LIFES PRESERVATIVE AGAINST SELF-KILLING OR AN VSEFVL TREATISE Concerning Life and Self-murder SHEWING The Kindes and Meanes of them both The Excellency and preservation of the former The Evill and prevention of the latter CONTAINING The Resolution of manifold Cases and Questions concerning that Subject with plentifull variety of necessary and usefull Observations and practicall Directions needfull for all Christians Is it lawfull to save life or to kill Mark 3.4 Non est nostrûm mortem arriperc sed oblatam patienter ferre Hieron in Jonam By JOHN SYM Minister of Leigh in Essex LONDON Printed by M. Flesher for R. Dawlman and L. Fawne at the Brazen Serpent in Pauls-Churchyard 1637. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE AND MOST NOBLE LORD ROBERT EARLE OF WARWICK Lord RICH Baron of LEEZE c. My very good LORD and most noble PATRON Increase of Grace Honor and Happinesse Right Honourable THat Eminencie that is in a most excellent Maecenas to supply the defects and meannesse of an obscure Author and that Relation and obligation that a poore Clerk may have to a most noble worthie and respective Patron hath made me presume to make choise of your noble Lordship for a Guardian of this my poore tractate which is of a compounded Denomination consisting of contrary ingredients of life and death of saving and killing by such reflecting acts of the doers upon themselves as make the Agents and patients thereof to be the same individualls The discourse is of a mixt and various nature and the theame of self-killing is the subject both of Divinity and of humanity of Religion and of Law the full handling whereof may be serviceable to the Kings Majestie for preservation of the lives of his people against the blowes and mortall wounds of a self-killing hand and may be usefull for the publick good of the Church and of the Common wealth both for the safety of the soules and bodies of their members and also in point of Honour that the government of so gracious a King and the glory of so famous a Nation may not be ignominiously stayned by self-murdring practises In which respects it was most requisite that I should dedicate the treatise of that nature to such a noble Guardian as hath a most speciall care to uphold and advance both Religion and Iustice the honour of the King and kingdome and the welfare both of Church and Commonwealth in all the members of the same as your Honourable Lordship alwaies hath in the places of your imployment and residence which in cognizance of us in the Ministery is specially apparent by your noble and pious care of providing able painefull and godly Ministers to the Churches under your speciall Patronage bestowing your Church-livings both freely and to the fittest and best deserving that you can finde for those places and countenancing and furthering the Clergie what you can in all godly and legall courses whereby multitudes of soules being saved and the Church of England under our Soveraigne the King advanced and supported in the Honour of her Ministery all have cause to praise God and to pray to God for your Lordship and for your noble Family the honourable instruments of so much divine and publick good whereof many blessed soules in heaven saved by that meanes are witnesses before God to your eternall praise honour and comfort with your renowned progenitors of that practise And I confesse it is the dutie specially of us of the Ministery to write your most Illustrious name and highest Commendations with the poynt of a Dyamond in letters of Gold upon the most durable pillars of perpetuity and ever to celebrate your due praise both for honour of your noble deservings and also for vertuous and pious example and incouragement to all posterity and noble Peeres in that poynt specially of upholding and advancing true Religion and piety both in and by that carefull and conscionable course of bestowing your Church-livings and regarding of your Ministers and also by your constant profession of the truth and according to the same professedly worshipping the true God thereby publickly obliging your selfe to such holines of heart and conversation in walking with God according to the rules of true Religion as may give your Lordship sound and grounded hope of eternall life and may verifie in you the realitie of that most Christian and heroick motto Garde ta foy In a word Divine Providence and Heavens favour hath made your Lordship Rich not onely by nature and name but also in honor and manifold blessings upon you and in much good done by your meanes whereby you stand bound to be accordingly thankfull to God and to be ever mindfull that your Eminency objects your Lordship to the worlds prying observation and to mens rigid censure which requires your more carefull circumspection in your whole conversation that you may be as farre distant from all ignoble vices and sinfull courses which staines and abases Honour and greatnesse and as Illustrious in all vertues and commendable actions as your noble condition is elevated above the common ranck of men which conciliates and procures Honour and comfort of a higher nature and of more lasting continuance than that which can be had from or by Titles and humane dignities or from sycophantizing humoring and flattering that so you may attaine to eternall glory and happines after this short life ended Most noble Lord I commed this treatise to you not onely that you may put credit and respect upon it for publick favour and entertainment and to give encouragement to the Author but also with all observancie to subject it to your judicious censure and my selfe to the service of your Honour and noble Family for the furtherance of the good and salvation of you and yours by the dayly prayers and faithfull labours of him that ever remaines From your Lo ps Leigh in Essex Your Lordships devoted faithfull and obsequious servant in Christ Iohn Sym. THE PREFACE TO THE READERS OF THIS TREATISE AND To my Auditors in my Ministery specially my ever much respected loving Friends and respective Parishioners the Inhabitants of Leigh in Essex Grace and Peace be multiplyed THis Treatise I can neither commend to you from the pleasantnesse of the nature of the subject of it which is about Self-murder that is a wickednesse not to be named among Christians in regard of likeing or practice thereof nor yet can I magnifie it to you for any thing that is simply mine in it although there is much more mine in it than might have beene if there had been full and compleat Tractates made by other men of that subject whence I might have borrowed more and have had more help than now I could to have made this a more perfect and better polished peece I doubt not but it shall be found in the advised and candide perusall thereof to carry in all the passages thereof the impresse and stamp of truth for which it may be worthy of your acceptation both for information of judgment
consideration of nor are subject to self-murder because the law against murder is not given to them who are not properly capable of the same by meanes of their want of reason neither are they subject to this fact and sin of self-murder which by instinct of nature they abhorre and doe alwaies naturally indeavour their owne preservation 3. Rationall life The third kinde of naturall life is that which is called rationall or of reasonable creatures which is proper to men whereby they live besides the life of vegetation and sense common with other earthly living creatures according to reason or in a rationall manner both for the essentiall forme of their natures whereby they are called rationall creatures and also for their thoughts and actions which for their originall principle whence they flow and for the rule whereby they are ordered are reasonable morall and more divine in all their motions than are other earthly creatures if the same be not perverted by some other exorbitant principles or accidents In and under this rationall life of man both the other lives are comprehended as things inferior and subordinate are contained in their superiour and summary head Note Mans perfection The perfections of all other earthly creatures are in man together with or comprehended in that which is proper to himselfe whereby he transcends them all §. 2. Man only is subject to self-murder Notwithstanding that man indowed with understanding hath the greatest helps against self-murder and hath the greatest reason of all worldly creatures to preserve his life it being so excellent above theirs yet he onely of them all is subject to this fault and mischiefe of self-murder The greatnesse of the sin of self-murder And as all the aforesaid three kinds of lives are comprehended for faculty and vertue in mans reasonable life flowing from his reasonable soule as we see in the ceasing of them all in man at once upon the departure of his soule from the body Note so the killing destroying of mans life is absolutely farre greater than the destroying of the lives of all other earthly creatures because both the lives of them all for kinds and also mans own proper life that farre excells them all in the destruction of mans life are destroyed and also all other creatures were made for man for the comfort of whose life all their lives do serve §. 3. How naturall life is knowne by man in whom it is Touching the knowledge of the naturall life of man a reasonable living creature apprehends the same both by sense and understanding This life is knowne 1. by sense by sense a reasonable creature not onely descernes that it lives but also feeles this life by the effects of it to be a quickning power of inlivening the body inwardly and disposing and inabling it to action outwardly 2. By understanding By understanding a man knowes that this life is an act of the spirit or soule in the body of man or a quickning vertue of it in a continued fluxe by the personall union of the soule and body together §. 4. The soules double act of life in man The soules act of life in man This act of the soule in its union with the body is twofold 1. Making the subiect to live First that which respects the bodie it self or rather mans person in that worke or lively energie which we may in some respect call opus ad intra or a reflexe worke of man upon himselfe upon the personall union of the soule and bodie whereby he becomes a living soule Gen. 2.7 for extension in all his parts and for intensiox in fulnesse of lively power for his subsisting and growth to his appointed period and for use of all his organs and faculties for their proper function being thereby also able to discerne take notice and judge of himselfe his state and actions For not the soule only nor the body onely is to be properly said to live after their union together but the person consisting both of soule and body doth live this life which is not the life of either of the natures or parts of man by themselves considered Man lives or dies personally considered but the life of the person of man consisting of both natures personally united And therefore when one kills a man we say not properly that he hath onely killed an earthly body but we say properly that he hath killed such a person as consists of a soule and a body and therefore it is said in Scripture that there were so many soules slaine a Joshua 10.28 not that the immortall spirit is in it selfe subject to such a death or can be slaine but in regard of its Acting and working in its personall union with the bodie whereby both of them live personally together that life which is the life of the person which is destroyed and ceases upon death which is further apparent by this Reason because the murder of a man is so hainous a crime in regard of the destruction of the Image of God in man which is not onely in the body or onely in the soule but is in the whole person of man so long as the same lives 2 Making the subject to worke The second lively act of the soule in this union with the body personally considered is that whereby it makes the body organically fitly disposed and active to those duties which we call opera ad extra works about objects not it selfe which works are the common outward workes of the person consisting of those two natures and not of either of them apart Observe Upon life depends the subsisting and working of the person Whereupon wee may observe that upon this life depends both the subsisting of the person of man in its being and also all its actions naturall civill and morall so that he that kills a man destroyes his person and abolishes all his personall actions and activity whereby he might be serviceable and usefull to God to himselfe to the Church or Commonwealth And yet we see no thing more passionately and rashly enterprised than killing of men than the which nothing should be more deliberately and upon weightier causes done it being no lesser matter than to dissolve heaven and earth by destruction of a person consisting of an heavenly spirit and of an earthly body to destroy the noblest naturall life and to deprive God and the world of the most glorious and profitable workes Such a thing is this naturall life of man generally considered CHAP. 4. Of mans naturall life more specially §. 1. Wherein the naturall life of man consists Mans naturall life is fraile Phil. 1.22 expounded MAns naturall life consists as in part wee have heard in the Act of the soule united personally with the body by meanes of the animall naturall and vitall spirits which the Apostle calls living in the flesh Philip. 1.22 which is to live neither to the flesh to
the doctrine elsewhere in Gods word and sound reason condemning of it 2. The antiquity of self-murder Secondly the Scriptures recording of such facts shews the antiquity of this vile sin which doth not justifie but demonstrate the inveterate maliciousnesse of it rooted and strengthened by age whose continuation from age to age brings forth every yeare new crops 3. It falls out in the Church Thirdly it manifests that even this horrible sinne hath fallen out and still doth fall out in the Church of God among the visible members thereof and by professors of the truth Observe Which points out unto us that what sins soever fall out elsewhere may and doe fall out sometimes within the visible Church a 1 Cor. 10.13 It is not therefore to be said that the doctrine or profession of the truth is the cause of the same or of any such horrible facts breaking out in the Church where the Gospell is professed and practised The truth is blamelesse neither is the Word nor Gods worship nor true Professors to be upbraided nor condemned for such things as are not by them caused nor approved but are condemned reproved and punished Horible crimes fall out in the Church Causes The causes why such horrible facts fall out sometimes in the Church among professors are two 1. The devills malice First the raging malice of the devill specially against the Church and Professors of the truth whereby he endeavours two things 1. To scandall the truth First to scandalize and disgrace the truth that so he may keep off others from embraceing of it incense them against it and harden them in their owne wicked self-pleasing wayes Woe to the world because of offences b Mat. 18.7 2. To blemish the Church Secondly hee endeavours thereby to blemish the Church and to disturbe the comfort and growth of godly professors and to sift and try them to fall that by such reproachfull crimes God may be dishonoured 2. Rage of mans corruption upon opposition The second cause of those notorious facts within the Church is the rage of mans corruption when it prevailes and gets head and vent against the damme and opposition of grace and truth restraining and mortifying of it which then is irritated and rages the more furiously when it gets advantage and breakes out Comparison as waters fed with continuall springs when they overswell the banks that shut them up doe impetuously and unresistably beare all downe before them where they breake out Why grosse sins are most offensive in professors Sinfull and grosse wicked facts breaking out in the Church and among professors of religion are more scandalous and more condemned because they reproach religion and subject the truth to blasphemy §. 3. Self-murderers are apparent by history The second way of discovery of self-murderers Histories 1. Heathen The second way whereby it is seene that divers persous doe murder themselves is humane histories both Heathen and Christian Civill and Ecclesiasticall which are full of such wofull examples as Livie tells us of Lucretia others of Cleopatra Cato Vticensis Empedocles Cleombrotus Ostorius Pomponius Atticus Tullius Marcellinus Cleanthes Dido and many others and Baldovin reports that Inter Turcas Barbaresque gentes Indiaesunt qui se in gratiam suorum dominorum a muris aut turribus praecipitant in signum summae submissionis observantiae Among the Turkes and barbarous nations of the Indies there are some that in favour of their masters doe throw themselves headlong from walls and towers in signe of the highest submission and respect Heathens did murder themselves But it may seem very strange that Heathens in whom nature was so prevalent with humane reason should kill themselves having so little hope of a better life and all their comfort bounded within this present world Reasons That they did it is apparent whereof three reasons may be assigned 1. Want of grace in Christ First their want of grace and faith in Christ to comfort and content their mindes and to strengthen and enable them patiently to suffer adversities and their want of wills to be in every state and thing obedient to God who leaving them to themselves they sunke under the power of their owne temptations So wretched is mans state out of Christ 2. Secondly many Heathens killed themselves out of an affectation of honour and immortality either by fame on earth or by happinesse in a better place after death whereof some of them had an obscure glimpse to which they knew no better speedier way than by this kinde of death which proceeded from their ignorance of a better course to bring them to what they desired and from want of foresight of destruction in the end of that meanes which they used So unhappy a thing it is to be without divine direction 3. Freedome from evills Thirdly of the Heathens that knew no better good than what they had in this world and aymed at no higher end in all their proceedings than their owne good divers of them being in calamitous conditions without hope of other freedome and under despaire of ability to endure as was fit by this course of self-murder laboured to free themselves from these evills after which they looked for no more This is the wisdome of flesh and blood of corrupt nature and carnall reason such as was taught by the Stoicks who were the best morall Philosophers among the heathen Observe They thought self-murder to be lawfull Where wee are to observe that it is no wonder that such did fall into such notorious enormities so long as they thought the same lawfull and fit to bee done and wanted both that illumination in the truth and also the power of grace in Christ which now God hath bestowed upon Christians But it is more to bee marvelled at that Christians who have meanes of more abundant knowledge and grace should dare willingly to run into the same flagitious and capitall courses of the Heathen being Christians in profession but heathens in manners and practise Whereas the consideration of the parties murdering themselves being Heathens should deterre Christians from such vile facts that they may not be worse than heathens in their practise from whom they are so far divided in profession Self-murdering Christians are heathens But Christians that kill themselves upon the same reasons that the heathen doe doe thereby declare that in this point they have nothing of Christians but the name and otherwise are heathens and in that respect are justly to be debarred Christian buriall 2. Ecclesiasticall histories Wee also finde the like examples in Ecclesiasticall and Christian histories as in Eusebius his history lib. 8. cap. 6. Where he sayes Quo tempore fama est viros mulieres etiam divina inexplicabili alacritate suâ sponte in rogum insiluisse In the which time of persecution the fame is that both men and women did of
their owne accord leape into the fire with divine and unutterable cheerefulnesse and Ambrose Ambros lib. 3. de virginibus and others doe note divers professors to have done the like as Pelagia Apollonia and many others Observe Which shewes to us that as all mankinde are sprung from the same roote and are infected with the same disease so are we all lyable to commit the same sins if the Lord doe not renew and keepe us All are sick of the same disease So that wee need not so much to think it strange a member of the visible Church kills himselfe as to admire the gratious goodnesse of God in keeping of us that very many doe not the same in regard both of our owne wicked naturall disposition and outward temptations whereby what betydes men may betyde all men in the same case Observe To depend upon God Here we are to observe that those examples of self-murder recorded within the Church are not registred for imitation but for caution that all Christians may be stirred up the more carefully to cleave to God and thank him for their preservation even from this horrible act of self-murder whereinto many professing Christianity have fallen §. 4. Self-murderers knowne by experience The third way of discovery of self-murderers Experience Thirdly that many do murder themselves it is cleare by wofull experience in all places and ages notwithstanding that they may be terrified frō the same both by the fearefull examples of manifold wreckes of that kinde and also by the doctrine of the truth condemning that vile practise besides manifold other restraints and ignominious censures of that odious course against all which such breakings out doe shew the continued rage and power of Satan against Mankinde and manifest mans madnesse and perversenesse still in all places furiously running upon this most horrible and dismall sinne Hurt of self-murder Whereby men doe most ignominiously shut up the period of their lives with the losse of their good names and with the destruction of their soules for ever depriving their posterity of their estates and uncomfortably overshadowing them with the shamefull disgrace and ill example of their execrable fact of self-murder Vses The uses of this point are specially two 1. To be observant of occurrences First it serves to teach us to be observant of the daily occurrences that fall out from time to time that thereby wee may grow by sense in experimentall knowledge both of facts done and also of the nature and causes of the same whereby we may be wise not only for to direct our owne course aright but also may be able prudently to advise others and to give a right estimate of things that fall out and make a holy use of them So that the longer we live and the world stands we should bee the wiser and better in regard of the helps that we have to know Gods will both by his Word and workes that we may not be carelesly secure of the most haynous crimes Note but without grace and Gods protection neither doctrine nor example is sufficient to withstand mens impetuous wilfull running upon destruction The lamentable spectacles of manifold executions for murders and robberies we may thinke might affright all men from committing the like crimes which we see it doth not Comparison So as the multitude of Shipwracks terrifies not men from going to Sea neither doe examples of frequent miscariages by self-murder prevaile with gracelesse men to hinder them from the like facts Self-murderers not deterred from the fact who doe thereby rather harden themselves to attempt and perpetrate the same Vse 2. Beware of self-muder The second use of this point is to admonish us to abhorre and beware of this odious sin of self-murder which runnes through all times and sorts of people although we may seeme to be out of danger of it in regard of the present distance and opposition betweene us and it yet are we not to be over-secure For the sins which at first we seeme to loath afterwards by degrees through negligence or venturing upon the causes and occasions thereof men doe embrace and commit as we see by the example of Hazael 2 Kings 8.13 Motions of self-murder most hardly shaken off And of all sinnes even the motions and setled purposes of self-murder are most hardly shaken off because all unnaturall and hideous sins breaking impetuously through the strongest hedges and pales of opposition and outragiously overflowing the bankes of all resistance both of nature and grace have nothing left of sufficient force to withstand them but that they rage in that high and transcendent degree without shame or restraint as they list Note the most grosse and unnaturall sinnes are ever done by desperately wicked men with the least remorse of conscience and with the greatest shamelessenesse and obstinacy of will and indivertiblenesse of indeavours The use of examples Touching the use of the examples of self-murderers Augustine sayes well Non quaerimus utrum factum sed utrum faciendum Sana ratio exemplis anteponenda est We enquire not whether self-murder hath beene done but whether it ought to have been done Sound reason is to be preferred before examples CHAP. 14. Of the usuall means and furtherances of self-murdering §. 1. Of the meanes of self-murdering 1. Meanes ABout the fact of Self-murder we are to consider the meanes thereunto used and the application and method thereof by self-murderers None lawfull for that use Meanes there are none proper of lawfull ordination for to doe evill because that the same ought not at all to be done but man either abuses good or devises ill meanes of his owne invention to doe naughtinesse and mischiefe withall Meanes abused The meanes abused by self-murderers to kill themselves are of two sorts 1. Good First such as be destinated and appropriated by God for the good and preservation of mans life as water fire swords are and the like which a self-murderer perverts to drowne burne stab himselfe to death c. 2. Evill The second kinde of meanes of self-murder be those that be evill and sinfull in themselves fitter to destroy than to save such as eating and drinking of poyson throwing ones selfe over rocks as did the Circumcellians or out of windowes or from off high places and turrets with intent to kill themselves as the devill would have had our Saviour Christ to have done a Mat. 4.6 going unwarrantably into the mouth of destruction with purpose to be slaine commanding others to doe it as Abimelech did Iudg. 9.54 hanging ones selfe as Iudas and Ahitophel did fretting or starving ones selfe purposely to death as Pomponius Atticus did or in mortall sicknesse or wounds rejecting the helps of cure by Physick or other meanes and disordering ones selfe purposely that they may thereby die and the like so that for this vile act men are inabled by all the
of feare least others should abuse their bodies would to prevent the same kill themselves as we read of many in the histories of the Church Note And so men taking their owne wayes without advising with God runne into the mischiefe that they would shunne which shewes that mans wisdome is folly and his courses without God madnesse §. 15. Of the true causes of self-murder in afflictions The true causes of self-murder upon this motive of mans sufferings Although these things in this second generall motive doe commonly beare the blame of self-murder in this case because they are most sensible and apparent yet there are other four things more secret and latent which are indeed the true causes of the same 1. Vnbeliefe The first cause is mans unbeliefe whereby he neither beleeves in God from whom and by whom hee might have power in Christ to stand fast in all estates nor yet doth he firmely beleeve and credit God in the Scriptures to entertaine and cleave to the direction of his Word and to rest upon his promises and to be perswaded of the gracious intent and nature of Gods dealing with his in afflictions and of the blessed end thereof Remedy Our eyes to God but as by faith we live so by unbeliefe wee die Iehosaphats drooping heart in his distresse was revived and upheld when his eyes were towards God and hee depended upon him Peter when he doubted he sunke O you self murderers of little faith why doe you doubt in your troubles why doe you not as David rebuke your owne soules and say every one of you Why art thou cast down ô my soul and why art thou disquieted within me hope thou in God for I shall yet praise him who is the health of my countenance and my God a Psal 42.11 2. Impatiency The second true cause of self-murder upon the motive of evill of punishment or calamities of affliction is unruly impatiency and pusillanimity when a man apprehends himself to be overburdened with miseries beyond the meanes that he sees of deliverance out of the same and beyond the strength that he hath in himselfe with any comfort to beare it conceiving his afflictions to bee excessive above his strength or deserving or that they are all from God in his wrath which because he thinkes he cannot beare nor shake them off hee labours to rid himselfe from by killing himselfe The hurt of impatiency Impatiency makes all evills the more intolerable to be borne because it hinders the minde from submitting to the burthen and troubles it by seeking subterfuges of evasion or opportunities to shake off the yoke Who be most impatient To impatiency some are more strongly inclined than others either by naturall temper of excessive choler or else by the deep apprehension of understanding and sense of the objects of discontentment whereunto melancholick persons are most incident Remedies of impatiency In this case to help men against this impatiency they should consider 1. First that they have no good but great hurt thereby both to their bodies and their mindes 2. Secondly their afflictions come from God and are ordered by him who is our wise powerfull and loving father for our good 3. Thirdly the same is the portion of others that are better than we and doe endure more than we doe 4. Fourthly our sufferings are lesse than our deservings 5. Fifthly God turnes them to be blessings to his owne people they are momentany and light wherein God assists those that in them trust in him that they may comfortably above humane strength beare the same 6. Sixthly in the end they shall be recompensed with a farre greater and eternall weight of glory a 2 Cor. 4.17 So that a man shall lose no more by his passive than by his active obedience yea his gaine and reward shall be greater as is the honour of Martyrs above Confessors 3. Pride The third true cause of self-murder upon afflictions is stubborne Pride that will not let a man in whom it is buckle to be willingly in that estate of adversity wherein God would have him to bee Est factum hominum superborum pusillâ—nimorum mortem sibi inserentium David a Mauden but will rather make him venture breaking of the mast than to let him lower his sailes in a storme This pride proceeds from an over-weining conceit either of our owne worth for deservings or of our owne wisdome for intelligence and prudence whereby we conceive that the estate that we would have is more due and fit for us than that wherein wee are Whence pride proceeds Whereupon wee preferre our owne wills before Gods and accordingly to have our wills we are apt to use the meanes of our own fond devising how unlawfull soever they bee even to self-murder Remedies against pride 1. Knowledge of a mans selfe The best remedy against this pride is first a thorow knowledge by the Word of a mans selfe how unworthy and unsufficient he is and the apprehension of Gods mercifull affection and dealing towards him having his eye cast ever upon the promises of God to support him 2. Self-deniall Secondly pride is overthrowne by mans self-deniall when he doth in all things so farre resigne himselfe to God that he denies his owne wisdome will and wayes submitting himselfe to be disposed of by Gods will and obediently conforming himselfe thereunto as David did 2 Sam. 15.26 God resists the proud and exalts the humble 4. Pusillanimity The fourth cause of self-murder upon crosses and afflictions is pusillanimity or weaknesse of minde whereby some are not able to indure to live to brooke or suffer some kinde of wrongs done to them indeed or as they conceive as husbands and wives under extremity of Iealonsie or certainty of knowledge that their conjugall consorts doe give their loves and make their bodies common to others And as passionate suters and persons deeply inamoured and over-ingaged in their affections to those whom they ambitiously and over-eagerly seeke or presume to enjoy who see or conceit themselves to be repudiated neglected or forsaken by their wel-beleved after past promises or strong hopes or immoderate desires of enjoying them of both which sorts of people divers doe choose rather to die by their owne hands than that they will indure to live rejected and to see others to enjoy that which they would as their lives possesse alone to themselves Vnreasonablenesse of the fact of self-murder in this case But this is most unreasonable and impious that any one for another bodies fault should do a worse themselves and that hee or shee in recompense of such a wrong done to them should doe themselves a far greater injury in their owne unrecoverable self-destruction passion prevailing makes mad and weaknesse makes men doe the greatest acts of impotency If wee in Christ enjoy our good God and if withall we possesse the peace of
company Page 102 119 Sixe cases of desperate hazard Page 112 Three exempt cases Page 125. 127. 143. Two cases Page 141 Foure cases of adventuring life for Religion and salvation Page 143 144 145 146. 149 Of five exempt cases Page 172 Caveat A caveat against vaine praise of self-murderers Page 194 Cause there is no true cause of sinfull evill Page 191 The true causes of self-murder upon the occasion of afflictions Page 225 Censuring of censuring beware Page 231 Certainty Of the certainty that many men murder themselves Page 176 Cheerefulnesse a preservative of naturall life Page 13 Christians murdering themselves are most blameable Page 179 Self-murdering Christians are indeed worse than Heathens Page 180 Church In the Church self-murder fals out Page 177 To the Church self-murder is hurtfull Page 273 The Churches judgement of self-murderers Page 297 Commission of evill how to be avoided Page 149 Of Common-place Preaching Page 196 Common-wealth The Common-wealth is wronged by self-murder Page 271 Condemned persons may not kill themselves Page 265 How a condemned person is to submit to take his inflicted death Page 266 Concealement Of concealement of troubles beware Page 231 Conference Christian conference and company how usefull Page 29 Confession Of confession to prevent self-murder with the Caveats benefits and hinderances of it Page 316 unto page 323 Of confession of truth with danger of life for the same Page 145 Confiscation Of confiscation of the goods of self-murderers Page 278 Conscience A troubled conscience an occasion of self-killing Page 217 For case of conscience troubled about crimes what is to be done Page 137 Ease of conscience is not from our selves Page 219 About ease of conscience by ill meanes Page 235 For peace of conscience what is to be done Page 236 Distressed conscience cause of spirituall phrensie Page 251 Consider What men should consider Page 289 Consideration of our courses Page 157 Contemners of the meanes of life Page 61 Contentment good against self-murder Page 312 Conversion Of mans conversion Page 30 Covenant Of covenant with persons destinate to destruction Page 119 Course Our morall course in this life fore-shewes our future estate Page 79 Ill courses are harmfull Page 158 Covetousness cause of self-murder Page 215 Councill of Bracara against self-murder Page 277 Creatures The most noble creatures faile most Page 189 The degrees of the creatures being Page 274 The creatures by nature condemne self-murder Page 283 Custome Some customes cause of error in judgement Page 192 Custome in India and Lemnos Page 193 Of custome contrary to reason and Religion Page 194 Customes ought to bee examined whether they be wicked ibid. D Damneds misery in hell Page 166 Danger Prevention of dangers neglected cause of self-murder Page 92 Danger of self-murder how not knowne Page 188 Dangers upon delivery from temptations of self-murder Page 325 Dangerous undertakings how to be shunned Page 17 Dangerous persons and places are occasions of indirect self-murder Page 93 It is dangerous to give way to Satan Page 188 Darings Deadly attempts upon darings self-murderous Page 116 Deadly things to be resisted Page 16 Death is a thing of great importance Page 1 Of death in murder Page 48 Benefit of death encourages Page 126 Vncertaine death for certaine publick good Page 128 Certaine death for Superiours and friends Page 129 Certaine death for certaine and greater publick good Page 131 Death is not the ultimate end of self-murder Page 163 Touching our deaths we are onely to be passive Page 206 Death worse than affliction Page 229 Death is not subjected by God to mans free will Page 276 Deceived Many men are deceived in their estates Page 155 Men are more deceived in the meanes than in the end Page 143 Discerne How to discerne things that differ Page 172 Destinie How conceit of destiny perverts judgement Page 201 Decrees Mans ignorance of Gods decree Page 204 No man is saved for fulfilling the will of Gods decree Page 205 The will of Gods decree none can overthrow ibid. Defence In defence of Religion what is to be done Page 144 Deficiency of man in Adam and in himselfe to be saved Page 59. unto 66. Degrees Of the degrees of sin Page 89 Denomination is given from habit and practise Page 175 Deodands How self-murderers goods be deodands Page 278. 299 Desire of death lawfull and unlawfull Page 257 Desperation cause of wicked revenge of sin upon ones selfe Page 235 Desperation a degree of entrance into self-murder Page 256 Destroy To destroy is the effect and end of self-murder Page 160 Destruction For destruction way is made by ignorance Page 210 Die To die in what estate is bad Page 281 Difference of sins Page 76 Difference betweene direct and indirect self-murder Page 85 Direct bodily self-murder defined Page 84 How direct bodily self-murder is greater than indirect Page 88 Direct bodily self-murder what it is in the nature of it Page 159 Of direct self-murderers Page 175 Direct self-murder is a morall and mortall act Page 159 Disappointment of mens passions and affections Page 219 Discontentment cause of self-murder ibid. Disease Of the same disease all are sick Page 180 Inbred diseases occasioning self-murder Page 212 Disposition Mans disposition is cause of easinesse to do evill Page 184 Distrust Wee ought to distrust our selves Page 57 Divell The divels malice against the truth and Church by self-murder Page 177 The divell hinders good and furthers evill Page 184 Who bee forward to obey the divell Page 206 Of the divels motions cause of self-murder Page 246 Whence the divell hath his power ibid What persons the divell haunts most and how he tempts Page 247 Duels The unlawfulnesse of duels Page 114 Dutie of divine commands is not to be omitted Page 146 Of the kinds of duties Page 147 Of neglect of duties Page 260 Mans dutie marred by self-murder Page 272 E Election Of election of meanes to self-murder Page 185 End The same end severall wayes attained Page 89 Our last end crossed by self-murder Page 279 Error in judgement Page 192 Error of understanding the Scripture how to be prevented Page 199 Mens errour about decree and destiny Page 204 Men are strong to beleeve errours Page 206 Estate Of calamities upon mens estates Page 214 The present estate of the godly is then best for them Page 245 Evill How and why evill cleaves to good Page 3 How by doing evill men mis-spend their lives Page 19 Evill of commission how to be avoided Page 150 Evils of sin determinate by lawes of God and nature Page 151 Evill cannot be an end Page 163 From evils to be freed Heathens murdered themselves Page 179 It is easie to doe evill Page 184. 186 Of evill of sinne there is no proper cause Page 191 Evill of sin brings shame Page 223 Future evill is but contingent Page 240 Evill not to bee done to accomplish good Page 241 Examples By examples self-murderers not deterred Page 282 Vse of examples not to be rules ibid. Examples