Life and Death of Mr. Badman | Page 6

but such as with him conspired against their own souls in their
life; persons whose transgressions have made them infamous to all that
have or shall know what they have done.
Some notice therefore I have also here in this little discourse given the
Reader, of them who were his Confederates in his life, and Attendants
at his death; with a hint, either of some high Villany committed by
them, as also of those Judgments that have overtaken and fallen upon
them from the just and revenging hand of God. All which are things
either fully known by me, as being eye and ear-witness thereto, or that I
have received from such hands, whose relation as to this, I am bound to
believe. And that the Reader may know them from other things and

passages herein contained, I have pointed at them in the Margent, as
with a finger thus: {2a}
Thirdly, The Funerals of persons of Quality have been solemnized with
some suitable Sermon at the time and place of their Burial; but that I
am not come to as yet, having got no further than to Mr. Badmans
death: but for as much as he must be buried, after he hath stunk out his
time before his beholders, I doubt not but some such that we read are
appointed to be at the burial of Gog, will do this work in my stead; such
as shall leave him neither skin nor bone above ground, but shall set a
sign by it till the buriers have buried it in the Valley of Hamon-gog,
Ezek. 39.
Fourthly, At Funerals there does use to be Mourning and lamentation,
but here also Mr. Badman differs from others; his Familiars cannot
lament his departure, for they have not sence of his damnable state;
they rather ring him, and sing him to Hell in the sleep of death, in
which he goes thither. Good men count him no loss to the world, his
place can well be without him, his loss is only his own, and 'tis too late
for him to recover that dammage or loss by a Sea of bloody tears, could
he shed them. Yea, God has said, he will laugh at his destruction, who
then shall lament for him, saying, Ah! my brother. He was but a
stinking Weed in his life; nor was he better at all in his death: such may
well be thrown over the wall without sorrow, when once God has
plucked them up by the roots in his wrath.
Reader, If thou art of the race, linage, stock or fraternity of Mr. Badman,
I tell thee before thou readest this Book, thou wilt neither brook the
Author nor it, because he hath writ of Mr. Badman as he has. For he
that condemneth the wicked that die so, passeth also the sentence upon
the wicked that live. I therefore expect neither credit of, nor
countenance from thee, for this Narration of thy kinsmans life.
For thy old love to thy Friend, his wayes, doings, &c. will stir up in
thee enmity rather, in thy very heart, against me. I shall therefore
incline to think of thee, that thou wilt rent, burn, or throw it away in
contempt: yea and wish also, that for writing so notorious a truth, some
mischief may befall me. I look also to be loaded by thee with disdain,

scorn and contempt; yea that thou shouldest railingly and vilifyingly
say, I lye, and am a bespatterer of honest mens lives and deaths. For Mr.
Badman, when himself was alive, could not abide to be counted a
Knave (though his actions told all that went by, that indeed he was such
an one:) How then should his brethren, that survive him, and that tread
in his very steps, approve of the sentence that by this Book is
pronounced against him? Will they not rather imitate Corah, Dathan,
and Abiram's friends, even rail at me for condemning him, as they did
at Moses for doing execution?
I know 'tis ill pudling in the Cockatrices den, and that they run hazards
that hunt the Wild-Boar. The man also that writeth Mr. Badmans life,
had need to be fenced with a Coat of Mail, and with the Staffe of a
Spear, for that his surviving friends will know what he doth: but I have
adventured to do it, and to play, at this time, at the hole of these Asps;
if they bite, they bite; if they sting, they sting. Christ sends his Lambs
in the midst of Wolves, not to do like them, but to suffer by them for
bearing plain testimony against their bad deeds: But had one not need
to walk with a Guard, and to have a Sentinel stand at ones door for