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tell me that such a man hath repentance, yet if he is not a praying man, I should not be persuaded to believe it.

Atten. I know no reason why you should; for there is nothing can demonstrate that such a man hath it. But pray, Sir, what other sign have you, by which you can prove that Mr Badman died in his sins, and so in a state of damnation ?

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Wise. I have this to prove it. were his old sinful companions in the time of his health, were those whose company and carnal talk he most delighted in, in the time of his sickness. I did occasionally hint this before, but now I make it an argument of his want of grace; For where there is indeed a work of grace in the heart, that work doth not only change the heart, thoughts, and desires, but the conversation also; yea, conversation and company too. When Paul had a work of grace in his soul, he essayed to join himself to the disciples. He was for his old companions in their abominations no longer he was now a disciple, and was for the company of disciples: And he was with them coming in, and going out of Jerusalem."

Atten. I thought something when I heard you make mention of it before. Thought I, this is a shrewd sign that he had not grace in his heart. Birds of a feather, thought I, will flock together. If this man was one of God's children, he would herd with God's children. his delight would be with, and in the compa

ny of God's children: As David said, "I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts."

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Wise. You say well; for what fellowship hath he that believeth with an infidel? And although it be true, that all that join to the godly are not godly, yet they that shall inwardly chuse the company of the ungodly and openly profane, rather than the company of the godly, as Mr Badman did, surely are not godly men, but profane. He was, as I told you, out of his element, when good men did come to visit him; but then he was where he would be, when he had his vain companions about him. Alas! grace, as I said, altereth all, heart, life, company, and all; for by it the heart of man is made new; and a new heart and a new man must have objects of delight that are new, and like himself: "Old things are passed away:" Why? "For all things are become new." Now, if all things are become new, to wit, heart, mind, thoughts, desires, and delights, it followeth, by consequence, that the company must be answera. ble hence it is said, that, "they that believed were together" that "they went to their own company;" that "they were added to the church;" that "they were of one heart and of one soul;" and the like. Now, if it be objected, that Mr Badman was sick, and s could not go to the godly, yet he had a tongue in his head, and could, had he had an heart, have spoken to some to call or send for the

godly to come to him. Yea, he would have done so; yea, the company of all others, especially his fellow-sinners, would even in every appearance of them before him, have been a burden and a grief unto him. His heart and affections standing bent to good, good companions would have suited him best. But his companions were his old associates; his delight was in them; therefore his heart and soul were yet ungodly.

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Atten. Pray, how was he when he drew near his end? for I perceive that what you of him now, hath reference to him and to his actions at the beginning of his sickness? Then he could endure company, and much talk; besides, perhaps then he thought he should recover, and not die, as afterwards he had cause to think, when he was quite wasted with pining sickness, when he was at the grave's mouth. But how was he, I say, when he was (as we say) at the grave's mouth, within a step of death; when he saw and knew, and could not but know, that shortly he must die, and appear before the judgment of God?

Wise. Why, there was not any other alteration in him, than what was made by his disease upon his body. Sickness, you know, will alter the body, also pains and stitches will make men groan; but for his mind, he had no alteration there; his mind was the same; his heart was the same; he was the self-same Mr Badman still, not only in name, but conditions, and that to the very day of his death;

yea, so far as could be gathered, to the very moment in which he died.

Atten. Pray, how was he in his death? Was death strong upon him? or did he die with ease, quietly?

Wise. As quietly as a lamb. There seemed not to be in it, to standers by, so much as a strong struggle of nature: And as for his mind, it seemed to be wholly at quiet. But pray, why do you ask me this question?

Atten. Not for mine own sake, but for others. For there is such an opinion as this a→ mong the ignorant: That if a man dies, as they call it, like a lamb, that is quietly, and without that consternation of mind that others shew in their death, they conclude, and that beyond all doubt, that such an one is gone to heaven, and is certainly escaped the wrath to come.

Wise. There is no judgment to be made, by a quiet death, of the eternal state of him that so dieth. Suppose one man should die quietly, another should die suddenly, and a third should die under great consternation of spirit; no man can judge of their eternal condition by the manner of any of these kinds of deaths. He that dies quietly, suddenly, or under consternation of spirit, may go to heaven, or may go to hell, no man can tell whether a man goes, by any such manner of death. The judgment, therefore, that we make of the eternal condition of man, must be gathered from another consideration; to wit,

Did the man die in his sins? Did he die in unbelief? Did he die before he was born again? Then he is gone to the devil and hell, though he died never so quietly. Again, Was the man a good man? Had he faith and holiness was he a lover and worshipper of God by Christ, according to his word? Then he is gone to God and heaven, how suddenly, or in what consternation of mind soever he died. But Mr Badman was naught, his life was evil, his ways were evil, evil to his end: Hetherefore went to hell and to the devil, how quietly soever he died.

Indeed there is, in some cases, a judgment to be made of a man's eternal condition by the manner of the death he dieth. As suppose now a man should murder himself, or live a wicked life, and after that die in utter despair; these men without doubt do both of them go to hell. And here I will take an occasion to speak of two of Mr Badman's brethren (for you know I told you before that he had brethren) and of the manner of their death. One of them killed himself, and the other after a wicked life died in utter despair. Now I should not be afraid to conclude of both these, that they went by and through their death to hell.

Atten. Pray tell me concerning the first, how he made away with himself?

Wise. Why, he took a knife and cut his own throat, and immediately gave up the ghost and died. Now, what can we judge of

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