Mercy magnified on a penitent prodigal, or A brief discourse, wherein Christs parable of…

3. More then this, he is deeply rooted in his way: He is practically sixth in it by custom; it is the trade which he hath lived in all his days: He took to it naturally, learnt it readily, and hath lived in it long. Now custom is a second nature, and therefore of much difficulty to after or remove: Mens essays in it are like the washing of an Ethiopian to get off his blackness, as Jer. 13. 23. It is an hard matter to persuade men to leave off old customs, though never so bad: but besides this, he is also rooted in it by the approbation of his mispersuaded judgment; it hath gotten room in his heart, and is high in his opinion, and that opinion is strengthened by observation and experience: He hath found it a profitable way, as they, Jer. 44. 17 It hath been very pleasant to him, Prov. 9.17. Stolen waters are sweet: Hence it must needs be exceeding difficult, if not impossible, to ⟨p. 156⟩make him out of love with it, or think other than well of it: The covetous man finds a sweetness in gain, the voluptuous man in his amorous embraces, the ambitious man in his adorations, &c.

3. More then this, he is deeply rooted in his way: He is practically fixt in it by custom; it is the trade which he hath lived in all his dayes: He took to it naturally, learnt it readily, and hath lived in it long. Now custom is a second nature, and therefore of much difficulty to after or remove: Mens essayes in it are like the washing of an Ethiopian to get off his blackness, as Jer. 13. 23. It is an hard matter to perswade men to leave off old customs, though never so bad: but besides this, he is also rooted in it by the approbation of his misperswaded judgment; it hath gotten room in his heart, and is high in his opinion, and that opinion is strengthened by observation and experience: He hath found it a profitable way, as they, Jer. 44. 17 It hath been very pleasant to him,