A14992:286
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.
Having thus prepared thy self,1 then set about the work it self, and first, begin to weep for thine own sins; for assure thy soul, it shall ⟨p. 247⟩be all in vain, for any man to labour to bewail the faults of others, that doth not in the first place bewail his own faults. Think and say thus then to thy self in thy meditations: Ah, what a vile and wretched sinner am I? What a Childhood have I spent? What an Youth? What a Middle-age? And (if thou beest come so far) what an Old-age? What thoughts have I harboured in mine heart? What words have I uttered with my tongue? What deeds have I done with mine hand? This tongue of mine hath sworn many a vain, passionate, and outrageous oath: This tongue hath cursed, and railed, and spoken profanely: It hath spoken wantonly and filthily, and told many a lye and false tale. This hand hath used cruelty, revenge and dalliance. This heart hath swollen against Governors, and boiled away in envy and malice. This heart hath been fearless and careless of God, and hath forgotten him and his Word, and even doubted of his Being. O wretched tongue, wretched hand, & wretched hart! O, would that I could mourn for all these abominations of my life! O, that all the tears which ever I wept in all my life, for crosses, losses, wrongs, injuries, unkindnesses, and the like, were now all unwept, and gathered together at once in mine eyes, that I might pour them forth in godly sorrow before the Lord for my sins! Be thou humbled and cast down, O my soul, and be thou troubled within me! wallow thy self in the dust, and tumble thy self in ashes. ⟨p. 248⟩Thou hast offended against thy Maker, and sinned against thy Redeemer, the holy Son of God! Thou hast wronged thy neighbours, and hurt thy self, and deserved damnation; and, Ah wretch, thou hast showed thy self ungracious and ungrateful, against that heavenly, careful, and tender-hearted Father, that gave his only Son to death to ransom thee. What Father ever so loving? What child ever so rebellious? Why are you dry, O mine eyes? And why art thou stony, O mine heart? Why doth sorrow fly from me? And why are tears departed hence? O that I could weep! O that I could weep! O that I could even be melted and dissolved into kindly tears, and with blessed Peter, weep bitterly; and with godly Mary, wash the feet of my Saviour with my tears!