Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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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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as long as it was grudging till it was over Atten. This his abhorring of that day was not I think for the sake of the day it self for as it is a day it is nothing else but as other days of the Week But I suppose that the reason of his loathing of it was for that God hath put sanctity and holiness upon it also because it is the day above all the days of the week that ought to be spent in holy Devotion in remembrance of our Lords Resurrection from the dead Wise. Yes 't was therefore that he was such an enemy to it even because more restraint was laid upon him on that day from his own ways than were possible should be laid upon him on all others Atten. Doth not God by instituting of a day unto holy Duties make great proof how the hearts and inclinations of poor people do stand to Holiness of heart and a Conversation in doly duties Wise. Yes doubtless and a man shall shew his Heart and his Life what they are more by one Lords-day than by all the days of the week besides And the reason is because on the Lords-day there is a special restraint laid upon men as to Thoughts and Life more than upon other days of the week besides Also men are enjoyned on that day to a stricter performance of holy Duties and restraint of worldly business than upon other days they are wherefore if their hearts incline not naturally to good now they will shew it now they will appear what they are The Lords Day is a kind of an Emblem of the heavenly Sabbath above and it makes manifest how the heart 〈…〉 to the perpetuity of Holiâ—â—â—◠〈…〉 than to be found in a 〈…〉 does 〈…〉 â—ys a man may be in and out of holy Duties and all in a quarter of an hour but now the Lords Day is as it were a day that enjoyns to one perpetual Duty of Holiness Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day which by Christ is not abrogated but changed into the First of the week not as it was given in particular to the Jews but as it was sanctified by him from the Beginning of the world and therefore is a greater proof of the frame and temper of a mans heart and does more make manifest to what he is inclined than doth his other performance of Duties Therefore God puts great difference between them that truly call and walk in this day as holy and count it Honourable upon the account that now they have an opportunity to shew how they delight to honour him in that they have not only an Hour but a whole Day to shew it in I say he puts great difference between these and that other sort that say When will the Sabbath be gone that we may be at our worldly business The first he calleth a Blessed man but brandeth the other for an unsanctified worldling And indeed to delight our selves in Gods service upon his Holy days gives a better proof of a sanctified Nature than to grudge at the coming and to be weary of the holy duties of such dayes as Mr. Badman did Atten. There may be something in what you say for he that cannot abide to keep one day holy to God to be sure he hath given a sufficient proof that he is an unsanctified man and as such what should he do in Heaven that being the place where a perpetual Sabath is to be kept to God I say to be kept for ever and ever And for ought I know one reason why one day in seven hath been by our Lord â—â—t apart unto holy Duties for men may be to give them conviction that there is enmity in the hearts of sinners to the God of Heaven for he that hateth Holiness hateth God himself They pretend to love God and yet love not a holy day and yet love not to spend that day in one continued act of holiness to the Lord They had as good say nothing as to call him Lord Lord and yet not doe the things that he says And this Mr. Badman was such an one he could not abide this day nor any of the Duties of it Indeed when he could get from his Friends and so spend it in all manner of idleness and profaneness then he would be pleased well enough but what was this but a turning the day into night or other than taking an opportunity at Gods forbidding to follow our Callings to solace and satisfie our lusts and delights of the flesh I take the liberty to speak thus of Mr. Badman upon a confidence of what you Sir have said of him is true Wise. You needed not to have made that Apology for your censuring of Mr. Badman for all that knew him will confirm what you said of him to be true He could not abide either that day or any thing else that had the stamp or image of God upon it Sin sin and to do the thing that was naught was that which he delighted in and that from a little Child Atten. I must say again I am sorry to hear it and that for his own sake and also for the sake of his Relations who must needs be broken to pieces with such doings as these For for these things sake comes the wrath of God upon the Children of disobedience and doubtless he must be gone to Hell if he died without Repentance and to beget a Child for Hell is sad for Parents to think on Wise. Of his Dying as I told you I will give you a Relation anon but now we are upon his Life and upon the Manner of his Life in his Childhood even of the sins that attended him then some of which I have mentioned already and indeed I have mentioned but some for yet there are more to follow and those not at all inferiour to what you have already heard Atten. Pray what were they Wise. Why he was greatly given and that while a Lad to grievous Swearing and Cursing yea he then made no more of Swearing and Cursing than I do of telling my fingers Yea he would do it without provocation thereto He counted it a glory to Swear and Curse and it was as natural to him as to eat and drink and sleep Atten. Oh! what a young Villain was this here is as the Apostle says a yielding of Members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin indeed This is proceeding from evil to evil with a witness This argueth that he was a black-mouthed young Wretch indeed Wise. He was so and yet as I told you he counted above all this kind of sinning to be a Badge of his Honour He reckoned himself a mans Fellow when he had learnt to Swear and Curse boldly Atten. I am perswaded that many do think as you have said that to Swear is a thing that does bravely become them and that it is the best way for a man when he would
also rob his Father methinks that was an unnatural thing Wise. Natural or unnatural all is one to a Thief Besides you must think that he had likewise Companions to whom he was for the wickedness that he saw in them more firmly knit than either to Father or Mother Yea and what had he cared if Father and Mother and died for grief for him Their death would have been as he would have counted great release and liberty to him For the truth is they and their counsel was his Bondage yea and if I forget not I have heard some say that when he was at times among his Companions he would greatly rejoyce to think that his Parents were old and could not live long and then quoth he I shall be mine own man to do what I list without their controul Atten. Then it seems he counted that robbing of his Parents was no crime Wise. None at all and therefore he fell directly under that Sentence Whoso robbeth his Father or his Mother and saith it is no transgression the same is the companion of a destroyer And for that he set so light by them as to their Persons and Counsels 't was a sign that at present he was of a very abominable spirit and that some Judgement waited to take hold of him in time to come Atten. But can you imagin what it was I mean in his conceit for I speak not now of the suggestions of Satan by which doubtless he was put on to do these things I say what it should be in his conceit that should make him think that this his manner of pilfering and stealing was not great matter Wise. It was for that the things that he stole were small to rob Orchards and Gardens and to steal Pullen and the like these he counted Tricks of Youth nor would he be beat out of it by all that his Friends could say They would tell him that he must not covet or desire and yet to desire is less than to take even any thing the least thing that was his Neighbours and that if he did it would be a transgression of the Law but all was one to him what through the wicked Talk of his Companions and the delusion of his own corrupt heart he would go on in his pilfering course and where he thought himself secure would talk of and laught at it when he had done Atten. Well I heard a man once when he was upon the Ladder with the Rope about his Neck confess when ready to be turned off by the Hangman that that which had brought him to that end was his accustoming of himself when young to piâ—fer and steal small things To my best remembrance he told us that he began the trade of a Thief by stealing of Pins and Points and therefore did forewarn all the Youth that then were gathered together to see him die to take heed of beginning though but with little sins because by tampering at first with little ones way is made for the commission of bigger Wise. Since you are entred upon Storyes I also will tell you one the which though I heard it not with mine own Ears yet my Author I dare believe It is concerning one old Tod that was hanged about Twenty years agoe or more at Hartford for being a Thief The Story is this At a Summer Assizes holden at Hartfort while the Judge was sitting upon the Bench comes this old Tod into the Court cloathed in a green Suit with his Leathern Girdle in his hand his Bosom open and all on a dung sweat as if he had run for his Life and being come in he spake aloud as follows My Lord said he Here is the veryest Rogue that breaths upon the face of the earth I have been a Thief from a Child When I was but a little one I gave my self to rob Orchards and to do other such like wicked things and I have continued a Thief ever since My Lord there has not been a Robbery committed thus many years within so many miles of this place but I have either been at it or privy to it The Judge thought the fellow was mad but after some conference with some of the Justices they agreed to Indict him and so they did of several felonious Actions to all which he heartily confessed Guilty and so was hanged with his Wife at the same time Atten. This is a remarkable Story indeed and you think it is a true one Wise. It is not only remarkable but pat to our purpose This Thief like Mr. Badman began his Trade betimes he began too where Mr. Badman began even at robbing of Orchards and other such things which brought him as you may perceive from sin to sin till at last it brought him to the publick shame of sin which is the Gallows As for the truth of this Story the Relator told me that he was at the same time himself in the Court and stood within less than two yards of old Tod when he heard him aloud to utter the words Atten. These two sins of lying and stealing were a bad sign of an evil end Wise. So they were and yet Mr. Badman came not to his end like old Tod Though I fear to as bad nay worse than was that death of the Gallows though less discerned by spectators but more of that by and by But you talk of these two sins as if these were all that Mr. Badâ—man was addicted to in â—is Youth Alas alas he swarmed with sins even as a Begger does with Vermin and that when he was but a Boy Atten. Why what other sins was he addicted to I mean while he was but a Child Wise. You need not ask to what other sins was he but to what other sins was he not addicted that is of such as suited with his Age for a man may safely say that nothing that was vile came amiss to him if he was but capable to do it Indeed some sins there be that Childhood knows not how to be tampering with but I speak of sins that he was capable of committing of which I will nominate two or three more And First He could not endure the Lords Day because of the Holiness that did attend it the beginning of that Day was to him as if he was going to Prison except he could get out from his Father and Mother and lurk in by-holes among his Companions untill holy Duties were over Reading the Scriptures hearing Sermons godly Conference repeating of Sermons and Prayer were things that he could not away with and therefore if his Father on such days as often he did though sometimes notwithstanding his diligence he would be sure to give him the slip did keep him strictly to the observation of the day he would plainly shew by all carriages that he was highly discontent therewith he would sleep at Duties would talk vainly with his Brothers and as it were think every godly opportunity seven times