In "Meditation 42," by Edward Tayor, a theme that is relevant to both the text and Puritan life is that of sinfulness.

The Puritans were people who looked to God for everything. They functioned in a Theocratic way, meaning both the Church and the government were intertwined. Therefore, the laws were conducted based upon Christian theology.

Given that the text supports the idea that one must overcome their own spiritual sloth and sinful nature to obtain passage into heaven, Puritan ideology was illustrated in the text. Man must be sure to forgo longing for possessions. By doing so, he/she would be able to focus upon God and his teachings. This imagery is illuminated with the use of the apple (from the Garden of Eden) and how man should not be led by their desires for material possessions.

The text goes on to raise up the importance of God's grace and mankind's need to focus upon God and God alone. The search for personal wealth and vanity move one away from God and this is not what the Puritans focused upon.