A14992:24
A care-cloth
A care-cloth: or a treatise of the cumbers and troubles of marriage intended to advise them that may, to shun them; that may not, well and patiently to bear them. By William Whately, preacher of the word of God in Banbury, in Oxfordshire.A care-cloth: or a treatise of the cumbers and troubles of marriage intended to aduise them that may, to shun them; that may not, well and patiently to beare them. By William Whately, preacher of the word of God in Banbury, in Oxfordshire.
London: printed by Felix Kyngston for Thomas Man, 1624
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
CHAP. II. Containing the first instruction.
Doct. 1 And first, from Pauls so plain and precise disavowing of any conceit of the unlawfulness of matrimony, and endeavouring carefully and expressly to prevent such an opinion, we may inform ⟨p. 4⟩our selves thus much, That it behoveth men to take heed of accounting those things sinful or unlawful that be not so. No man must make more faults then God makes. Our judgement should be always so clear and sound, that we might esteem of things as they be, and call that lawful which is lawful, as well as that wicked which is wicked: and as in the tribunal of humane Justice, a guiltless man must not be sentenced as guilty: So at the bar of humane reason, a faultless action must not be wrongly burdened with the censure of faultiness. Whosoever reads this text, will yield this point: yet we shall have it made good by a voice from Heaven,1 viz. that that was spoken to Peter in his trance, That that God hath cleansed, call not thou common. The Lord had removed the distinction of meats (in regard of conscience to him-ward) which was of force under the Levitical Law. That Peter might be informed of this needful truth, whereof he was yet ignorant, he is bidden (in a Vision wherein all manner of beasts were offered to him being hungry) to kill and eat: he refuseth, because the things were such as the Law condemned for unclean and common. The voice tells him the second time, that it was not for him to make that common, which God had made clean. Lo how the cleanness or uncleanness of things is not to be ordered by mans authority, no, not by the authority of Peter himself, so that a man would wonder how he that calleth himself the successor of Peter, ⟨p. 5⟩should adventure to do that, which to Peter himself is prohibited. And what was the sin for which the Pharisees are taxed by the Lord?2 was it not this? that they would needs deem it a great fault and pollution, to eat meat without washing of hands first; whereas the Lord in his Law, had never forbidden such eating. The point is undeniable, and needeth no more proof; there is a negative superstition (consisting of Touch not, taste not, handle not, &c.