MiddlePath, do not tell us stories about the levels which we can not understand. The bottom line is that they would kill and flog people for doing aveiros. Beis din can place curses on people even nowdays, or even flog them under certain circumstances.
SaysMe and Skiaddict, exactly. If you understood that being untzniusdic in front of men is an aveira just as eating treif is, you would have pushed yourself much harder and would not have done it.