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ointed, should be frustrate: "Lest they ould be converted, and I should heal them." (3.) The third thing I take notice of from ence is, That a sinful life, and quiet death nexed to it, is the ready, the open, the beat1, the common highway to hell; There is no rer sign of damnation, than for a man to die uietly after a sinful life. I do not say that wicked men that are molested at their death ith a sense of sin and fears of hell, do therere go to heaven, for some are also made to e, and are left to despair, (not converted by eing,) that they might go roaring out of this orld to their place: But I say, there is no rer sign of a man's damnation, than to die ietly after a sinful life; than to sin and die ith his eyes shut; than to sin and die with heart that cannot repent?" He hath blindtheir eyes, and hardened their heart, that ey should not see with their eyes, nor unerstand with their heart; (no, not so long as ey are in this world ;) lest they should see ith their eyes, and understand with their eart, and should be converted, and I should eal them."

God has a judgment for wicked men; God will be even with wicked men: God knows ow to reserve the ungodly to the day of udgment to be punished; and this is one of is ways by which he doth it. Thus it was with Mr Badman.

(4.) It is said in the book of Psalms concerning the wicked, "There are no bands in

hardened their hearts, lest they should see, and understand, and (so) be converted." And this was clearly Mr Badman's case, he lived a wicked life, and also died with his eyes shut, and heart hardened, as is manifest, in that a sinful life was joined with a quiet death; and all for that he should not be converted, but partake of the fruit of his sinful life in hell-fire.

(2.) The second thing that I take notice of from these words is, That this is a dispensation and manifestation of God's anger against a man for his sin. When God is angry with ́men, I mean, when he is so angry with them, this among many is one of the judgments that he giveth them up unto, to wit, to blindness of mind, and hardness of heart, which he also suffereth to accompany them till they enter in at the gates of death. And then, and there, and not short of then and there, their eyes come to be opened. Hence it is said of the rich man mentioned in Luke, "He died, and in hell he lift up his eyes;" implying that he did not lift them up before: He neither saw what he had done, nor whither he was going, till he came to the place of execution, even into hell. He died asleep in his soul; he died besotted, stupified, and so consequently for quietness like a child or lamb, even as Mr Badman did: This was a sign of God's anger; he had a mind to damn him for his sins, and therefore would not let him see nor have an heart to repent for them, lest he should convert; and his damnation, which God had ap

pointed, should be frustrate: "Lest they should be converted, and I should heal them.'

(3.) The third thing I take notice of from hence is, That a sinful life, and quiet death annexed to it, is the ready, the open, the beaten, the common highway to hell; There is no surer sign of damnation, than for a man to die quietly after a sinful life. I do not say that all wicked men that are molested at their death with a sense of sin and fears of hell, do therefore go to heaven, for some are also made to see, and are left to despair, (not converted by seeing,) that they might go roaring out of this world to their place: But I say, there is no surer sign of a man's damnation, than to die quietly after a sinful life; than to sin and die with his eyes shut; than to sin and die with an heart that cannot repent?" He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart, that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart; (no, not so long as they are in this world ;) lest they should see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them."

God has a judgment for wicked men; God will be even with wicked men: God knows how to reserve the ungodly to the day of judgment to be punished; and this is one of his ways by which he doth it. Thus it was with Mr Badman.

(4.) It is said in the book of Psalms concerning the wicked, "There are no bands i

their death, but their strength is firm." By no bands, he means no troubles, no gracious chastisements, no such corrections for sin as fall to be the lot of God's people for theirs; yea, that many times fall to be theirs, at the time of their death. Therefore he adds concerning the wicked, "They are not troubled (then) like other men, neither are they plagued like other men; but go as securely out of the world, as if they had never sinned against God, and put their own souls into danger of damnation : "There are no bands in their death." They seem to go unbound, and set at liberty out of this world, though they have lived notoriously wicked all their days in it. The prisoner that is to die at the gollows for his wickedness, must first have his irons knocked off his legs; so he seems to go most at liberty, when indeed he is going to be executed for his transgressions. Wicked men also have no bands in their death, they seem to be more at liberty when they are even at the wind-up of their sinful life, than at any time besides.

Hence you shall have them boast of their faith and hope in God's mercy, when they lie upon their deathbed; yea, you shall have them speak as confidently of their salvation, as if they had served God all their days when the truth is, the bottom of this their boasting is, because they have no bands in their death.

Their sin and base life comes not into their mind to correct them, and bring them to re

pentance: but presumptuous thoughts, and an hope and faith of the spider's (the devil's) making, possesseth their soul, to their own eternal undoing.

Hence wicked mens hope is said to die, not before, but with them; they give up the ghost together. And thus did Mr Badman. His sins and his hope, went with him to the gate, but there his hope left him, because it died there; but his sins went in with him, to be a worm to gnaw him in conscience for ever and

ever.

The opinion, therefore, of the common people, concerning this kind of dying, is frivolous and vain; for Mr Badman died like a lamb, or as they call it, like a chrisom-child, quietly, and without fear. I speak not this with reference to the struggling of nature with death, but as to the struggling of the conscience with the judgment of God. I know that nature will struggle with death: I have seen a dog and sheep die hardly: And thus may a wicked man do, because there is an antipathy betwixt nature and death. But even while, even then, when death and nature are struggling for mastery, the soul, the conscience may be as besotted, as benumbed, as senseless and ignorant of its miserable state, as the block or bed on which the sick lies: And thus they may die like a chrisom-child in shew, but indeed like one who by the judgment of God is bound over to eternal damnation; and that also by the same judgment is kept from seein

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