Life and Death of Mr. Badman

Atten.  This argueth that Mr. Badman had but little conscience.

Wise.  This argued that Mr. Badman had No Conscience at all; for Conscience, the least spark of a good Conscience cannot endure this.

Atten.  Before we go any further in Mr. Badmans matters, let me desire you, if you please, to give me an answer to these two questions. 245

1.  What do you find in the Word of God against such a practice, as this of Mr. Badmans is? 246

2.  What would you have a man do that is in his Creditors debt, and can neither pay him what be owes him, nor go on in a trade any longer?

Wise.  I will answer you as well as I can.  And first to the first of your questions.  To wit, What I find in the Word of God against such a practice, as this of Mr. Badmans is.

Answ.  The Word of God doth forbid this wickedness; and to make it the more odious in our eyes, it joyns it with Theft and Robbery: Thou shalt not, says God, defraud thy neighbour, nor rob him. 247  Thou shalt not defraud, that is, deceive or beguile.  Now thus to break, is to defraud, deceive and beguile; which is, as you see, forbidden by the God of Heaven: Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, nor rob him.  It is a kind of theft and robbery, thus to defraud, and beguile. 248  It is a wilely robbing of his shop, and picking of his pocket: a thing odious to Reason and Conscience, and contrary to the Law of nature.  It is a designed piece of wickedness, and therefore a double sin.  A man cannot do this great wickedness on a sudden, and through a violent assault of Satan.  He that will commit this sin, must have time to deliberate, that by invention, he may make it formidable, and that with lies and high dissimulations.  He that commits this wickedness, must first hatch it upon his bed, beat his head about it, and lay his plot strong: So that to the completing of such a wickedness, there must be adjoyned many sins, and they too, must go hand in hand untill it be compleated.  But what saith the Scripture? 249250  Let no man go beyond, and defraud his Brother in any matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such.  But this kind of Breaking is a going beyond my Brother; This is a compassing of him about that I may catch him in my net; and as I said, an art to rob my Brother, and to pick his pocket, and that with his consent.  Which doth not therefore mitigate, but so much the more greaten and make odious the offence.  For men that are thus wilily abused cannot help themselves, they are taken in a deceitfull net.  But God will here concern himself, he will be the avenger, he will be the avenger of all such either here or in another world.

And this, the Apostle testifies again, where he saith; 251 But he that doth wrong, shall receive for the wrong that he hath done, and there is no respect of persons. 252  That is, there is no man, be he what he will, if he will be guilty of this sin, of going beyond, of beguiling of, and doing wrong to his Brother, but God will call him to an account for it, and will pay him with vengeance for it too; for there is no respect of persons.

I might add, that this sin of wronging, of going beyond, and defrauding of my Neighbour, it is like that first prank that the Devil plaid with our first Parents, 253 (as the Altar that Uriah built for Ahaz, was taken from the fashion of that that stood at Damascus, to be the very pattern of it.)  The Serpent beguiled me, says Eve; Mr. Badman beguiles his Creditors.  The Serpent beguiled Eve with lying promises of gain; and so did Mr. Badman beguile his Creditors.  The Serpent said one thing and meant another, when he beguiled Eve; and so did Mr. Badman when he beguiled his Creditors.

That man therefore that doth thus deceive and beguile his neighbour, imitateth the Devil; he taketh his examples from him, and not from God, the Word, or good men: and this did Mr. Badman.

And now to your second question: To wit, What I would have a man do, that is in his Creditors debt, and that can neither pay him, nor go on in a trade any longer? 254

Answ.  First of all.  If this be his case, and he knows it, let him not run one penny further in his Creditors debt.  For that cannot be done with good conscience.  He that knowes he cannot pay, and yet will run into debt; does knowingly wrong and defraud his neighbour, and falls under that sentence of the Word of God, The wicked borroweth and payeth not again.  Yea worse, he borrows though at the very same time he knows that he cannot pay again.  He doth also craftily take away what is his Neighbours.  That is therefore the first thing that I would propound to such: Let him not run any further into his Creditors debt. 255

Secondly, After this, let him consider, 256 how, and by what means he was brought into such a condition, that he could not pay his just debts.  To wit, whether it was by his own remisness in his Calling, by living too high in Dyet or Apparel, by lending too ravishingly that which was none of his own, to his loss; or whether by the immediate hand and Judgment of God.

If by searching, he findes, that this is come upon him through remisness in his Calling, Extravagancies in his Family, or the like; let him labour for a sence of his sin and wickedness, 257 for he has sinned against the Lord: First, in his being slothfull in business, and in not providing, to wit, of is own, by the sweat of his brows, or other honest ways, for those of his own house. 258  And secondly in being lavishing in Dyet and Apparel in the Family, or in lending to others that which was none of his own.  This cannot be done with good conscience: it is both against reason and nature, and therefore must be a sin against God.  I say therefore, if thus this debtor hath done, if ever he would live quietly in conscience, and comfortably in his condition for the future, let him humble himself before God, and repent of this his wickedness.  For he that is slothfull in his work, is brother to him that is a great waster. 259  To be slothfull and a waster too, is to be as it were a double sinner.

But again, as this man should enquire into these things, so he should also into this.  How came I into this way of dealing in which I have now miscarried? is it a way that my Parents brought me up in, put me Apprentice to, or that by providence I was first thrust into? or is it a way into which I have twisted my self, as not being contented with my first lot, that by God and my Parents I was cast into?  This ought duly to be considered. 260  And if upon search, a man shall find that he is out of the place and Calling into which he was put by his Parents, or the Providence of God, and has miscarried in a new way, that through pride and dislike of his first state he as chose rather to embrace; his miscarriage is his sin, the fruit of his Pride, and a token of the Judgment of God upon him for his leaving of his first state.  And for this he ought, as for the former, to be humble and penitent before the Lord.

But if by search, 261 he finds, that his poverty came by none of these; if by honest search, he finds it so, and can say with good conscience, I went not out of my place and state in which God by his providence had put me; but have abode with God in the calling wherein I was called, and have wrought hard, and fared meanly, been civilly apparelled, and have not directly, nor indirectly made away with my Creditors goods: Then has his fall come upon him by the immediate hand of God, whether by visible or invisible wayes.  For sometimes it comes by visible wayes, to wit, by Fire, by Thieves, by loss of Cattel, or the wickedness of sinful dealers, &c.  And sometimes by means invisible, and then no man knows how; we only see things are going, but cannot see by what way they go.  Well, Now suppose that a man, by an immediate hand of God is brought to a morsel of Bread, what must he do now? 262

I answer: His surest way is still to think, that this is the fruit of some sin, though possibly not sin in the management of his calling, yet of some other sin.  God casteth away the substance of the wicked.  Therefore let him still humble himself before his God, because his hand is upon him, and say, What sin is this, for which this hand of God is upon me? and let him be diligent to find it out, for some sin is the cause of this Judgment; for God doth not willingly afflict nor grieve the children of men.  Either the heart is too much set upon the world, or Religion is too much neglected in thy Family, or some thing.  There is a Snake in the grass, a Worm in the gourd; some sin in thy bosom, for the sake of which God doth thus deal with thee.

Thirdly, This thus done, let that man again consider thus with himself: Perhaps God is now changing of my Condition and state in the world; he has let me live in fashion, in fulness, and abundance of worldly glory, and I did not to his glory improve, as I should, that his good dispensation to me. 263  But when I lived in full and fat pasture, I did there lift up the heel: Therefore he will now turn me into hard Commons, that with leanness, and hunger, and meanness, and want, I may spend the rest of my days.  But let him do this without murmering, and repining; let him do it in a godly manner, submitting himself to the Judgment of God.  Let the rich rejoyce in that he is made low. 264

This is duty, and it may be priviledg to those that are under this hand of God.  And for thy encouragement to this hard work, (for this is a hard work) consider of these four things. 265

1.  This is right lying down under Gods hand, and the way to be exalted in Gods time: when God would have Job embrace the Dunghill, he embraces it, and says, The Lord giveth, and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord. 266

2.  Consider, That there are blessings also that attend a low condition, more than all the world are aware of.  A poor condition has preventing mercy attending of it.  The poor, because they are poor, are not capable of sinning against God as the rich man does.

3.  The Poor can more clearly see himself preserved by the providence of God than the rich, for he trusteth in the abundance of his riches. 267

4.  It may be God has made thee poor, because he would make thee rich.  Hearken my beloved brethren, hath not God chosen the poor of this world, rich in Faith, and heirs of a Kingdom which God hath promised to them that love him? 268

I am perswaded, if men upon whom this hand of God is, would thus quietly lye down, and humble themselves under it, they would find more peace, yea, more blessing of God attending them in it, than the most of men are aware of.  But this is an hard Chapter, and therefore I do not expect that many should either read it with pleasure, or desire to take my counsel.

Having thus spoken to the Broken man, with reference to his own self; I will now speak to him as he stands related to his Creditors.

In the next place therefore, let him fall upon the most 269 honest way of dealing with his Creditors, and that I think must be this.

First, Let him timely make them acquainted with his condition, and also do to them these three things.

1.  Let him heartily, and unfeignedly ask them forgiveness for the wrong that he has done them.

2.  Let him proffer them all, and the whole all that ever he has in the world; let him hide nothing, let him strip himself to his raiment for them; let him not keep a Ring, a Spoon, or any thing from them.

3.  If none of these two will satisfie them, let him proffer them his Body, to be at their dispose, to wit, either to abide imprisonment their pleasure, or to be at their service, till by labour and travel he hath made them such amends as they in reason think fit, (only reserving something for the succour of his poor and distressed Family out of his labour, which in Reason, and Conscience, and Nature, he is bound also to take care of:)  Thus shall he make them what amends he is able, for the Wrong that he hath done them in wasting and spending of their Estates.

By thus doing, he submits himself to Gods rod, commits himself to the dispose of his Providence; yea, by thus doing, he casteth the lot of his present and future condition into the lap of his Creditors, and leaves the whole dispose thereof to the Lord, 270 even as he shall order and incline their hearts to do with him.  And let that be either to forgive him; or to take that which he hath for satisfaction; or to lay his body under affliction, this way or that, according to Law; can he, I say, thus leave the whole dispose to God, let the issue be what it will, that man shall have peace in his mind afterward.  And the comforts of that state, (which will be comforts that attend Equity, Justice, and Duty,) will be more unto him, because more according to Godliness, than can be the comforts that are the fruits of Injustice, Fraudulency, and Deceit.  Besides, this is the way to engage God to favour him by the sentence of his Creditors; (for He can entreat them to use him kindly,) and he will do it when his ways are pleasing in his sight: When a mans ways please the Lord, his enemies shall be at peace with him; 271 And surely, for a man to seek to make restitution for wrongs done, to the utmost of his power, by what he is, has, and enjoys in this world, is the best way, in that capacity, and with reference to that thing, that a man can at this time be found active in.

But he that doth otherwise, abides in his sin, refuses to be disposed of by the Providence of God, chuseth an high Estate, though not attained in Gods way; when Gods Will is, that he should descend into a low one: yea, he desperately saith in his heart and actions, I will be mine own chooser, and that in mine own way, whatever happens or follows thereupon.

Atten.  You have said well, in my mind.  But suppose now, that Mr. Badman was here, could he not object as to what you have said, saying, Go and teach your Brethren, that are Professors, this lesson, for they, as I am, are guilty of Breaking; yea I am apt to think, of that which you call my Knavish way of breaking; to wit, of breaking before they have need to break.  But if not so, yet they are guilty of neglect in their Calling, 272 of living higher, both in Fare and Apparrel, than their Trade or Income will maintain.  Besides, that they do break, all the world very well knowes, and that they have the art to plead for a composition, is very well known to men; and that it is usual with them, to hide their Linnen, their Plate, their Jewels, and (’tis to be thought, sometimes Money and Goods besides,) is as common as four eggs a penny.  And thus they beguile men, debauch their consciences, sin against their Profession, and make, ’tis to be feared, their lusts in all this, and the fulfilling of them, their end.  I say, if Mr. Badman was here to object thus unto you, what would be your reply?

Wise.  What!  Why I would say, I hope no Good man, no man of good conscience, no man that either feareth God, regardeth the credit of Religion, the peace of Gods people, or the salvation of his own soul, will do thus.

Professors, such perhaps there may be, and who, upon earth can help it?  Jades there be of all colours. 273  If men will profess, and make their profession a stalking-Horse to beguile their neighbours of their estates, as Mr. Badman himself did, when he beguiled her that now is with sorrow his wife, who can help it?  The Churches of old were pestered with such, and therefore no marvel if these perilous difficult times be so.  But mark how the Apostle words it: Nay do wrong and defraud, and that your Brethren: Know you not, that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God?  Be not deceived, neither Fornicator, nor Idolaters, nor Adulterers, nor Effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with Mankind, nor Thieves, nor Covetous, nor Drunkards, nor Revilers, nor Extortioners, shall inherit the Kingdom of God. 274

None of these shall be saved in this state, nor shall profession deliver them from the censure of the Godly, when they shall be manifest such to be.  But their profession we cannot help: How can we help it, if men should ascribe to themselves the title of Holy ones, Godly ones, Zealous ones, Self-denying ones, or any other such glorious title? and while they thus call themselves, they should be the veryest Rogues for all evil, sin, and villany imaginable, who could help it?  True, they are a scandal to Religion, a grief to the honest hearted, an offence to the world, and a stumbling stone to the weak, and these offences have come, do come, and will come, do what all the world can; but wo be to them through whom they come; 275 let such professors therefore disowned by all true Christians, and let them be reckoned among those base men of the world which by such actions they most resemble: They are Mr. Badmans Kindred.

For 276 they are a shame to Religion, I say these slithy, rob-Shop, pick-pocket men, they are a shame to Religion, and religious men should be ashamed of them.  God puts such an one among the Fools of the world, therefore let not Christians put them among those that are wise for heaven.  As the Partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not, so he that getteth riches and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his dayes, and at his end shall be a fool. 277  And the man under consideration is one of these, and therefore must look to fall by this Judgment.

A professor! and practice such villianies as these! such an one is not worthy to bear that name any longer.  We may say to such as the Prophet spake to their like, to wit, to the rebellious that were in the house of Israel.  Goe ye, serve every man his Idols:—If ye will not hearken to the Law and Testament of God, to lead your lives thereafter: but pollute Gods holy name no more with your Gifts, and with your Idols. 278

Goe professors, Goe; leave off profession, unless you will lead your lives according to your profession.  Better never profess, than to make profession a stalking-horse to sin, Deceit, to the Devil, and Hell.

The ground and rules of Religion allow not any such thing: Receive us, says the Apostle, we have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man. 279  Intimating, that those that are guilty of wronging, corrupting or defrauding of 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 Rhetorick, and Eloquent speaking prove themselves fit for the Kingdom of Heaven, or men of good conscience on earth. 280  O that godly plea of Samuel: Behold here I am, says he, witness against me, before the Lord, and before his Anointed, whose Oxe have I taken, or whose Ass have I taken, or whom have I defrauded, whom have I oppressed, 281 &c?  This was to do like a man of good conscience indeed.  And in this his Appeal, he was so justified in the consciencies of the whole Congregation, that they could not but with one voice, as with one mouth, break out joyntly and say, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us. 282

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 onely in the sight of God, but of all men; that he may adorn the Doctrine if God our Saviour in all things.

Atten.  But 283 suppose God should blow upon a Professor 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: 284 If he hath dutifully done what he could to avoid it.  It is possible for a Ship to sink at sea, notwithstanding the most faithfull 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. 285  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.

If God would blow upon a man, who can help it? and he will do so sometimes, 286 because he will change dispensations with men, and because he will trye their Graces. 287  Yea, also because he will overthrow the wicked with his Judgments; and all these things are seen in Job.  But then the consideration 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 begg of God his blessing upon their endeavours, their honest and lawfull endeavours.  And it should put them upon a diligent looking to their steps, that if in their going they should hear the Ice crack, they may timely goe back again.

These things considered, and duely 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, in all things, I am instructed both to be full, and to be hungry, both to abound, and to suffer need. 288

Atten.  But Mr. Badman would not, I believe, have put this difference ’twixt 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 a weary of my relating of things?

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

Wise.  I profess not my self an artist that 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 have shewed with his Creditors, so now) with his Customers, and those that he had otherwise to deal withall.

He dealt by deceitfull Weights and Measures. 289  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 he sold by were too little.

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 faithfull 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. Badmans 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, 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 Bruits in many things, do abominate and abhorr 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 loved it.

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

Wise.  I will willingly do it.  And first we will look into the Old Testament: 290 You shall, saith God there, do no unrighteousness in Judgment, in mete-yard, in weights or in measures, a just Ballance, a just Weight, a just Ephah, and a just Hin shall you have. 291  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 Ballances, and a just Ephah, &c. 292

Now having shewed you the Law, I will also shew you how God takes swerving therefrom.  A false Ballance is not good; a false Ballance is an abomination to the Lord. 293  Some have just Weights but false Ballances, and by vertue of those false Ballances, by their just Weights, they deceive the Countrey: 294 Wherefore, God first of all commands that the Ballance be made Just: A just Ballance shalt thou have.  Else they may be, yea are, decievers, notwithstanding their just weights.