A care-cloth

been sorry for it as an injury against man, not as a transgression of Gods precepts. But this neglect is not found alone with the vulgar sort of men. Nay, those that have gotten some good measure of knowledge and of virtue, and do exercise themselves with some due care to keep themselves unspotted of the wicked world, even these also, for the most part, have eyes altogether dry and tearless, in regard of other mens offences. Who of those that seem to know and fear God, & to delight in his ways, is careful to wipe away the stains of his neighbours sins with his own tears? Brethren, I demand of each of you; Can you say, & affirm, and that truly and sincerely in the presence of God, that your eyes do yield forth streams of water for the public sins?

been sorry for it as an injury against man, not as a transgression of Gods precepts. But this neglect is not found alone with the vulgar sort of men. Nay, those that haue gotten some good measure of knowledge and of vertue, and doe exercise themselues with some due care to keep themselues vnsported of the wicked world, euen these also, for the most part, haue eyes altogether drie and tearelesse, in regard of other mens offences. Who of those that seeme to know and feare God, & to delight in his wayes, is carefull to wipe away the staines of his neighbours sinnes with his owne teares? Brethren, I demand of each of you; Can you say, & affirme, and that truly and sincerely in the presence of God, that your eyes doe yeeld forth streames of water for the publike sinnes?

Again, I propound this question to every of your consciences: Art thou able to take up Davids ⟨p. 232⟩words here, and with the good leave of thine own conscience to affirm, as he affirmed, Rivers of waters, &c. Doubtless there are but very few, if at all there be any of us, that may affirm thus much of himself, without a manifest accusation of falsehood in his own soul. If we lament our own sins, we think it abundantly sufficient, though we lend no tears at all to bewail our neighbours faults. Indeed it must not be denied, that the greater number of tears, and those the most earnest and bitter, must be bestowed by every man, in lamenting the sins of his own heart and life: but yet seeing God is dishonoured also by the faults of others, and the souls of our brethren, as well as our own souls, ought to be dear unto us; neither can it be denied, that it is a sin, and a fruit of our not sufficiently hating sin, and loving God and our brethren, that we are so exceeding defective in sorrowful tears for their misdeeds, and cause enough there is, that each of us should take up a grievous complaint against himself, and say, O Lord, how unlike have I been to thy servant David? No floods, no drops of tears, scarce half a score tears, scarce five, scarce two, scarce one, scarce half an one, doth proceed from mine eyes for the many and heinous transgressions, that I do daily see with mine eyes. Where was my love to thee, Lord? Where mine hatred of sin? Where my charity to my brethren? O how justly mightest thou sweep me away with the Besom of the common