Wise. His wife! Aye,1 and a many good people besides: it was noised all over the Town, what a great change there was wrought upon Mr. Badman; how sorry he was for his sins, how he began to love his wife, how he desired good men should pray to God to spare him; and what promises he now made to God in his sickness, that if ever he should raise him from his sick bed to health again, what a new penitent man he would be towards God, and what a loving husband to his good wife.
Well, ministers prayed, and good people rejoiced, thinking verily that they now had gotten a man from the Devil; nay, some of the weaker sort did not stick to say that God had began a work of Grace in his heart;2 and his wife, poor woman, you cannot think how apt she was to believe it so; she rejoiced, and she hoped as she would have it. But, alas! alas! in little time things all proved otherwise.
After he had kept his Bed a while,3 his distemper began to abate, and he to feel himself better, so ⟨p. 276⟩he in little time was so finely mended, that he could walk about the house, and also obtained a very fine stomach to his food: and now did his wife and her good friends stand gaping, to see Mr. Badman fulfil his promise of becoming new towards God, and loving to his wife: but the contrary only showed it self. For so soon as ever he had hopes of mending, and found that his strength began to renew, his trouble began to go off his heart, and he grew as great a stranger to his frights and fears, as if he had never had them.
But verily, I am apt to think, that one reason of his no more regarding, or remembering of his sick-bed fears, and of being no better for them, was, some words that the Doctor that supplied him with Physic said to him when he was mending. For as soon as Mr. Badman began to mend, the Doctor comes and sits him down by him in his house, and there fell into discourse with him about the nature of his disease; and among other things they talked of Badmans trouble, ⟨p. 277⟩and how he would cry out, tremble, and express his fears of going to Hell when his sickness lay pretty hard upon him. To which the Doctor replied:4 That those fears and Out-cries did arise from the height of his distemper, for that disease was often attended with lightness of the head, by reason the sick party could not sleep, and for that the vapours disturbed the brain:
Wise. His wife! Aie,1 and a many good people besides: it was noysed all over the Town, what a great change there was wrought upon Mr. Badman; how sorry he was for his sins, how he began to love his wife, how he desired good men should pray to God to spare him; and what promises he now made to God in his sickness, that if ever he should raise him from his sick bed to health again, what a new penitent man he would be towards God, and what a loving husband to his good wife.
Well, ministers prayed, and good people rejoyced, thinking verily that they now had gotten a man from the Devil; nay, some of the weaker sort did not stick to say that God had began a work of Grace in his heart;2 and his wife, poor woman, you cannot think how apt she was to believe it so; she rejoyced, and she hoped as she would have it. But, alas! alas! in little time things all proved otherwise.
After he had kept his Bed a while,3 his distemper began to abate, and he to feel himself better, so ⟨p. 276⟩he in little time was so finely mended, that he could walk about the house, and also obtained a very fine stomach to his food: and now did his wife and her good friends stand gaping, to see Mr. Badman fulfill his promise of becoming new towards God, and loving to his wife: but the contrary only shewed it self. For so soon as ever he had hopes of mending, and found that his strength began to renew, his trouble began to goe off his heart, and he grew as great a stranger to his frights and fears, as if he had never had them.
But verily, I am apt to think, that one reason of his no more regarding, or remembring of his sick-bed fears, and of being no better for them, was, some words that the Doctor that supplied him with Physick said to him when he was mending. For as soon as Mr. Badman began to mend, the Doctor comes and sits him down by him in his house, and there fell into discourse with him about the nature of his disease; and among other things they talked of Badmans trouble, ⟨p. 277⟩and how he would cry out, tremble, and express his fears of going to Hell when his sickness lay pretty hard upon him. To which the Doctor replyed:4 That those fears and Out-cries did arise from the height of his distemper, for that disease was often attended with lightness of the head, by reason the sick party could not sleep, and for that the vapours disturbed the brain:
- 1The Towntalk of Mr. Badmans change.
- 2His wife is comforted.
- 3Mr. Badman recovers and returns to his old course.
- 4Ignorant physicians kill souls while they cure bodies.Ignorant physicians kill souls while they cure bodyes.
