Christian ethics -- Fiction; Christian fiction; Conduct of life -- Fiction
Wise. This is almost like Saul, who being forsaken of God, went to the
Witch of Endor, and so to the Devil for help. {170a} But alas, should
I set my self to collect these dreadful Stories, it would be easie in
little time to present you with hundreds of them: But I will conclude
as I began; They that are their own Murderers, or that die in Despair,
after they have lived a life of wickedness, do surely go to Hell.
And here I would put in a Caution: Every one that dieth under
consternation of spirit; that is, under amazement and great fear, do
not therefore die in Despair: For a good man may have this for his
bands in his death, and yet go to Heaven and Glory. For, as I said
before, He that is a good man, a man that hath Faith and Holiness, a
lover and Worshipper of God by Christ, according to his Word, may die
in consternation of spirit: for Satan will not be wanting to assault
good men upon their death-bed, but they are secured by the Word and
Power of God; yea, and are also helped, though with much agony of
spirit, to exercise themselves in Faith and Prayer, the which he that
dieth in Despair, can by no means doe. But let us return to Mr. Badman,
and enter further Discourse of the manner of his Death.
Atten. I think you and I are both of a mind; for just now I was
thinking to call you back to him also. And pray now, since it is your
own motion to return again to him, let us discourse a little more of
his quiet and still death.
Wise. With all my heart. You know we were speaking before of the manner
of Mr. Badmans death: {171a} How that he dyed very stilly and quietly;
upon which you made observation, that the common people conclude,
that if a man dyes quietly, and as they call it, like a Lamb, he is
certainly gone to Heaven: when alas, if a wicked man dyes quietly, if a
man that has all his dayes lived in notorious sin, dyeth quietly; his
quiet dying is so far off from being a sign of his being saved, that it
is an uncontrollable proof of his damnation. This was Mr. Badmans case,
he lived wickedly even to the last, and then went quietly out of the
world: therefore Mr. Badman is gone to Hell.
Att. Well, but since you are upon it, and also so confident in it, to
wit, that a man that lives a wicked life till he dyes, and then dyes
quietly, is gone to Hell; let me see what shew of proof you have for
this your opinion.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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