A14992:295
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.
To mourn for the general calamities of the Church,1 when ones self is at peace; and to mourn for the general sins of the Church, though himself be free; these are two most happy signs of true holiness, and this latter I think to be the surer of the twain, as more sensibly and manifestly testifying true zeal of Gods glory. Yea, whosoever sorrows heartily for the common sins, may, in some respect, take more sure hold of that mourning to confirm his faith, and assure himself of his uprightness, then of his sorrowing for his own particular faults. We have examples of damned hypocrites, that have been sad and heavy, for their ⟨p. 259⟩own sins, in some cases, as Ahab, Judas, Saul, and he rest: but we have never any example of any, that lamented the public and common wickedness of the Church or Nation, where he lived, and of the persons amongst whom he conversed (unless accidentally, wen the sins have fallen out to be injurious and troublesome to themselves, or to their friends,) but of those which we are well assured, to have been truly sanctified, and now to be eternally glorified. Is not Lot in Heaven? Is not David in Heaven? Is not Ezra in Heaven? Are not Jeremiah, Baruch, Ebedmelech, and the rest of these mourners all in eternal glory in Heaven? Name me a man that is noted to have bewailed the sins of others, and I will bring you a ground out of Scripture without doubt or question, that he is saved: so can it not be said of those that have mourned for their own sins. For in truth, the fierceness of an evil conscience, terrifying the soul with the fear of hell fire, may stir up such grief, and make an unsanctified man complain bitterly, that he hath sinned in such or such a thing, as Judas in betraying innocent blood. That natural affection which we bear unto our selves, may also make us sorrowful fort that, which we cannot but see, will be harmful to our selves, even where no grace at all doth dwell: But to sorrow for public offences, and for the sins of those, that are no way near unto us (but as the common bands of Humanity and Christianity have united them) there can be no motive ⟨p. 260⟩at all imagined, except the true hatred of sin, and the true love of God and man, which no man can have, but from the Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ dwelling in him.