Life and Death of Mr. Badman, John Bunyan [popular ebook readers TXT] 📗

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. {104c} 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, {104d} &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. {104e}

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 {105a} 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: {105b} 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. {105c} 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, {105d} because he will change dispensations with men, and because he will trye their Graces. {105e} 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. {105f}

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. {106a} 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: {107a} 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. {107b} 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. {107c}

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. {107d} Some have just Weights but false Ballances, and by vertue of those false Ballances, by their just Weights, they deceive the Countrey: {107e} 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.

Now, having commanded that men have a just Ballance, and testifying that a false one is an abomination to the Lord, he proceedeth also unto weight and measure.

Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great and a small; {107f} that is one to buy by, and another to sell by, as Mr. Badman had. Thou shalt not have in thy house divers measures, a great and a small, (and these had Mr. Badman also) but thou shalt have a perfect and a just weight; a perfect and a just measure shalt thou have, that thy days may be lengthened in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. For all that do such things, (that is, that use false Weights and Measures) and all that do unrighteously are abomination to the Lord. See now both how plentiful, and how punctual the Scripture is in this matter. But perhaps it may be objected, that all this is old Law, and therefore hath nothing to do with us under the New Testament. (Not that I think you, neighbour, will object thus:) Well, to this foolish objection, let us make an Answer. First, he that makes this objection, if he doth it to overthrow the authority of those Texts, {108a} discovereth that himself is first cousen to Mr. Badman: For a Just man is willing to speak reverently of those commands. That man therefore hath, I doubt, but little conscience, if any at all that is good, that thus objecteth against the Text: but let us look into the New Testament, and there we shall see how Christ confirmeth the same: Where he commandeth that men make to others good measure, including also that they make good weight; telling such that doe thus, or those that do it not, that they may be encouraged to do it; Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom; for with the same measure that ye mete withall, it shall be measured to you again: {108b} To wit, both from God and man. For as God will shew his indignation against the false man, by taking away even that he hath, so he will deliver up the false man to the Oppressor, and the Extortioner shall catch from him, as well as he hath catched from his neighbour; therefore another Scripture saith, When thou shalt cease to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee. That the New Testament also, hath an inspection into mens Trading, yea even with their weights and measures, is evident from these general exhortations. {108c} Defraud not; lye not one to another; let no man goe beyond his brother in any matter, for God is the avenger of all such: whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as unto the Lord, doing all in his name, to his glory; and the like. All these injunctions and commandments do respect our life and conversation among men, with reference to our dealing, trading, and so consequently they forbid false, deceitful, yea all doings that are corrupt.

Having thus in a word or two shewed you, that these things are bad; I will next, for the conviction of those that use them, shew you, where God saith they are to be found. {109a}

1. They are not to be found in the house of the good and godly man, for he, as his God, abhorrs them; but they are to be found in the house of evil doers, {109b} such as Mr. Badmans is. Are there, saith the Prophet, yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abomination? {109c} Are they there yet, notwithstanding Gods forbidding, notwithstanding Gods tokens of anger against those that do such things? O how loth is a wicked man to let goe a sweet, a gainful sin, when he hath hold of it! They hold fast deceit, they refuse to let it goe.

2. These deceitful Weights and Measures are not to be found in the house of