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 this? Verily, the flesh would be glad of such help; yea, a spiritual man, could he tell how to get it. Acts 23. But I am stript naked of these, and yet am commanded to be faithful in my servi[c]e for Christ. Well then, I have spoken what I have spoken, and now come on me what will, Job 13. 13. True, the Text sayes, Rebuke a scorner, and he will hate thee; and that, He that reproveth a wicked man, getteth himself a Blot and Shame; but what then? Open rebuke is better than secret love; and
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