Life and Death of Mr. Badman by John Bunyan
page 24 of 244 (09%)
page 24 of 244 (09%)
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for he was far from them, but for that, as I greatly fear, he hath,
as was hinted before, died two deaths at once. Atten. I perceive what you mean by two deaths at once; and to speak truth, 'tis a fearfull thing thus to have ground to think of any: for although the death of the ungodly and sinners is laid to heart but of few, yet to die in such a state, is more dreadful and fearful than any man can imagine. Indeed if a man had no Soul, if his state was not truely Immortal, the matter would not be so much; but for a man to be so disposed of by his Maker, as to be appointed a sensible being for ever, and for him too to fall into the hands of revenging Justice, that will be always, to the utmost extremity that his sin deserveth, punishing of him in the dismal dungeon of Hell, this must needs be unutterably sad, and lamentable. Wise. There is no man, I think, that is sensible of the worth of one Soul, but must, when he hears of the death of unconverted men, be stricken with sorrow and grief: because, as you said well, that mans state is such, that he has a sensible being for ever. For 'tis sense that makes punishment heavy. But yet sense is not all that the Damned have, they have sense and reason too; so then, as Sense receiveth punishment with sorrow because it feels, and bleeds under the same, so by Reason, and the exercise thereof, in the midst of torment, all present Affliction is aggravated, and that three manner of wayes: 1. Reason will consider thus with himself; For what am I thus tormented? and will easily find 'tis for nothing but that base and filthy thing, Sin; and now will Vexation be mixed with Punishment, and that will greatly heighten the Affliction. |
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