Man ashiv le-Yahoweh, or, A serious enquiry for a suitable return for continued life,…

3. Costliness of sin. Some sins are very chargeable, and call for great expense; and thy love to thy Money, and natural affection to thy Wife and Children, was a bar which did restrain thee from them: Thou wouldest not feed and satisfy thy filthy Lusts, because it would be chargeable to thee; thou refrainedst from riotous Prodigals, because company with them would wast thine Estate: But now thou thinkest no cost too great, no charge too much, that thou mayest have thy fill of sin, but tradest, and labourest, and workest, to get something to maintain thy Lust, and wilt rather that thy Wife and Children should want bread at home, than thou shouldest not have enough to spend upon thy sins abroad. Thou art now grown to an exceeding magnitude in sin, that thou art monstrous to beholders.

3. Costliness of sin. Some sins are very chargeable, and call for great expence; and thy love to thy Money, and natural affection to thy Wife and Children, was a barre which did restrain thee from them: Thou wouldest not feed and satisfie thy filthy Lusts, because it would be chargeable to thee; thou refrainedst from riotous Prodigals, because company with them would wast thine Estate: But now thou thinkest no cost too great, no charge too much, that thou mayest have thy fill of sin, but tradest, and labourest, and workest, to get something to maintain thy Lust, and wilt rather that thy Wife and Children should want bread at home, than thou shouldest not have enough to spend upon thy sins abroad. Thou art now grown to an exceeding magnitude in sin, that thou art monstrous to beholders.

4. Health of body. Such sins that tend to the impairing of thy health thou wouldest not commit: Thou didst refrain, not so much because they would damn thy soul, as destroy thy body. Thou thoughtest excessive drinking would shorten thy life, and hasten thy death, and bring thee sooner to thy grave; that acts of uncleanness would fill thee full of loathsome diseases, and leave some mark upon thy body, ⟨p. 65⟩whereby thou wouldest be noted for an unclean adulterer. But now thou wilt venture health, and life, and all that thou mayest more freely sin: and the very food thou earest is now not only to nourish thy body, but to provoke thee to lust. Verily thou art much worse than thou wast.