Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

any, should not be admitted to the fellowship of saints, no, nor into the common catalogue of brethren with them.

Nor can men, with all their rhetoric, and eloquent speaking, prove themselves fit for the kingdom of heaven, or men of good conscience on earth. O that godly plea of Samuel: "Behold here I am," says he "witness against me, before the Lord, and before his anointed, whose ox have I taken, or whose ass have I taken; or whom have I defrauded, whom have I oppressed?" &c. This was to do like a man of good conscience indeed; and in this his appeal, he was so justified in the consciences of the whole congregation, that they could not but with one voice, as with one mouth, break out jointly, and say, "Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us."

A professor, and defraud! Away with him! A professor should not owe any man any thing but love. A professor should provide things, not of other mens, but of his own, of his own honest getting, and that not only in the sight of God, but of all men; that he may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.

Atten. But suppose God should blow upon a prosessor in his estate and calling, and he should be run out before he is aware, must he be accounted to be like Mr Badman, and lie under the same reproach as he?

Wise. No: If he hath dutifully done what

he could to avoid it. It is possible for a ship to sink at sea, notwithstanding a most faithful endeavour of the most skilful pilot under heaven. And thus, as I suppose, it was with the prophet, that left his wife in debt, to the hazarding the slavery of her children by the creditors. He was no profuse man, nor one that was given to defraud, for the text says, he "feared God;" yet, as I said, he was run out more than she could pay.

God does sometimes blow upon his own people.

and all these

But then the con

If God would blow upon a man, who can help it and he will do so sometimes, because he will change dispensations with men, and because he will try their graces: Yea, also, because he will overthrow the wicked with his judgments; things are seen in Job. sideration of this should bid men have a care that they be honest, lest this comes upon them for their sin. It should also bid them beware of launching further into the world, than in an honest way by ordinary means they can godlily make their retreat; for the further in, the greater fall. It should also teach them, to beg of God his blessing upon their endeavours, their honest and lawful endeavours. And it should put upon them a diligent looking to their steps, that if in their going they should hear the ice crack, they may timely go back again.

These things considered, and duly put in

practice, if God will blow upon a man, then let him be content, and with Job embrace the dunghill; let him give unto all their dues, and not fight against the providence of God, (but humble himself rather under his mighty hand) which comes to strip him naked and bare; for he that doth otherwise, fights against God, and declares that he is a stranger to that of Paul: "I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound; every where, and in all things, I am instructed, both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need."

Atten. But Mr Badman would not, I be lieve, have put this difference betwixt things feigned and those that fall of necessity.

Wise. If he will not, God will, conscience will; and that not thine own only, but the consciences of all those that have seen the way, and that have known the truth of the condition of such an one.

Atten. Well, let us at this time leave this matter, and return again to Mr Badman.

Wise. With all my heart will I proceed to give you a relation of what is yet behind of his life, in order to our discourse of his death. Atten. But pray do it with as much brevity

as you can.

Wise. Why are you weary of my relating of things?

Atten. No; but it pleases me to hear a great deal in few words.

Wise. I profess myself not an artist that

[ocr errors]

way, but yet as briefly as I can, I will pass through what of his life is behind; and again I shall begin with his fraudulent dealing (as before I shewed with his creditors, so now) with his customers, and those that he had otherwise to deal withal.

More of Mr Bad

He dealt by deceitful weights and measures. He kept weights to buy by, and weights to sell by; measures to buy by, and measures to sell by: those he bought by were too big, those that he sold by were too little.

man's fraudulent dealing. He used deceitful weights and scales.

Besides, he could use a thing called slight of hand, if he had to do with other mens weights and measures, and by that means make them whether he did buy or sell, yea though his customer or chapman looked on, turn to his own advantage.

Moreover, he had the art to misreckon men in their accounts, whether by weight or measure, or money, and would often do it to his worldly advantage and their loss: What say you to Mr Badman now ?

And if a question was made of his faithful dealing, he had his servants ready, that to his purpose he had brought up, that would avouch and swear to his book, or word: This was Mr Badman's practice: What think you of Mr Badman now?

Atten. Think! why I can think no other

but that he was a man left to himself, a naughty man; for these, as his other, were naughty things; if the tree, as indeed it may, ought to be judged, what it is, by its fruits; then Mr Badman must needs be a bad tree. But pray, for my further satisfaction, shew me now by the word of God, the evil of this his practice; and first of his using false weights and measures.

Wise. The evil of that! Why the evil of that appears to every eye: The Heathens, that live like beasts and brutes in many things, do abominate and abhor such wickedness as this. Let a man but look upon these things as he goes by, and he shall see enough in them from the light of nature to make him loath so base a practice, although Mr Badman loy

ed it.

Atten. But shew me something out of the word against it, will you?

Wise. I will willingly do it. And first look into the Old Testament: "You shall," saith God there, "do no unrighteousness in judgment, in mete-yard, in weights, or in measures; a just balance, a just weight, a just ephah, and a just hin shall you have." This is the law of God, and that which all men, according to the law of the land, ought to obey. So again: "Ye shall have just ba lances, and a just ephah," &c.

Now having shewed you the law, I will also shew you how God takes swerving therefrom: "A false balance is not good: a false

« AnteriorContinuar »