This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. Searching, reading, printing, or downloading EEBO-TCP texts is reserved for the authorized users of these project partner institutions. Permission must be granted for subsequent distribution, in print or electronically, of this text, in whole or in part. Please contact project staff at eebotcp-info@umich.edu for further information or permissions.
IT is a thing incident to the nature of men, to bee very curious in prying into the faults of others, & very care∣lesse in searching into their owne waies, or taking a view of those sins and corruptions which lie lurking in their owne bosomes. Experience euery where giueth too cleere euidence of this. It is a vice
which euery one, that hath a∣ny care or conscience to order his life according to the pre∣script and determinate rule of Gods word, must labour dili∣gently to reforme himselfe of. And sure, it were wisdome for men rather to bee curious in things which concerne them∣selues, then others; more rea∣die to espie out their owne faults, to censure their owne actions, and to iudge their owne selues, then others. For whiles they sift others so nar∣rowly, and passe sentence a∣gainst them vnaduisedly, they doe oft times not only much trouble themselues in that, for which they shall haue no thankes for their labour, nor benefit themselues any waies; but also erre, and sinne most grieuously against God, and
their neighbour, and most dāgerously against their own soules, which they wound whiles they seeke to wound others: whereas if they would bee as carefull to spend the same time in examining their owne waies, in looking and prying into their own actiōs, and in censuring and iudging themselues, without all par∣tialitie and sinister affection, they should doe that which would bee very pleasing vnto God, and very fruitfull and profitable vnto themselues, and which they shall neuer haue cause to repent them∣selues of. Good Lord, let me neuer delight, as many doe, (euen like the Spider, or such venomous creatures) to feede vpon poyson only; to bee al∣waies looking into the weak∣nesses
and infirmities of o∣thers; but let me euer be more cleere eied, and quick sighted, in espying out mine own sins, then the frailties of others, and more ready to sit as iudge vpon my selfe, then vpon o∣thers; yea let me alwaies bee very charitably minded, in hoping, and interpreting the best of others, neuer passing sentence against thē, no not in my secretest thoughts, til I see most cleere euidence, where∣by they are so manifestly con∣uicted, that there can bee no colour for their sinne, nor iust plea for their defence; and ve∣ry seuere & censorious in dea∣ling with my selfe; both fea∣ring and suspecting the worst euen in my best actions; and iudging and condemning my selfe in those things, wherein
to others happely, I might seeme rather to bee iustified and approued.