A care-cloth

Now so it is with most of us (I think, I may say with most of us) we have bestowed no pains, nor time, to dig up these fountains of tears, we have not set our thoughts that way, nor laboured the matter with our own hearts, to make them grieved and sorrowful in this behalf. Again, and again therefore, let us compare our selves with this Prophet, and wonder at the difference, that he had floods of tears, and we have scarce at all one tear, to shed for the breach of Gods Law, which is so notoriously broken amongst us. There is, I acknowledge, a generation of faultfinding men, that make us far worse then we be, their sharp-sighted eyes can see no lawful Ministry, no true Word, Church, Sacraments, nor prayer amongst us, and yet of these captious People, and carping Nation, that overlash so much in accusing, there is scarce any that mourneth for the things he carpeth at: for they so spend themselves in false accusing, that they ⟨p. 237⟩have no leisure to bestow in true bewailing of our sins. But tho we may not, nor must not acknowledge our selves so bad as they would make us (for a body may live, tho he be sick and diseased; and Job was a true and living man, tho covered over from head to foot with boils and Ulcers, that his friends knew him not,) yet neither can we deny our selves to be a people very wicked and disordered, to whom the Prophets words may fitly be applied; Ah sinful Nation! Ah people laden with wickedness, a corrupt Seed. And again; We have deeply revolted from the Lord, and our sins are gone over our heads, and they reach up to Heaven. And in another sense we may say as he; The whole head is sick, the whole heart is heavy, from the crown of the head, to the soles of the feet, there is little to be seen but wounds, and swellings; and yet, ah yet, we lament not; those that fear God, lament not; those that come to Church, and love the Word, lament not; those that desire otherwise to walk uprightly and conscionably, lament not; so that it may well be a question, whether most of us ever read this sentence, or heard it read with any consideration and advisement. If the eyes of sinners were only found dry, if tears were absent alone from the cheeks of those that work wickedness, it were not much: who could expect any thing but stony hardness, from stony-hearted men?

Now so it is with most of vs (I thinke, I may say with most of vs) wee haue bestowed no paines, nor time, to digge vp these fountaines of teares, we haue not set our thoughts that way, nor laboured the matter with our owne hearts, to make them grieued and sorrowfull in this behalfe. Againe, and againe therefore, let vs compare our selues with this Prophet, and wonder at the difference, that he had floods of teares, and we haue scarce at all one teare, to shed for the breach of Gods Law, which is so notoriously broken amongst vs. There is, I acknowledge, a generation of faultfinding men, that make vs farre worse then wee be, their sharpe-sighted eyes can see no lawfull Ministry, no true Word, Church, Sacraments, nor prayer amongst vs, and yet of these captious People, and carping Nation, that ouerlash so much in accusing, there is scarce any that mourneth for the things hee carpeth at: for they so spend themselues in false accusing, that they