in their own persons are sinners, are to have salvation by him. Many other things might be added, but between persons so well agreed as you and I are, these may suffice at present: But when an antagonist comes to deal with us about this matter, then we have for him often other strong arguments, if he be an antago nist worth the taking notice of

Atten. But as was hinted before, he used to be the ringleader sinner, or the master of mischief among other children: Yet these are but generals, pray therefore tell me in particular which were the sins of his childhood.

Wise. I will so. When he was but a child, he was so addicted to lying, that his parents scarce knew when to believe he spake truth; yea, he would invent, tell, and stand to the lyes that he invented and told, and that with such an audacious face, that one might even read in his very countenance the symptoms of an hard and desperate heart this way.

Badman addicted to lying from a child

Atten. This was an ill beginning indeed, and argueth that he began to harden himself in sin betimes. For a lie cannot be knowingly told and stood in, (and I perceive that this was his manner of way in lying), but he must, as it were, force his own heart unto it. Yea, he must make his heart hard, and bold to do it; yea, he must be arriv ed to an exceeding pitch of wickedness thus to do, since all this he did against that good

education, that before you seemed to hint, he had from his father and mother.

Wise. The want of a good education, as you have intimated, is many times a cause why children do so easily, so soon, become bad; especially when there is not only a want of that, but bad examples enough, as, the more is the pity, there is in many families; by virtue of which poor children are trained up in sin, and nursed therein for the devil and hell. But it was otherwise with Mr. Badman, for to my knowledge, this his way of livingwas a great grief to his parents, for their. hearts were much dejected at this beginning of their son; nor did there want counsel and correction from them to him, if that would have made him better. He wanted not to be told, in my hearing, and that over and over and over, "That all lyars should have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone;" and that whosoever loveth and maketh a lye, should not have any part in the new and heavenly Jerusalem: But all availed nothing with him; when a fit, or an occasion to lye came upon him, he would invent, tell and stand to his lye as stedfastly as if it had been the biggest of truths that he told, and that with that hardening of his heart and face, that it would be to those who stood by a wonder. Nay, and this he would do when under the rod of correction, which is appointed by God

The lyar's
portion.

for parents to use, that thereby they might keep their children from hell.

Atten. Truly it was, as I said, a bad beginning, he served the devil betimes; yea, he became nurse to one of his brats, for a spirit of lying is the devil's brat: "for he is a lyar, and the father of it."

Wise. Right, he is the father of it indeed, A lie is begot by the devil as the father, and is brought forth by the wicked heart as the mother; Wherefore another scripture also saith, "Why hath Satan filled thy heart to lye," &c. Yea, he calleth the heart that is big with a lye an heart that hath conceived, that is, by the devil : "Why hast thou conceived this thing in thy heart, thou hast not lyed unto men, but unto God ?" True, his

The father and mother of a lye

lye was a lye of the highest nature, but every lye hath the same father and mother as had the lye last spoken of: "For he is a lyar, and the father of it," A lye then is a brat of hell, and it cannot be in the heart before the person has committed a kind of spiritual adultery with the devil. That soul therefore that telleth a known lye, has lien with, and conceived it by lying with the devil, the only father of lyes. For a lye has only one father and mother, the devil and the heart. No marvel therefore if the hearts that hatch and bring forth lyes, be so much of complexion with the devil. Yea, no marvel though God and Christ have so bent their

word against lyars: a lyar is wedded to the devil himself.

Atten. It seems a marvellous thing in mine eyes, that since a lye is the off-spring of the devil, and since a lye brings the soul to the very den of devils, to wit, the dark dungeon of hell, that men should be so desperately wicked as to accustom themselves to so horrible a thing.

Wise. It seems also marvellous to me, especially when I observe for how little a matter some men will study, contrive, make and tell a lye, you shall have some that will lye it over and over, and that for a penny profit; yea, lye and stand in it, although they know that they lye: yea, you shall have some men that will not stick to tell lye after lye, though themselves get nothing thereby. They will tell lyes in their ordinary discourse with their neighbours: also their news, their jests, and their tales, must needs be adorned with lyes; or else they seem to bear no good sound to the ear, nor shew much to the fancy of him to whom they are told. But alas! what will these lyars do, when, for their lyes they shall be tumbled down into hell, to that devil that did beget those lyes in their heart, and so be tormented by fire and brimstone, with him, and that for ever and ever, for their lyes?

Atten. Can you not give one some example of God's judgments upon lyars, that one may tell them to lyars when one hears them lye,

if perhaps they may by the hearing thereof, be made afraid, and ashamed to lye?

An example for lyars.

Wise. Examples! why, Ananias and his wife are examples enough to put a stop, one would think, to a spirit addicted thereto, for they both were stricken down dead for telling a lye, and that by God himself, in the midst of a company of people. But if God's threatning of lyars with hell fire, and with the loss of the kingdom of heaven, will not prevail with them to leave off to lye and make lyes, it cannot be imagined that a relation of temporal judgments that have swept lyars out of the world heretofore, should do it Now, as I said, this lying was one of the first sins that Mr. Badman was addicted to, and he could make them and tell them fearfully.

A spirit of ly ing accompa nied with other sins

Atten. I am sorry to hear this of him, and so much the more, because, as I fear, this sin did not reign in him alone; for usually one that is accustomed to lying, is also accustomed to other evils besides; and if it were not so also with Mr. Badman, it would be indeed a wonder.

Wise. You say true, the lyar is a captive slave of more than the spirit of lying; and therefore this Mr. Badman, as he was a lyar from a child, so he was also much given to pil