A care-cloth

Oaths, and blasphemies, and cursed speakings, breaking of the Lords day, & unhallowed ⟨p. 235⟩profanation of Gods hallowed Time, contempt of Gods Word and Ordinances, and a shameful turning of Religion into a mere form & fashion, disobedience against Governors, murder, whoredom, theft, fraud, usury, bribery, simony, all sins, almost, of all sorts, in all estates, all places, all ages, all conditions, all sexes, do swarm round about, and fill the World, like the Frogs of Egypt, or the Flies. The face of our Nation is covered over with a Leprosy and Tetter, of most odious and loathsome wickedness. Who can walk the streets in a Market, or a Fair-day, and not hear a thousand oaths, and a thousand curses, a thousand lies, and a thousand perjuries, even wilful and gross false swearing, even for a very trifle? With us they despise Father and Mother; with us they oppress the poor and fatherless; with us, they defile every man his neighbours wife; and with us, they take usury, and lend for increase. Amongst us, there is lying, swearing, whoring, stealing, killing, and in a manner, no mercy, nor truth, nor knowledge, nor fear of God in the Land: so that it is nothing else but very blindness, that makes us not to see, if we see not, our Country to be even buried almost, in a Sea of wickedness, and yet lo, we weep not, nor mourn; our dead hearts and dry eyes drop down no tears for all this. O blockish and senseless souls of ours! O consciences hardened and deadened, and little less then seared with an hot Iron! O that we could be greatly discontented ⟨p. 236⟩with our selves, for having been so exceeding hard-hearted this way, and for having bestowed so little time and pains in labouring, to make our selves softer. We have not only not wept, but not striven to weep, not alone have we omitted sorrow, but even the endeavouring after sorrow hath been far from us, and that of the two is the much more faulty; for he that labours to perform a Christian duty, and yet fails of it, for all his labour, is a far less offender, then he that doth utterly forbear all pains to perform it.

Oathes, and blasphemies, and cursed speakings, breaking of the Lords day, & vnhallowed ⟨p. 235⟩profanation of Gods hallowed Time, contempt of Gods Word and Ordinances, and a shamefull turning of Religion into a meere forme & fashion, disobedience against Gouernours, murder, whoredome, theft, fraud, vsurie, briberie, simonie, all sinnes, almost, of all sorts, in all estates, all places, all ages, all conditions, all sexes, doe swarme round about, and fill the World, like the Frogs of Egypt, or the Flyes. The face of our Nation is couered ouer with a Leprosie and Tetter, of most odious and loathsome wickednesse. Who can walke the streetes in a Market, or a Faire-day, and not heare a thousand oathes, and a thousand curses, a thousand lyes, and a thousand periuries, euen wilfull and grosse false swearing, euen for a very trifle? With vs they despise Father and Mother; with vs they oppresse the poore and fatherlesse; with vs, they defile euery man his neighbours wife; and with vs, they take vsurie, and lend for encrease. Amongst vs, there is lying, swearing, whoring, stealing, killing, and in a manner, no mercy, nor truth, nor knowledge, nor feare of God in the Land: so that it is nothing else but very blindnesse, that makes vs not to see, if we see not, our Countrie to be euen buried almost, in a Sea of wickednesse, and yet loe, wee weepe not, nor mourne; our dead hearts and drie eyes drop downe no teares for all this. O blockish and sencelesse soules of ours! O consciences hardened and deaded, and little lesse then seared with an hot Yron! O that wee could bee greatly discontented