Four treatises tending to dissuade all Christians from four no less heinous then common…Foure treatises tending to disswade all Christians from foure no lesse hainous then common…

Whereby it appeareth, that howsoever this sin is but lightly esteemed, and turned into a jest amongst wicked men, yet in this and some other respects, it is worse and more pernicious to our neighbour, then either theft or murder, and ⟨p. 144⟩oftentimes more uncomfortable to our own consciences: it exceedeth these even in theft; for the thief only strippeth the body, but the fornicator spoileth the soul of his chief ornaments, purity, and chastity; the thief taketh away momentany riches, which oftentimes do the owner little good, and sometimes much hurt, when as they through abuse become the mammon of iniquity, and furtherances in sin; but the fornicator robbeth his neighbour of Gods graces, a good conscience, cleanness of heart, purity of body and soul, and finally of the assurance of his salvation. And so also he exceedeth the murderer, even in the act of murdering; for the murderer inflicteth deep wounds in the body, the which sometimes may be cured and healed by earthly means; but the fornicator grievously woundeth both his own soul, and the soul of his neighbour, which no worldly thing can cure, but only the sovereign balm of Christ Jesus his precious blood: the murderer when he hath done his worst, doth only kill the body, & in the mean time he who is killed being a faithful Christian, is never the worse, because this temporary death is but a passage into life eternal; but the fornicator destroyeth the body and soul of his neighbour eternally, by drawing him into sin, the wages whereof is everlasting death, unless it be prevented by hearty and unfeigned repentance;¹ yea and which is more horrible and unnatural, he with the same blow also murdereth himself. The murderer inflicteth only the evil of punishment, the which poison the Lord so tempereth with his gifts and graces, that it becometh a wholesome medicine to cure his servants of their spiritual diseases; but the fornicator inflicteth the evil of sin, which without repentance is accompanied with eternal condemnation.

Whereby it appeareth, that howsoeuer this sinne is but lightly esteemed, and turned into a iest amongst wicked men, yet in this and some other respects, it is worse and more pernicious to our neighbour, then either theft or murther, and ⟨p. 144⟩oftentimes more vncomfortable to our owne consciences: it exceedeth these euen in theft; for the thiefe onely strippeth the bodie, but the fornicator spoileth the soule of his chiefe ornaments, puritie, and chastitie; the thiefe taketh away momentanie riches, which oftentimes doe the owner little good, and sometimes much hurt, when as they through abuse become the mammon of iniquitie, and furtherances in sinne; but the fornicator robbeth his neighbour of Gods graces, a good conscience, cleannes of heart, puritie of body and soule, and finally of the assurance of his saluation. And so also he exceedeth the murtherer, euen in the act of murthering; for the murtherer inflicteth deepe wounds in the bodie, the which sometimes may be cured and healed by earthly meanes; but the fornicator grieuouslie woundeth both his owne soule, and the soule of his neighbour, which no worldly thing can cure, but onely the soueraigne balme of Christ Iesus his precious blood: the murtherer whē he hath done his worst, doth only kil the body, & in the meane time he who is killed being a faithfull Christian, is neuer the worse, because this temporarie death is but a passage into life eternall; but the fornicator destroyeth the bodie and soule of his neighbour eternally, by drawing him into sinne, the wages whereof is euerlasting death, vnlesse it bee preuented by hartie and vnfained repentance;