A second volume of discourses or sermons on several scriptures

Secondly, When Men sin upon small or no temptations, they declare plainly a wretched neglect of their precious Souls, and therefore they sin presumptuously. I have Read of a Soldier who being with Two others for some Crime Condemned, drew Lots for his Life, and having drawn one Lot that saved and pardoned him, seeing one of his Companions come shivering and quaking to draw, told him, that for Two Shillings, or thereabouts, ⟨p. 178⟩he would take his Lot, whatever it was. He drew again, and again it proved successful to him; why, however it was a most daring presumption, that after so narrow an escape, he should again hazard his Life, and set it to Sail for so small a Price as that was: Why truly the like Presumption we our selves are guilty of, we purchase Toys and Trifles with the dreadful hazards of our Souls; those Souls that are infinitely more worth than Ten Thousand Worlds: We make common Barter and Exchange for every base Lust; and, as Prodigals, pay very dear for very Toys, only to satisfy their Fancies; so do we lay down our precious Souls at Stake for those Lusts that usually have nothing in them besides the satisfaction of the Humours and Fancies of our own Wills in Sin. Would you not Censure that Man to be most desperately fool hardy, that should venture to dive into the bottom of the Sea, only to take up Pebbles and Gravel? Why, how great deal of Folly and Presumption then are they guilty of, who dive even to the bottom of Hell, only to get Straws and Feathers, and such impertinent Vanities and inconsiderable ⟨p. 179⟩Nothings, that certainly Men would never hazard their immortal Souls for, unless they thought they did themselves a Courtesy to be Damned? How many are there that would not suffer no not so much as a Hair of their Head to bewitched off to gain that for which they will not stick to Lye and Swear, Sins that Murder their Souls? They are so Foolish, that the Lord complains in Isa. 52.3. They sell themselves for Nought; either they stay not till the Devil comes to cheapen them, but Sin before-hand, or else they readily take any Price that he offers for them, any Vile Trifle is looked upon as a great Purchase, if they can procure it at so low a Price as Hell and Damnation is;

Secondly, When Men sin upon small or no temptations, they declare plainly a wretched neglect of their precious Souls, and therefore they sin presumptuously. I have Read of a Soldier who being with Two others for some Crime Condemned, drew Lots for his Life, and having drawn one Lot that saved and pardon'd him, seeing one of his Companions come shivering and quaking to draw, told him, that for Two Shillings, or thereabouts,