Life and Death of Mr. Badman Part 18

I would have thee also, my dear child, to love thy Brothers and Sisters, but learn none of their naughty tricks. Have no fellowship with the unfruitfull works of darkness, but rather reprove them. {152b} Thou hast Grace, they have none: do thou therefore beautifie the way of salvation before their eyes, by a G.o.dly life, and conformable conversation to the revealed will of G.o.d, that thy Brothers and Sisters may see and be the more pleased with the good wayes of the Lord.

If thou shalt live to marry, take heed of being served as I was; that is, of being beguiled with fair words, and the flatteries of a lying tongue.

But first be sure of G.o.dliness. Yea, as sure as it is possible for one to be in this world: trust not thine own eyes, nor thine own Judgment; I mean as to that persons G.o.dliness that thou art invited to marry. Ask counsel of good men, and do nothing therein, if he lives, without my Ministers advice. I have also my self desired him to look after thee.

Thus she talked to her children, and gave them counsel, and after she had talked to this a little longer, she kiss'd it, and bid it go down.

Well, in short, her time drew on, and the day that she must die. So she {152c} died with a soul full of Grace, an heart full of comfort, and by her death ended a life full of trouble. Her husband made a Funerall for her, perhaps because he was glad he was rid of her, but we will leave that to be manifest at Judgment.

Atten. This Woman died well: And now we are talking of the dying of Christians, I will tell you a story of one that died some time since in our Town. The man was a G.o.dly old Puritan, for so the G.o.dly were called in time past. This man after a long, and G.o.dly life, fell sick, of the sickness, whereof he died. And as he lay drawing on, the woman that looked to him thought she heard Musick, and that the sweetest that ever she heard in her life, which also continued untill he gave up the Ghost: [Picture: Take note symbol] now when his soul departed from him, the Musick seemed to withdraw and to go further and further off from the house, and so it went untill the sound was quite gone out of hearing.

Wise. What do you think that might be?

Atten. For ought I know, the melodious Notes of Angels, that were sent of G.o.d to fetch him to Heaven.

Wise. I cannot say but that G.o.d goes out of his Ordinary Road with us poor mortals sometimes. I cannot say this of this woman, but yet she had better musick in her heart than sounded in this womans ears.

Atten. I believe so; but pray tell me, did any of her other children hearken to her words, so as to be bettered in their souls thereby?

Wise. One of them did, {153b} and became a very hopefull young man: but for the rest I can say nothing.

Atten. And what did Badman do after his wife was dead?

Wise. Why even as he did before, he scarce mourned a fortnight for her, and his mourning then was, I doubt, more in fashion than in heart.

Atten. Would he not sometimes talk of his Wife, when she was dead?

Wise. Yes, when the fit took him, and could commend her too extremely; saying, she was a good, G.o.dly, vertuous woman. But this is not a thing to be wondred at: It is common with wicked men, to hate G.o.ds Servants while alive, and to commend them when they are dead. So served the Pharisees the Prophets: Those of the Prophets that were dead, they commended; and those of them that were alive they condemned. {153c}

Atten. But did not Mr. Badman marry again quickly?

Wise. No, not a good while after: and when he was asked the reason, he would make this slighty answer, Who would keep a Cow of their own, that can have a quart of milk for a penny? {154a} Meaning, Who would be at the charge to have a Wife, that can have a Wh.o.r.e when he listeth? So villanous, so abominable did he continue after the death of his wife.

Yet at last there was one was too hard for him. For, getting of him to her upon a time, and making of him sufficiently drunk, she was so cunning as to get a promise of marriage of him, and so held him to it, and forced him to marry her. {154b} And she, as the saying is, was as good as he, {154c} at all his vile and ranting tricks: she had her companions as well as he had his, and she would meet them too at the Tavern and Ale-house, more commonly than he was aware of. To be plain, she was a very Wh.o.r.e, and had as great resort came to her, where time and place was appointed, as any of them all. Aie, and he smelt it too, but could not tell how to help it. For if he began to talk, she could lay in his dish the wh.o.r.es that she knew he haunted, and she could fit him also with cursing and swearing, for she would give him Oath for Oath, and Curse for Curse.

Atten. What kind of oaths would she have?

Wise. Why d.a.m.n her, and sink her, and the like.

Atten. These are provoking things.

Wise. So they are: but G.o.d doth not altogether let such things goe unpunished in this life. Something of this I have shewed you already, and will here give you one or two Instances more.

There lived, saith one, {154d} in the year 1551. in a city of Savoy, a man who was a monstrous Curser and Swearer, and though he was often admonished and blamed for it, yet would he by no means mend his manners.

At length a great plague happening in the City, he withdrew himself into a Garden, where being again admonished to give over his wickedness, he hardned his heart more, Swearing, Blaspheming G.o.d, and giving himself to the Devil: And immediately the Devil s.n.a.t.c.hed him up suddenly, his wife and kinswoman looking on, and carried him quite away. The Magistrates advertised hereof, went to the place and examined the Woman, who justified the truth of it.

Also at Oster in the Dutchy of Magalapole, (saith Mr. Clark) a wicked Woman, used in her cursing to give herself body and soul to the Devil, and being reproved for it, still continued the same; till (being at a Wedding-Feast) the Devil came in person, and carried her up into the Air, with most horrible outcries and roarings: And in that sort carried her round about the Town, that the Inhabitants were ready to dye for fear: And by and by he tore her in four pieces, leaving her four quarters in four several high-wayes; and then brought her Bowels to the Marriage-feast, and threw them upon the Table before the Maior of the Town, saying, Behold, these dishes of meat belong to thee, whom the like destruction waiteth for, if thou dost not amend thy wicked life.

Atten. Though G.o.d forbears to deal thus with all men that thus rend and tare his Name, and that immediate Judgments do not overtake them; yet he makes their lives by other Judgments bitter to them, does he not?

Wise. Yes, yes. And for proof, I need goe no further than to this Badman and his wife; for their railing, and cursing, and swearing ended not in words: They would fight and fly at each other, and that like Cats and Dogs. But it must be looked upon as the hand and Judgment of G.o.d upon him for his villany; he had an honest woman before, but she would not serve his turn, and therefore G.o.d took her away, and gave him one as bad as himself. Thus that measure that he meted to his first wife, this last did mete to him again. And this is a punishment, wherewith sometimes G.o.d will punish wicked men. So said Amos to Amaziah: Thy wife shall be an Harlot in the City. {155} With this last wife Mr. Badman lived a pretty while; but, as I told you before, in a most sad and h.e.l.lish manner. And now he would bewail his first wifes death: not of love that he had to her G.o.dliness, for that he could never abide, but for that she used alwayes to keep home, whereas this would goe abroad; his first wife was also honest, and true to that Relation, but this last was a Wh.o.r.e of her Body: The first woman loved to keep things together, but this last would whirl them about as well as he: The first would be silent when he chid, and would take it patiently when he abused her, but this would give him word for word, blow for blow, curse for curse; so that now Mr. Badman had met with his match: {156a} G.o.d had a mind to make him see the baseness of his own life, in the wickedness of his wives. {156b} But all would not do with Mr. Badman, he would be Mr. Badman still: This Judgment did not work any reformation upon him, no, not to G.o.d nor man.

Atten. I warrant you that Mr. Badman thought when his wife was dead, that next time he would match far better.

Wise. What he thought I cannot tell, but he could not hope for it in this match. For here he knew himself to be catcht, he knew that he was by this woman intangled, and would therefore have gone back again, but could not. He knew her, I say, to be a Wh.o.r.e before, and therefore could not promise himself a happy life with her. For he or she that will not be true to their own soul, will neither be true to husband nor wife. And he knew that she was not true to her own soul, and therefore could not expect she should be true to him but Solomon says, An wh.o.r.e is a deep pit, and Mr. Badman found it true. For when she had caught him in her pit, she would never leave him till she had got him to promise her Marriage; and when she had taken him so far, she forced him to marry indeed. And after that, they lived that life that I have told you.

Atten. But did not the neighbours take notice of this alteration that Mr. Badman had made?

Wise. Yes; and many of his Neighbours, yea, many of those that were carnal said, {156c} 'Tis a righteous Judgment of G.o.d upon him, for his abusive carriage and language to his other wife: for they were all convinced that she was a vertuous woman, and he, vile wretch, had killed her, I will not say, with, but with the want of kindness.

Atten. And how long I pray did they live thus together?

Wise. Some fourteen or sixteen years, even untill (though she also brought somthing with her) they had sinned all away, and parted as poor as Howlets. {156d} And, in reason, how could it be otherwise? he would have his way, and she would have hers; he among his companions, and she among hers; he with his Wh.o.r.es, and she with her Rogues; and so they brought their n.o.ble to Nine-pence.

Atten. Pray of what disease did Mr. Badman die, for now I perceive we are come up to his death?

Wise. I cannot so properly say that he died of one disease, {157a} for there were many that had consented, and laid their heads together to bring him to his end. He was dropsical, he was consumptive, he was surfeited, was gouty, and, as some say, he had a tang of the Pox in his bowels. Yet the Captain of all these men of death that came against him to take him away, was the Consumption, for 'twas that that brought him down to the grave.

Atten. Although I will not say, but the best men may die of a consumption, a dropsie, or a surfeit; yea, that these may meet upon a man to end him: yet I will say again, that many times these diseases come through mans inordinate use of things. Much drinking brings dropsies, consumptions, surfeits, and many other diseases; and I doubt, that Mr.

Badman's death did come by his abuse of himself in the use of lawfull and unlawfull things. I ground this my sentence upon that report of his life that you at large have given me.

Wise. I think verily that you need not call back your sentence; for 'tis thought by many, that by his Cups and his Queans he brought himself to this his destruction: he was not an old man when he dyed, nor was he naturally very feeble, but strong, and of a healthy complexion: Yet, as I said, he moultered away, and went, when he set a going, rotten to his Grave. And that which made him stink when he was dead, I mean, that made him stink in his Name and Fame, was, that he died with a spice of the foul disease upon him: A man whose life was full of sin, and whose death was without repentance.

Atten. These were blemishes sufficient to make him stink indeed.

Wise. They were so, and they did do it. No man could speak well of him when he was gone. {157b} His Name rotted above ground, as his Carka.s.s rotted under. And this is according to the saying of the wise man: The memory of the just is blessed, but the name of the wicked shall rot.

{157c}

This Text, in both the parts of it, was fulfilled upon him and the woman that he married first. For her Name still did flourish, though she had been dead almost seventeen years; but his began to stink and rot, before he had been buried seventeen dayes.

Atten. That man that dieth with a life full of sin, and with an heart void of repentance, although he should die of the most Golden disease (if there were any that might be so called) I will warrant him his Name shall stink, and that in Heaven and Earth.

Wise. You say true; and therefore doth the name of Cain, Pharaoh, Saul, Judas, and the Pharisees, though dead thousands of years agoe, stink as fresh in the nostrils of the world as if they were but newly dead.

Atten. I do fully acquiesce with you in this. But, Sir, since you have charged him with dying impenitent, pray let me see how you will prove it: {158a} not that I altogether doubt it, because you have affirmed it, but yet I love to have proof for what men say in such weighty matters.

Wise. When I said, he died without repentance, I meant, so far as those that knew him, could judge, when they compared his Life, the Word, and his Death together.

Atten. Well said, they went the right way to find out whether he had, that is, did manifest that he had repentance or no. Now then shew me how they did prove he had none?

Wise. So I will: And first, {158b} this was urged to prove it. He had not in all the time of his sickness, a sight and sence of his sins, but was as secure, and as much at quiet, as if he had never sinned in all his life.

Atten. I must needs confess that this is a sign he had none. For how can a man repent of that of which he hath neither sight nor sence? But 'tis strange that he had neither sight nor sence of sin now, when he had such a sight and sence of his evil before: I mean when he was sick before.

Wise. He was, as I said, as secure now, as if he had been as sinless as an Angel; though all men knew what a sinner he was, for he carried his Sins in his Forehead. His debauched Life was read and known of all men; but his Reputation was read and known of no man; for, as I said, he had none. And for ought I know, the reason he had no sence of his sins now, was because he profited not by that sence that he had of them before. He liked not to retain that knowledge of G.o.d then, that caused his sins to come to remembrance: Therefore G.o.d gave him up now to a reprobate mind, to hardness and stupidity of Spirit; and so was that Scripture fulfilled upon him, He hath blinded their eyes. And that, Let their eyes be darkned that they may not see. {159a} Oh! for a man to live in sin, and to go out of the world without Repentance for it, is the saddest Judgement that can overtake a man.

Atten. But, Sir, although both you and I have consented that {159b} without a sight and sence of sin there can be no Repentance, yet that is but our bare Say-so; let us therefore now see if by the Scripture we can make it good.

Wise. That is easily done. The three thousand that were converted, (Acts the second,) repented not, till they had sight and sence of their sins: {159c} Paul repented not till he had sight and sence of his sins: the Jailor repented not till he had sight and sence of his sins: nor could they. For of what should a man repent? The Answer is, of Sin.

What is it to Repent of sin? The answer is, To be sorry for it, to turn from it. {159d} But how can a man be sorry for it, that has neither sight nor sence of it. David did, not only commit sins, but abode impenitent for them, untill Nathan the Prophet was sent from G.o.d to give him a sight and sence of them; {159e} and then, but not till then, he indeed repented of them. Job, in order to his Repentance, cries unto G.o.d, Shew me wherefore thou contendest with me. And again, That which I see not teach thou me, I have born chastis.e.m.e.nt, I will not offend any more: {159f} That is, not in what I know, for I will repent of it; nor yet in what I know not, when thou shalt shew me it.

Also Ephraims Repentance was after he was turned to the sight and sence of his sins, and after he was instructed about the evil of them. {159g}