Short Rules sent by Master Richard Greenham to a Gentlewoman troubled in mind, for her direction and consolation, also very necessary for every Christian to be exercised withal: With directions for a Christian life.  

1 THose Temptations shall be laid to your charge, whereunto you have yielded, etc. yield not therefore, but resist, as S. james biddeth.  
2 No motion shall hurt you, whereunto you give not consent in heart: You have no sin, which in heart you long to be freed from; you want no goodness which in heart you covet to have, Rom. 7.  
3 Where sickness is at the highest, there is hope of diminishing: so likewise in temptation.  
4 It is a great mercy of God to discern a temptation in time of temptation.  
5 When you would do any good, or receive any good, offer up your endeavours, actions, and means, in a Sacrifice to God in Christ, beseeching God to give his holy Spirit to sanctify his own Sacrifice.  
6 If you have received but a little release of temptation, give thanks, and you shall have more.  
7 It is a sin as well to deny God's gifts as to presume of them.  
8 Temptation smothered, as fire, burns more inwardly.  
9 Be persuaded always you are in the presence of God and his Christ, and frame your actions accordingly.  
10 Be more afraid of secret sins, then of open shame, lay this foundation sure, that there is mercy with Christ jesus.  
11 Remember the former mercies you have received, and think your present estate to be none other than the estate of God's Children: if you be grieved, pray to God, if relieved, praise him: there is a vicissitude of grief and comfort, as of light and darkness.  
12 Beware of a discontented mind in any case: yea, be contented to have your desires denied you of God: and if your prayer be not heard of God, vex not yourself too much, neither vehemently covet, nor be grieved for any thing, saving the having or loss of the favour of God.  
13 Labour for meekness and patience, and be ready to kiss the rod, and to offer up all to him of whom you have received yourself: for if you struggle, it will far with you as with a Bird in a Grin, the more she striveth, the faster she is. We must use the word in troubles and temptations, as a sick man doth his Meat, which though he eat against his stomach, & presently feeleth no benefit of it, yet we know by experience it doth him good, and himself afterwards shall perceive it.  
14 The patient bearing of misery is an acceptable sacrifice to God, for when the Goldsmith putteth a piece of gold into the fire to make better use of it, it seemeth to the unskilful, that he utterly marreth it: So the children of God in affliction, seem to the judgement of the natural man undone and brought to nothing: but spiritual things are spiritually discerned.  
15 Believe always your estate to be the work of God, and vary not therein: for your humiliation, your consolation, the glory of God, and the good of many others.  
16 Beware that you do not often alter your judgement of your estate; as saying, sometimes it is God's work, sometimes melancholy, sometimes your weakness and simplicity, sometimes witchery, sometimes Satan: for these divers thoughts will much trouble you: you may think melancholy to be an occasion, but no cause, and so of the rest. Therefore look steadfastly to the hand of God, surely trusting on this, that he not only knoweth thereof, but that whatsoever is done directly, or indirectly, by means or immediately; all is done and governed (by his divine providence) for your good.  
17 Say not you cannot be helped, for that may hinder the work of God. Say not if I were in such a place and such a place, I should do well, for God is infinite, and therefore every where, aswell where you are, as where you would be.  
18 Whereas in consideration of the falling away of many; excelling you both in the ages and graces of the new birth, you fear you shall not persever unto the end: your meditation and collection is good, so long as it preserves you from the carelessness of the flesh, but it is evil when it should dissolve the assuredness of your faith: Indeed, so long as you look upon yourself, you have cause of fear, because you are unable to prolong, as you are to begin new birth; but if you look to God, you have nothing but matter of faith, for that whom he once loveth he loveth for ever. Again, as a man that swimmeth in the deep waters is never in danger of drowning so long as his head continueth above the waters: So though you swim in deep seas of dangerous temptations, yet are you sure and secure, because Christ jesus your head is still above all troubles, and therefore is able to draw you his member to the shore of salvation, without all peril of perishing.  
19 Believe that God the Father doth govern your temptation, that the holy Ghost shall and doth assist you, that jesus Christ was tempted to overcome in you, that the Saints on earth, do pray for you, even those which never knew you, but do pray for the tempted ones.  
20 None can judge of the work of the spirit, but by the light of the spirit, as none can judge of the Sun but by itself.  
21 Dispute not with God, lest you be confounded, nor with Satan, lest you be overcome.  
22 Be ever persuaded your punishment is far beneath your sin.  
23 In such multitudes of God's mercies as you enjoy, marvel not you have some Crosses: God sends blessings with crosses, lest we should despair: likewise, crosses with blessings, lest we should presume.  
24 In any outward blessing which you see you cannot have, beseech God you nay never be vexed for it.  
25 No shame, grief, or sorrow, pleaseth the Lord, which goeth altogether separated from a sweet persuasion of his favour. Again, our pleasing ourselves in the assurance of pardon, is not acceptableto God, which altogether rejecteth the care of espying, bewailing and avoiding of sin: Wherefore let this be the bar ●nd bond of your affection in these cases, so long as Christ goeth with you, so long as the mercies of God accompany you, so long as the grace of the spirit shineth upon you, be dea●●ng with your sins, and condemn them unto death. Likewise, while you are tender of conscience, afraid of sin, reverently persuaded to walk holily with your God, laugh at Satan's accusation, despise destructions, and set at nought the terrors of Hell. You never err one way nor other, but by failing of one or both these points: That is, either in your griefs, you are grieved without comfort, or in your joys, you rejoice without reverence: whereby it falls out in the end, that as in unnecessary griefs you can find no spiritual pleasure, so in unadvised joys you can find no spiritual profit.  
26 It is the policy of Satan to blind and beset with a quiet possession of an unjust mirth, thereby to keep them from the true sight of their sins, so to oppress the sweet flock of Christ with false and causeless fears, thereby to keep them from the glorious feeling of their ademption. He knoweth to his grief, that joy may be temporally interrupted, but not finally or eternally be denied. Therefore he applieth himself though he cannot extinguish it, yet to diminish your just and royal right in your Christ: In regard whereof you stand guilty of not maintaining the Lords royalty given to the elect, if in the least measure you yield to these slavish fears of the adversary. This subtle Serpent is not ignorant that by these pensive practices, he doth wear to a dullness the edge of your prayers, & that he draws from you with an uncomfortable tediousness, the fruits of your faith, and consequently by these means you are deprived of the fruit of a more comfortable service to your God. The weak ones fearing also by your example, the profession of Christ to be strict and comfortless.  
27 A strait course of Religion is somewhat an uncomfortable companion, but blessed be that mortification which so far estrangeth us from the world, that it changeth us to the similitude of Christ, to whom we must be confirmed in sufferings, that we may be like him in glory. Suffer not your heart to be strait, narrow, and uncomfortable in heavenly things. This draweth away both the breath, blood, and life, of our godliness. The Lord keep you from evil, the Lord satisfy you with gladness, the Lord give you the spirit of Prayer, and hear your prayers, the Lord be your teacher, and your comfort. Oh pray, pray, pray: It is the best sacrifice to God, and the most comfortable duty you can do. I am not loath to put you in mind of these things, you have many careful for you in other things, oh pardon me if I be bold in this one thing, I trust I rejoice more in the good of your soul, then ever I should rejoice in the fruit of mine own body. It would be a thousand deaths, yea a thousand hells unto me, to see your souls miscarry. Oh let me be accepted more than a civil friend, more than a friend of the world. Give me this benefit to be thought further than a friend of the flesh.   
FINIS.   

A score of wholesome Precepts, or Directions for a Christian life.  

1 Account not of yourself better than you are, for the more base you are in your own conceit, the more glorious are ye in the sight of God; for God regardeth a lowly mind, as the poor Publican that did deny himself had more favour in the sight of God, than the proud Pharisie, that boasted of himself.  
2 Speak not of God but with reverence, knowing that we are not worthy to take his name in our mouth, much more we ought not to take it vainly.  
3 Hold fast to God, aswell in prosperity, as in adversity; for in adversity we can come to God, but in prosperity we forget ourselves often: Also, if you be in adversity despair not, but stick to God, & weight upon him for deliverance, & he will send it when there is no hope of it, to the glory of his own name, and for the good of his children; as Daniel from the Lions.  
4 Buy and redeem the time passed with repentance; look to the time present with diligence, and to the time to come with providence.  
5 Let not malice make you to reveal that which friendship bound you once for to conceal.  
6 In Praising be discreet: In Saluting courteous: and in admonishing brotherly, not hastily and angrily.  
7 Read something of God's word daily, and do not only count it sufficient that you serve God truly yourself, but also look that all your charge and household do the same truly.  
8 Whatsoever blessings ye crave of God, ask them in the name of Christ. For no man cometh to the Father but by me, saith Christ, in john 14.6.  
9 Whatsoever you take in hand to do, before you do it ask counsel of God, whether it be lawful to be done, and then do it with peace of heart, if it be lawful.  
10 Look that Meat, Apparel, and Recreation, be needful, lawful, and moderate.  
11 Take heed of presumptuous sins, for though many presume that God is a God of mercy, yet though he be a God of mercy to the penitent, yet he will not show mercy to them that do presume of his mercy.  
12 Forsake the World, and fly to God; for it is unpossible, that a man loving the World, should have any comfort from God, for the love of the World is enmity with God; besides keep not any thing of the World to you, that may draw you from God; for God will not have part of the Man, but the whole man..  
13 Be always armed against temptations, for those that belong to Christ must look for temptations always: and think not if that ye have overcome any temptation, or trouble, once, or twice, or often, that then you are freed: for Christ was tempted often, so were the Apostles, they had one time peace, and then persecution, and then peace & after persecution, so always an intercourse: and when they were in peace, they made ready to be armed for temptation, knowing that they should have temptation: therefore this life is called a Christian warfare.  
14 Besides, if ye are tempted and tried, it showeth manifestly that ye belong to God: for God scourgeth every Son that he receiveth: Besides, those that have no temptation, or trial, it showeth manifestly they belong to the Devil, for what need hath he to tempt them which he hath already in bondage?  
15 Fly from all sins in general, endeavour, and then God will accept your endeavours, though weak and imperfect, through the perfection of Christ; and stick to no darling Sins: for the Devil can as well hold a man in subjection by one sin, as by all sins.  
16 Let the words that you speak proceed from the good spirit, & not from the flesh, for if they do, God abhorreth them.  
17 As God doth abound in mercy and goodness towards you, so be you enlarged to him in obedience.  
18 When ye are tempted at any time by the Devil, or his Ministers, be sure to have the word of God to answer him: for the Word is compared to a two edged sword, that doth not only defend us, but also offend our enemies.  
19 Christ he used scripture to repel the devil, he could have driven the Devil away with the breath of his nostrils, but he did answer him with Scripture, to show us example, that if we were tempted at any time, we should with scripture repel him. And that every one may know them the better, they must read them often, use conference, and marking the true meaning of the words, and conferring one place of Scripture with another and praying to God for to give thee the blessing of understanding it truly, and the like.  
20 Follow your Betters, observe and mark the Wise, accompany the honest, and love the Godly.   
FINIS.   

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