Of indirect self-murder by doing of capitall crimes against humane Lawes and authority 8. Branch Capital crimes Eightly men doe commit indirect self-murder by their breaking out into capitall courses and crimes in transgressing and violating capitall good humane Lawes the penalty whereof is death whereby they bring themselves under the sword of Iustice thereby to lose their lives as do Traitors and rebellious persons against the King State or Kingdome spoylers of other mens lives or goods as murderers Pirates Robbers and the like which is a thing both just and expedient in reason that for preserving upholding of the whole body publick or the more noble parts thereof inferiour and rotten members should suffer amputation who by their owne vile practises have subjected themselves to the penall censure of death by their misdeserving courses being indirectly self-murderers their blood being upon themselves and not upon the Magistrate by whose hands they justly fall as is apparent Levit. 20.9 where the blood of him that was put to death for cursing his Father is said to be upon himselfe and 2 Sam. 1.16 touching him that David killed for saying that hee had slaine Saul he said that his blood was upon his head as also 1 King 2.32 37. touching Ioab for his murder and Sbimei for his railing it is said that their blood was upon their owne heads for that they were the wilfull meritorious cause although not the immediate instruments of their owne deaths And so thus all men that die by the merits of their owne actions morally or civilly considered are murderers of their owne naturall lives and bodies as man may truly be said to be the overthrower of the salvation of his owne soule by the merits of his owne sins §. 14. Of indirect self-murder by wilfull transgression of Gods Lawes 9. Branch Transgression against Gods Law Ninthly men indirectly murder their owne bodies by wilfully and impenitently walking in a course of transgression of Gods Law in such kinds and degrees as are accompanied with fearefull threatnings of death and destruction to bee inflicted not onely upon the soules but also upon the bodies of such transgressours by fearefull judgments even in this life as we see it was done to Pharaoh which is performed two waies 1. Kills after a naturall manner First in a physicall or naturall manner by the very nature and act of some sinnes themselves immediatly wasting filling the body with diseases and at last killing it as by drunkennesse and gluttony distempring and surfeiting the body according as Solomon saies that to those that tarrie long at the Wine and that do goe to seeke mixt Wine is woe sorrow contentious babling wounds without cause and rednesse of the eyes Prov. 23.29.30 Also by whoredome and bodily uncleannesse the strength is wasted as the Apostle shewes how such doe sin against their owne bodies 1 Cor. 6.18 and Solomon tells us that the house of a strange woman inclines to death Prov. 2.18 and by her a mans flesh and body is consumed Prov. 5.11 and the adultresse hunteth after the pretious life Of Passions And also by the immoderatenesse of the passions of the minde in giving way and liberty to them to break out and have dominion over us wherby the vitall spirits are suffocated or wasted as by excesse of choler fretfulnes or griefe or the like extinguishing the life of man as a fire is put out by oppressing it with water or by wastefully burning up suddenly the fewell of the maintenance of it therefore it is needfull that we suffer no commotion to be raised in our passions and affections but upon just cause and ground and that then therein we do keepe due moderation by the command of reason Note and by the possessing and taking of them up with divine and heavenly objects and imployment about things concerning a better life it is a very dangerous and costly contentment that a man hath by giving immoderate scope to his unruly affections and passions with the consumption of his owne life thereby in this course of indirect self-murder 2. A morall meritorious manner of self-killing Secondly men by their self-willed sinfull courses are indirect self-murderers of their bodies efficiently in a moral manner and by way of merit according to the justice of God threatning and punishing disobedient prophanenesse and wickednesse from heaven not onely inwrapping transgressors into publick generall judgements with others but also by inflicting particular personall destruction upon them as God did upon Corah Dathan and Abiram a Numb 16.38 and upon some for their unworthy and prophane receiving of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper did die b 1 Cor. 11.30 by their owne meritorious procurement and wee are taught in the Proverbs c Prov. 1.8 31 32. that sinners do lay waite for their owne blood and eate the fruit of their owne way and that the turning away of the simple shall slay him In the Prophet Ezekiel Robbers adulterers and usurers d Ezek. 18.13 are threatned with death and there it is said that their blood shall be upon their owne heads which intimates that they are guilty of their own deaths And againe secure persons not repenting after admonition are threatned with death and that their blood shall be upon their owne heads e Ezek. 33.4 5. Yea all the damned in hell whose bodies with their soules shall be subject to the second death by meanes of their owne sins are and shall be guilty of their own deaths both of soule and body and so are self-murderers also of their bodies at least indirectly In Adam and by his first sin all men naturally are self-murderers Moreover Adam and all mankinde in him lapsed are indirectly self-murderers by merit of that first transgression for and through which death entred into the world according to the testimony of the Apostle who saith that by one man sin entred into the world and death by sin so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned Rom. 5.12 So that no man can blame any for his death in regard of originall merit and desert but himselfe Now that this death of our selves may not be imputed to our selves that we should stand guilty before God of this indirect self-murder we must labour to get our pardon from God in Christ for the comfort of our consciences and for our security from the avenger of blood upon our reconciliation with our God and bee carefull that we live not wilfully and impenitently in any knowne sinne without which care all stand guilty before God of this sinne of self-murder and shall suffer for it Observe The world is full of self-murderers From hence we may observe that there are many more self-murderers than the world takes notice of or that do thinke themselves to be such yea the world is full of them whose sinnes are more haynous than they conceive and specially against themselves most pernicious and therefore it is no
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
marvell that one man endeavours the ruine and destruction of another when we see how desperately and eagerly they doe the same against themselves For who can expect better respect and usage from any man than he gives to himselfe or is in him to performe Some difference there is in the affection and intention of betternesse to himselfe but his reall performances are to himselfe worst Thus having declared what indirect self-murder is and how it is diversly procured and committed now I will shew certaine exempt cases which although in the materiality of the facts they differ not from indirect self-murder yet in the formality of their acting are much discrepant §. 15. Of certaine exempt Cases Exempt cases Three cases there are wherein men are warrantably to expose their bodies to the apparent danger of death without perill of self-murder or just blame of guiltinesse of their owne deaths 1. By calling First when a man hath a lawfull calling generall or particular which without danger of losse of his life in discharging thereof he cannot execute then is he to adventure his life that he may doe his duty which otherwise cannot be performed committing himselfe to Gods protection and disposall As Peter did in comming downe out of the Ship to walke upon the Sea when Christ commanded him a Mat. 14.29 and as Sampson in execution of his office of Iudge against his enemies pulled downe the house whereby hee with them did perish b Judges 16. Pacchtarius ad Januarium In fine obitus sui sub Martyrii passione David a Mauden in praeceptum 6. discurs decim and is commended among the faithfull Heb. 11.32 whom Bacchiarius an ancient Author calls a Martyr of which David a Mauden gives the reason quia illae quae ad Martyrium requiruntur conditiones in ipso reperiuntur the things requisite for Martyrdome were found in him being a person reconciled to God and dying for Gods glory and in defence of the truth and by a warrantable calling of divine instinct and supernaturall ability And we see that when God did call Moses to come up into the mount there to die he obeyed and went willingly and wittingly unto his owne death Deut. 34. By this rule souldiers and servants taking wages or otherwise bound to fight for their lives or at the command of their superiours are bound as Mauden sayes ex justitia by the law of justice to expose their lives to death in discharge of their duty to obey and protect their superiours Reasons of incouragement The reasons of incouragement to undertake such mortall adventures are specially two First our knowledge and assurance that God whom herein wee are to respect and obey originally or secondarily commanding us will either protect us in our wayes and undertakings or will so dispose of us as shall be best for us with comfort and honour in and after our death Knowledge in which respect both Plato pro Socrate and also Aristotle affirme that honest a mors turpi vitae est praeferenda An honourable death is to be preferred before a shamefull life 2. Benefit of death Secondly the feare of the losse of our lives should bee no remora or hinderance to our dutifull performances because our deaths in this manner may be the medium or meanes to the end that is better than our lives Wee see that if a thing destinated to a certaine end doe at any time crosse or hinder the attaining of that end in that respect it is to be deemed evill and to be rejected as our Saviour commands that if our eye cause us to offend then pull it out and in like case to cut off our hand or foote Mat. 5.30 which is done by mortification and grace making them as uselesse to any scandalous courses as if they were cut off in semblable manner as men throw away their armour to save their lives by slight in a hot pursuit of their enemies and as men at Sea throw their goods into the water to save themselves §. 16. A particular question about souldiers flying resolved Abâ—ut souldiers a case of conscience Question A question may be here moved whether it be in conscience lawfull for any souldier out of feare of death upon his owne apprehensions to flee and runne away to save his life before a signall command or example bee given him by his Commander so to doe Answer Souldiers are to stand I answer for the fact it is true nothing is more frequently done in warre than so to runne away in disorderly manner because feare bereaves men of their use and command of reason and also self-love makes every man more carefull of his owne particular than of the publike things that are neerest doe most affect extremities of dangers convert all a mans thoughts to thinke how then to preserve himselfe But for the morall lawfulnesse of that course it appeares not to me yea rather I conceive that although present death stood ready before them to swallow them up they are not to turne their backs to leave their stations and runne away without due crder signall or example of their Commanders Because such desertion of their Commanders and fellowes in distresse is a betraying of them into their enemies hands Againe the greatest destruction and ruine of an Army comes by disorderly flight wherein every man is objected to the enemies execution Whereas by resolution and couragious resisting to death many victories are gotten with the preservation of the body of an Army Finally if the publike doe miscary our particular cannot bee safe but those that escape may in regard of their after-miseries wish that they had fallen in the army by the sword of their enemies We are bound to attribute so much to the wisdome and valour of our Commanders that they will not cast away the lives of their men but upon apparent possibilities of victory or preservation by opposition although we see it not Helps so to do 1. Faith The helps to enable us to this high courage of performing of duty are two First Faith both for the goodnesse of our estate in Christ to Godward wherby we may be assured of everlasting life and glory when we die and also for the lawfulnesse of our calling and imployment in that service wherein death attaches us that we may as comfortably there end our dayes as if we dyed upon our beds being perswaded of our future happy condition and that our death in that manner is more usefull to men and more acceptable to God than our lives 2. Resolution Secondly undaunted resolution to be obedient in doing our duties considering that obedience is better than sacrifice although in doing thereof wee doe perish For for to enjoy vertue and union with God which confists in obedience to Gods will is better than life without them §. 17. The second exempt case about venturing of life which is upon urgent necessity The second Case Necessity in three