A care-cloth

Use 1 And in the next place,¹ so many as have been negligent in this warfare, must suffer themselves to be reproved, and to be humbled by reproof: for which purpose you must know, that there are two degrees of offending in this matter. There are some that have no care at all to kill sin, but rather strive to save it from death. There are others that have too little care.

Vse 1 ANd in the next place,¹ so many as haue been negligent in this warfare, must suffer themselues to bee reprooued, and to bee humbled by reproofe: for which purpose you must know, that there are two degrees of offending in this matter. There are some that haue no care at all to kill sinne, but rather striue to saue it from death. There are others that haue too little care.

1. 1The careless reproved, and humbled.The carelesse reproued, and humbled.

2. Among those that go for good Christians in their own esteem, there are many that count it enough to keep themselves from the blame and shame of such crimes, as the world condemneth, though they never war against ⟨p. 169⟩the lusts of their heart, and the inward corrupt affections of their evil souls, and the inordinate motions of their own minds. Alas, this is to take sin prisoner a little, and to keep it alive for a ransom; this is not to kill it, this is far from mortification. There are some that content themselves in a few things to walk orderly, but for other faults, they excuse them, and defend them, and sooth them, and keep them warm, and so fight for sin, and do not fight against it. There be some, that if to civill righteousness, they add a form of piety, coming to Church at times appointed, receiving the Sacrament, when others do, saying their prayers morning and evening, and now and then reading a Chapter in the Bible; if, I say, they do thus much, they count themselves excellent Christians, though they never did know what it meant, to be in fight against their own distempered lusts and affections, nor ever took any pains in that kind, wherein mortification consisteth. There are some, that if they can outstrip the common sort a little, and keep a course of religious exercises in the families, and flock to hear good Sermons, and then be hot and sharp against Bishops and Ceremonies, and cry out against the faults of the times, and blame Magistrates and Ministers, and every mans faults, with a great storm of words, that then do count themselves Standard-Bearers in the Camp of Christians, whereas they are not able to show any sinful lust and affection mortified