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A30164
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The life and death of Mr. Badman presented to the world in a familiar dialogue between Mr. Wiseman and Mr. Attentive / by John Bunyan ...
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Bunyan, John, 1628-1688.
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1680
(1680)
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Wing B5550; ESTC R15248
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155,977
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378
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p. 149. l. 15. for herhaps r. perhaps p. 162. l. 3 4. for diaâ—aâ—olical r. diâ—bolical p. 287. l. 9. for for r. so p. 304. for reputation r. repentance THE LIFE and DEATH OF Mr. BADMAN Presented to the World in a Familiar DIALOGUE Betwixt Mr. WISEMAN And Mr. ATTENTIVE Wiseman GOOD morrow my good Neighbour Mr. Attentive whither are you walking so early this morning methinks you look as if you were concerned about something more than ordinary Have you lost any of your Cattel or what is the matter Attentive Good Sir Good morrow to you I have not as yet lost ought but yet you give a right ghess of me for I am as you say concerned in my heart but 't is because of the badness of the times And Sir you as all our Neighbours know are a very observing man pray therefore what do you think of them Wise. Why I think as you say to wit that they are bad times and bad they will be untill men are better for they are bad men that make bad times if men therefore would mend so would the times 'T is a folly to look for good dayes so long as sin is so high and those that study its nourishment so many God bring it down and those that nourish it to Repentance and then my good Neighbour you will be concerned not as you are now Now you are concerned because times are so bad but then you will be so cause times are so good Now you are concerned so as to be perplexed but then you will be concerned so as to lift up your voice with shouting for I dare say could you see such dayes they would make you shout Atten. Ai so they would such times I have prayed for such times I have longed for but I fear they 'l be worse before they be better Wise. Make no Conclusions man for he that hath the hearts of men in his hand can change them from worse to better and so bad times into good God give long life to them that are good and especially to those of them that are capable of doing him service in the world The Ornament and Beauty of this lower World next to God and his Wonders are the men that spangle and shine in godliness Now as Mr. Wiseman said this he gave a great sigh Atten. Amen Amen But why good Sir do you sigh so deeply is it for ought else than that for the which as you have perceived I my self am concerned Wise. I am concerned with you for the badness of the times but that was not the cause of that sigh of the which as I see you take notice I sighed at the remembrance of the death of that man for whom the Bell tolled at our Town yesterday Atten. Why I trow Mr. Goodman your Neighbour is not dead Indeed I did hear that he had been sick Wise. No no it is not he Had it been he I could not but have been concerned but yet not as I am concerned now If he had died I should only have been concerned for that the world had lost a Light but the man that I am concerned for now was oue that never was good therefore such an one who is not dead only but damned He died that he might die he went from Life to Death and then from Death to Death from Death Natural to death Eternal And as he spake this the water stood in his eyes Atten. Indeed to goe from a death-bed to Hell is a fearful thing to think on But good Neighbour Wiseman he pleased to tell me who this man was and why you conclude him so miserable in his death Wise. Well if you can stay I will tell you who he was and why I conclude thus concerning him Atten. My leisure will admit me to stay and I am willing to hear you out And I pray God your discourse may take hold on my heart that I may be bettered thereby So they agreed to sit down under a tree Then Mr. Wiseman proceeded as followeth Wise. The man that I mean is one Mr. Badman he has lived in our Town a great while and now as I said he is dead But the reason of my being so concerned at his death is not for that he was at all related to me or for that any good conditions died with him for he was far from them but for that as I greatly fear he hath as was hinted before died two deaths at once Atten. I perceive what you mean by two deaths at once and to speak truth 't is a fearfull thing thus to have ground to think of any for although the death of 〈◊〉 ungodly and sinners is laid to heart but of few yet to die in such a state is more dreadful and fearful than any man can imagine Indeed if a man had no Soul if his state was not truely Immortal the matter would not be so much but for a man to be so disposed of by his Maker as to be appointed a sensible being for ever and for him too to fall into the hands of revenging Justice that will be always to the utmost extremity that his sin deserveth punisbing of him in the dismal dungeon of Hell this must needs be unutterably sad and lamentable Wise. There is no man I think that is sensible of the worth of one Soul but must when he hears of the death of unconverted men he stricken with sorrow and grief because as you said well that mans state is such that he has a sensible being for ever For 't is sense that makes punishment heavy But yet sense is not all that the Damned have they have sense and reason too so then as Sense receiveth punishment with sorrow because it feels and bleeds under the same so by Reason and the exercise thereof in the midst of torment all present Affliction is aggravated and that three manner of wayes 1. Reason will consider thus with himself For what am I thus tormented and will easily find 't is for nothing but that base and filthy thing Sin and now will Vexation be mixed with Punishment and that will greatly heighten the Affliction 2. Reason will consider thus with himself How long must this be my state And will soon return to himself this Answer This must be my state for ever and ever Now this will greatly increase the torment 3. Reason will consider thus with himself What have I lost more than present ease and quiet by my sins that I have committed And will quickly return himself this answer I have lost Communion with God Christ Saints and Angels and a share in Heaven and eternal Life And this also must needs greaten the misery of poor damned souls And this is the case of Mr. Badman Atten. I feel my heart even shake at the thoughts of coming into such a state Hell who knows that is yet alive what the torments of Hell are This word Hell gives a very dreadful sound Wise. 〈◊〉 so it does in the ears
first signs of repentance When Paul lay repenting of his sin upon his bed the Holy Ghost said of him Behold he prayes But he that hath not the first signs of repentance 't is a sign he hath none of the other and so indeed none at all I do not say but there may be crying where there may be no sign of repentance They cryed says David to the Lord but he answered them not but that he would have done if their cry had been the fruit of repentance But I say if men may cry and yet have no repentance be sure they have none that cry not at all It is said in Job They cry not when he bindeth them that is because they have no repentance no repentance no cryes false repentance false cryes true repentance true cryes Wise. I know that it is as possible for a man to forbear crying that hath repentance as it is for a man to forbear groaning that feeleth deadly pain He that looketh into the Book of Psalms where repentance is most lively set forth even in its true and proper effects shall there find that crying strong crying hearty crying great crying and uncessant crying hath been the fruits of repentance But none of this had this Mr. Badman therefore he dyed in his sins That Crying is an inseparable effect of repentance is seen in these Scriptures Have mercy upon me O God according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions O Lord rebuke me not in thine anger neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure Have mercy upon me O Lord for I am weak O Lord heal me for my bones are vexed My soul is also vexed but thou O Lord how long Return O Lord deliver my soul O save me for thy mercies sake O Lord rebuke me not in thy wrath neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure for thine arrows stick fast in me and thy hand presseth me sore There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin For mine iniquities are gone over mine head as an heavy burthen they are too heavy for me My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness I am troubled I am bowed down greatly I goe mourning all the day long My loyns are filled with a loathsom disease and there is no soundness in my flesh I am feeble and sore broken I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart I might give you a great number more of the holy sayings of good men whereby they express how they were what they felt and whether they cryed or no when repentance was wrought in them Alas alas it is as possible for a man when the pangs of Guilt are upon him to forbear praying as it is for a woman when pangs of travel are upon her to forbear crying If all the world should tell me that such a man hath repentance yet if he is not a praying man I should not be perswaded to believe it Atten. I know no reason why you should for there is nothing can demonstrate that such a man hath it But pray Sir what other sign have you by which you can prove that Mr. Badman died in his sins and so in a state of damnation Wise. I have this to prove it Those who were his old sinfull companions in the time of his health were those whose company and carnal talk he most delighted in in the time of his sickness I did occasionally hint this before but now I make it an argument of his want of grace for where there is indeed a work of Grace in the heart that work doth not only change the heart thoughts and desires but the conversation also yea conversation and company too When Paul had a work of grace in his soul he assayed to Joyn himself to the Disciples He was for his old companions in their abominations no longer he was now a Disciple and was for the company of Disciples And he was with them coming in and going out in Jerusalem Atten. I thought something when I heard you make mention of it before Thought I this is a shrewd sign that he had not grace in his heart Birds of a feather thought I will flock together If this man was one of Gods childâ—en he would heard with Gods children his delight would be with and in the company of Gods children As David said I am a companion of all them that fear thee and of them that keep thy precepts Wise. You say well for what fellowship hath he that believeth with an Infidel And although it be true that all that joyn to the godly are not godly yet they that shall inwardly choose the company of the ungodly and open profane rather than the company of the godly as Mr. Badman did surely are not godly men but profane He was as I told you out of his element when good men did come to visit him but then he was where he would be when he had his vain companions about him Alas grace as I said altereth all heart life company and all for by it the heart and man is made new and a new heart a new man must have objects of delight that are new and like himself Old things are passed away Why For all things are become new Now if all things are become new to wit heart mind thoughts desires and delights it followeth by consequence that the company must be answerable hence it is said That they that believed were together that they went to their own company that they were added to the Church that they were of one heart and of one soul and the like Now if it be objected that Mr. Badman was sick and so could not goe to the godly yet he had a tongue in his head and could had he had an heart have spoken to some to call or send for the godly to come to him Yea he would have done so yea the company of all others specially his fellow sinners would even in every appearance of them before him have been a burden and a grief unto him His heart and affection standing bent to good good companions would have suited him best But his Companions were his old Associates his delight was in them therefore his heart and soul were yet ungodly Atten. Pray how was he when he drew near his end for I perceive that what you say of him now hath reference to him and to his actions at the beginning of his sickness Then he could endure company and much talk besides perhaps then he thought he should recover and not die as afterwards he had cause to think when he was quite wasted with pining sickness when he was at the graves mouth But how was he I say when he was as we say at the graves mouth within a step of death when he saw and knew and could not but know that shortly he must dye