankes-giving which is more contrarie to nature for we will pray oft for a thing but hardlie giue thanks once yet experience proveth in civil things that of all arguments to perswade one to giue vs a guift none is more eloquent or forcible than to promise our selues to be thankfull and mindefull of that wee shall receiue 81 The cause why our meditations praiers are no stronger in the night is because we joyne not with meditation the examination of our heartes vppon our beddes which if wee did in some trueth it would keepe vs from drowsines and want of reverence in our praiers aswell as worldly men ar kept waking by thinking on worldly matters heere wee are taught by Davids example when wee wante the more solemne and glorious meanes in dignitie to make a supply by often and sinceere vsing of such private meanes as we can 82 It is very hurtfull that abuses haue so long time beene declaymed and the true vses of things so slenderly vrged for though holy dayes haue justly beene spoken against yet the reverent vse of the Sabboth hath beene little defended though superstitious fasts haue beene defaced yet true fasting is not imbraced though the carnall presence of Christ hath beene confuted yet the reall and true presence of Christ hath not beene established though popish discipline hath beene misliked yet who so maintaineth true Discipline is thought to bee a Pope in his owne parish though popish confession hath rightly beene banished yet christian confession is neither known nor acknowledged 83 Though we finde not the spirituall joye which we should feele yet let vs not be toe much cast downe so that our conscience tell vs that wee are ready to withdrawe somewhat from our outward pleasures for want of this inward pleasure and that we haue not prevented or smothered out these spirituall joyes but are grieved that wee haue them not and waite for the time to feele them for of al things we must beware that we draw not into their stead carnall joyes and so driue as it were exile the working of Gods spirit in vs by them 84 As it argueth great height and willingnes to sinne when men fearing to sin in the day redeeme steale time to sin in the night so it sheweth a great height and willingnes to godlines when men beeing not sufficiently contented to doe good in the day stretch their well doing even to the night also wherin they shew themselues to be free from vaine glorie that none seeing them yet they do good for loue of God and not for outwarde things 85 As by nature we are long and hard to be brought to bee grieved so being once downe wee are hard to get vp and to rise out of our griefe againe for two extremities attend vppon vs the one to bee grieved and feared toe little the other to be grieved and feared toe much the one makes vs secure and the other dead and dull To meet with these two it is good in time of joye to thinke what judgments haue befallen vs heretofore what may befall vs hereafter In time of humbling we are to consider what mercies we haue received and what mercies are stored vppe and tarry for vs againe and surelie no one thing makes griefe more to waste vs than the forgetfulnes of Gods mercies past and the carefulnesse of them that are to come though mercies succeede mercies yet the sea of Gods mercies is never drawne drie if we claime hould of them by our former experience 86 Two things especially may warrant both the speakers and the hearers of their doctrine if their calling be good and godly if the generall course of their doctrine be sound and pure Iere. 17. 87 If the health of body bee such a thing as is rather with comfort enjoyed than in words to be expressed how great is the peace of Conscience and joye of the holy Ghost which may bee tasted but cannot be vttered 88 Because wee will not obserue one another which is godlie Discipline others shall obserue vs even the wicked which is a neere discipline 89 There be some which haue peace neither with God nor with themselues as desperate heretiks some haue peace with themselues but not with God as secure sinners some haue peace both with God and with themselues as repentant Christians 90 As in prosperitie nothing is a greater token of Gods favour than to feare our selues so in adversitie there is a pleasant pledge of our conscience when we wait attend on the Lord for the time the manner and the measure of our deliuerance There be foure properties of this waiting The first to waite in our soules Many will not outwardly murmure and yet inwardly they boyle and fret but where is quietnes of heart there can be no great disquietnes in the toung or in the hand The second is to waite on the word for some will waite but it is to obtaine something the sooner not to shew their faith and obedience to the word The third is to continue in it if we had a definitiue determination how many daies or moneths or houres wee shuld waite the end of our tearme drawing neere wold sustaine vs but it is hard to leaue all moments and conditions to the Lord and to be in a continuall expectation but let vs consider howe justlie God may suspend his answer in helping vs either in that our sinnes are not sufficiently bewailed or our faith not sufficiently purified or his grace not sufficientlie wrought in vs. The fourth is by vehemencie in waiting to be kept from faultring or fainting in hope to bee vehement in hope for a while is easie but not to slake the heat of our affections and not to be remisse and dead in the suite of our desire though no appearance of deliverance be seene this is hard indeed vehemencie argueth faith and deferring of our desire doeth not breake our zeale in waiting it bewraieth want of faith when without al hope we are greedy and ravenous to haue our requests or else we cast all away 91 Sathan hath two buffetings when by example we ar provoked to patience First he smelleth of despaire and telleth vs that true it is so did such men abide trouble but they were rare men of rare faith of rare feelings of rare patience God hath not called vs to that measure of grace wee are vnworthie by reason of our sinnes to hope for the like faith or the like fruites of faith This other temptation smelleth