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
Page 311 Prevention of sinne occasioning self-murder Page 237 Prevention of error Page 199 Pride cause of self-murder Page 215. 226 Prodigality cause of self-murder Page 111 Professors How in professors gross sins are most offensive Page 178 Promises Gods promises cherish spirituall life Page 41 Properties of self-murdring sins Page 68 Prosperity of the wicked ground of self-deceit Page 156 Proud ambitious persons in danger of self-murder Page 255 Providence Gods providence how wronged by self-murder Page 268 Punishment of damage is worse than of smart Page 65 Purchase Of desperate purchase Page 112 Pusillanimity the cause of self murder in affliction Page 227 Q Questions Sixe questions resolved Page 133 135 136 137 138. R Reason Man by meanes of his reason suffers 164. Man wanting the use of reason no self-murderer Page 172 Reason abused to self-murder Page 189 Reason condemnes self-murder Page 273 Regardlesness Of regardlesness Page 260 Regenerated The regenerated preserved from self-murder Page 291 Religion For religion to adventure life 143. The defence of religion 144 Self-murder is contrary to religion 262. Religion requires the observation of the Law of nature Page 269 Repent To repent Page 157 Repentance True repentance self-murderers have not 296. 306. The use of it against self-murder Page 312 Reskue Of desperate reskue Page 112 Restraint Of forcible restraint of self-murderers Page 325 Resolution a help to obedience Page 128 What resolution is hardly altered Page 188 Resolutions of self-killing injected by Satan Page 246 Revealing Of revealing a mans own capitall faults Page 137 Revenge good and bad Page 232 Rules for understanding the Scripture Page 199 S Salvation In state of salvation none can be properly a self-murderer Page 292 Sampson proved no self-murderer Page 303 Sanctification How sanctification is wrought in us by the holy Spirit 32. 35. the degrees of it ibid. Satan To give any way to Satan is dangerous 188. Of his powerfull motions in the mind Page 247 Saved No man is saved for fulfilling the will of Gods decree Page 205 Saving For saving of soules to adventure life Page 141 Scripture mis-understood perverts judgement 195. the causes of mis-understanding of it Page 196. Abused Scripture harmefull Page 198 How rightly to understand it Page 199 It is apparent by the Scripture that men murder themselves Page 176 Sea-fight Of a sea-fight Page 138 Secrecie The reason of affectation of secrecy about self-murder Page 211 Secret When a man is to reveale his secret capitall crimes to the Magistrate Page 137 Seeming-good is cause of disobedience Page 70 Selfe Mans selfe is subject to self-murder 159. How self should behave himselfe to self Page 171 Self-blinded How man is self-blinded Page 155 Self-conceit a ground of self-deceit Page 156 Not to be self-conceited Page 210 Self-content in indirect self-murder Page 155 Self-deceived and causes of self-deceit Page 156 Self-deniall is cure of pride Page 227 Self-killing To self-killing who are most subject Page 236 Self-killing is no lawfull meanes to prevent sin Page 240 Self-killers What self-killers be not self-murderers Page 172. 290 Self-murder described what it is 2 How known by life 2. it is horrible comprehends in it murder 47. the degrees of it why slighted Page 83 Of bodily self-murder the kinds 84 defined and differenced Page 85 How self-murder is horrible and great 162. It falls our in the Church and is most blameable in Christians Page 176. 180. The meanes and way of self-murder 183. Motives of it 189 how it is heresie 233. it is proved unlawfull Page 262 How self-murder extends to the soule to hurt it 288. it is a transcendent sin and how 295. 302. It is equivalent to the sin against the holy Ghost Page 301 Self-murders antidotes 311. and how best prevented Page 323 Self-murderers many 124 how known by Scripture history and experience 178. 181. their follie 186. their secrecy 187. they are deceived 229 their goods confiscate 278. how they sin most grievously 286. they are Atheists 278. they regard not their soules 288. they are all damned 291. they want faith and true repentance 296. they are debarred from Christian buriall and why 287. their antecedent prayer and repentance is vaine and they cannot be at peace with God Page 306 Service Our service must be done before we receive our reward Page 245 Shame Of shame causing self-murder the kinds of shame Page 221 Shortnesse of life a motive to spend it well Page 19 Similies By similies self-murder condemned Page 279 Sins of commission against negative coÌ„mandements subjects to death 67 Of sins against the Gospell 70. 77. sin costs deare 77. men sin against themselves 158. how to prevent sin men murder themselves 237. sinne blinds 208. men sinning think they sin not 203. the worst sins are committed against Gods goodnesse 268 Some sins beyond Law and mercy Page 294 Sinning is a course of self-murder Page 77 Sinking or burning a ship in fight Page 138 Society with persons destinate to destruction Page 118 Solitarinesse of self-murderers Page 259 Soule The soules double act in man 7 its works in the body Page 81 The soules relation to its owne body Page 270 Soule-murder how it is self-murder 57 the degrees of it Page 58 Soule-murdering sins Page 68 Souldiers About souldiers Page 112. 127 Speeches Manner of speeches of self-murderers Page 260 Spend How to spend our lives well Page 18 Spirit Of the Spirits operation quickning us 29. how it manifests its power in the meanes 32. the evidences of its work 34. the degrees of its working 35. its worke in us about obedience 36. how it is a meanes in us to know the Scripture Page 200 Spirituall life what it is 21. the acts of it ibid. degrees of it 22. who may have it and how it is lost 24 the nature and excellency of it 26. the continuance and effects of it ibid. how to obtain it 8. 66. the signes of it 37 how preserved 39. and to be preferred 39. ibid. how it is destroyed Page 45 Spirituall-self-murder defined and differenced 58. how done by omission 59. by commission â—7 by sinning against the Gospell 70. by sinning against the Law 68. spirituall self-murder most damnable Page 78 Strictness in religious observances Page 234 Superiours For â—uperiors men should choose to die 29 Of their displeasure to be appeased and how Page 133 T Teachers False Teachers cause of mis-understanding the Scriptures Page 196 Temper of people Satan observes to tempt them Page 248 Our own tempers we should know Page 255 Temptations People under spirituall temptations are in danger of self-murder Page 254 Temptations of self-murder to be withstood Page 313 Thoughts Mans thoughts heavenly a signe of spirituall life Page 38 Our thoughts to bee rightly ordered Page 315 Torments inflicted occasion of self-murder Page 212 Transgression How transgression of Gods Law kills Page 122 Trouble of conscience and grounds thereof Page 218 Truth to be confessed 145. it is blamelesse 177. we should know and obey it
meanes and instruments of their spirituall life than to the meanes of their naturall for naturall life without spirituall makes a man but subject to misery whereas the spirituall life upon the naturall makes a man everlastingly happy which should quicken in us a desire and endeavour to be borne againe according to our Saviours speech Ioh. 3.3 2 For continuance Secondly the spirituall life farre transcends the naturall in respect of its continuance the naturall life depending upon mutable and mortall ties and bonds and subject to many externall harmfull accidents is fraile and at last is swallowed up of mortality it being appointed for all men once to die Heb. 9.27 and few and evill are our dayes in this world wherein wee have no abiding city the spirituall life is eternall without subjection to death because it is in it selfe supernaturall and advanced above the reach and power of all things that can destroy life and is preserved and upheld by such a fountaine of indeficient and omnipotent life and undecaying lively vigour and meanes of divine living that never suffers the man that hath and keeps communion with the same to be subject to death but makes him passe from death to life Iohn 5.24 the faith whereof doth free a man from the feare of losing that happy estate while he continues to love it whereas others in a loseable and mutable estate of life are by feare of being deprived thereof and being without hope of a better hindered in injoying the full comfort of the present good that here is afforded 3. For effects Thirdly spirituall life surpasses the naturall in its effects the naturall life enables a man to the doing onely of naturall actions specially concerning mans naturall good agreeable unto and flowing from naturall principles in man being in the meane time dead to any divine or supernaturall good neither actively doing that of goodnesse which is truely morall or divine nor passively receiving and enjoying that thereof which is beatificall or which makes man blessed and so he may for all that life the powers and actions thereof be miserable and perish for flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdome of God 1 Cor. 15.50 The spirituall life by so neere conjunction of a man with the fountaine of life Essentiall the well-spring of infinite goodnesse not onely by that touch and union doth it make him so live but also it causeth him to be most happy both by making him able Actively to live the life of God a Gal. 2.19 and to live to the will of God 1 Pet. 4.2 and also by endowing him with passive capacity and with reall possession of all such beatificall perfections as are necessary for his advancement to and in a glorious estate farre above all other earthly creatures in this world and in the world to come whereby he becomes so happy that nothing can make him miserable but even in tribulation he hath cause of rejoycing Rom. 5.3 and when he dyes yet still he lives in more excellent manner as Paul said touching his afflictions as dying and behold we live 2 Cor. 6.9 In regard of the aforesaid excellency of this spirituall life above the naturall it was that our Saviour did command his Disciples not to feare them that kill the body but are not able to kill the soule but rather to feare him which is able to destroy both soule and body in hell Mat. 10.28 §. 6. How to obtaine spirituall life Vse 1. To get spirituall life From the former doctrine touching the excellency of this spirituall life of man diverse very necessary uses are observable First it may provoke and stirre us up to get this life above all things in this world whereof we are borne destitute yea dead in sin to which life by our manifold actuall transgressions wee doe indispose and unfit our selves but yet the Lord of his mercy hath appointed us a way whereby we may get this spirituall life so that by our conscionable use of the meanes appointed by God By meanes wee may attaine thereunto in regard of his promise and faithfulnesse that those that seeke shall finde Amos 5.6 And why to be used These meanes are wee to use in regard both of Gods commandement who thereby tries our obedience and faith and also in respect of the dispensation of God who gives his graces onely by and in his owne way which otherwise cannot be had Also the worth and necessity of this spirituall life is such as deserves our best endeavours to get it our esteeme whereof is seene by our labours for it in Gods appointed way without which God will not give it because hee will have us active about our owne salvation that the same may cost us the price of our labours to come by it that thereby we may the more comfortably know that we have it when we know how we came by it that wee may be the more carefull to keepe what wee have so laboriously purchased and may assuredly looke for the reward of our labours which God that cannot lie hath promised to those that seeke life by his appointed meanes To use no meanes to get this spirituall life is to contemne both it and God and to indeavour to get it by using other meanes than God hath appointed for that end is to tempt God or to prescribe him his waies of dispensing his grace and to preferre our owne wits and wills above Gods whereby such men lose both their labour and expectation Which they be 1. The word of God The meanes in particular to get this spirituall life are First the word of God specially the Gospell which is as the materiall and seminall cause of it 1 Pet. 1.23 2. Application Secondly the meanes vegetating and applying the Gospell to quicken us which is fourefold 1. By the ministry First the ministrie of the word by reading and preaching of it to the enlightning of the understanding and to the moving of the affections and hearts of the hearers to embrace it for Faith comes by hearing Rom 10.17 2. Christian conference Secondly the Company and conferences of those Christians that in this kind of life are by their motion and example lively and vigorous able by their warmth and livelinesse to heat and quicken those whom they touch as Elisha by his application of himselfe to the dead child made it warme and alive 2 King 4.34 and as leaven leavens the lump and every thing affects to procreate its like 3. Prayer The third meanes of the Gospells application to quicken us is servent and effectuall prayer to God from whom is all the vertue and efficacy of it that he would make it effectuall to us for although Paul do plant and Apollo water it is God that gives the increase 1 Cor. 3.6 4. Sacraments the spirits operation in them Fourthly the Sacraments and in them the powerfull operation of the spirit of Christ is that which quickens us when
all worldly things most deare to us whereas other sinnes spoile the wel-being of our selves or others which so long as life lasteth is recoverable Self-murder is horrible And therefore whatsoever is to be thought of the vile quality and of the damnable deserts of murder in generall is to be conceived to be due and much worse to self-murder in speciall For murder is but the genericall or generall matter and not the speciall and formall nature of Self-murder and therefore if it be horrible to murder another man it is much more odious to kill ones selfe For by naturall reason the more that any Genus or generall matter is restrained and actuated by its superadded formes and specificall differences the more it is intended active and powerfull according to the motion of nature ab imperfectioribus ad perfectiora proceeding toward that perfection wherein it intends to termine and end Now the perfection of a vice if I may so speake consists in the highest exorbitancie of it beyond which none can passe and in murder it is certaine that none can goe beyond self-murder as afterward will fully appeare 4. Things are observable in murder In taking away specially a mans naturall life unjustly and murderously foure things are to be considered 1. That death is undeserved First that the effect done or death of a man in depriving him of his life is without due desert on his part at their hands that put him to death 2. Done without lavvfull authority Secondly that the act it selfe whereby that effect is accomplished is unlawfull on his part that doth it in regard of his want of authority and just calling to do that act and if the sufferer have deserved death and the executioner have a lawfull calling to kill him yet if his manner of doing of it bee contrary to the prescript and rules of his calling and to the minde and disposition requisite for such an agent in that act then the same is murder 3. Done wittingly Thirdly it is considerable in murder that the agent therein both knowes not onely that the nature of his action that he doth tendeth to death but also that morally it is an unlawfull act or thing to be done and also doth voluntarily and wittingly intend the doing of that action without regard of the effect or insuing of death thereupon 4. Death intended Fourthly touching murder it is remarkeable that the agent doe not onely voluntarily and wittingly a lethiferous or mortall act but that he doe also intend and desire to effect the death of a man thereby whom justly he cannot kill otherwise if a man should ignorantly or unwillingly in doing of his lawfull calling be a meanes accidentally to take away the life of a man he is not therefore guilty of murder For for such God provided Cities of refuge for their preservation against the avenger of blood Deut. 19.3 4 5. Iosbua 20.3 by the first of these wee see that an innocent suffers death by the second wee see that the Agent or executioner is such an one as ought not to kill him although he were nocent by the third and fourth it appeare that the act is formaliter murderous in regard of the knowledge and intention of the doer thereof Self-murder is most vile murder in transcendent manner So in Self-murder as it is murder an Innocent never deserving of himselfe that himselfe should kill himselfe is slaine the Actor whereof hath no authority nor calling over himselfe so to doe seeing no man can be both superiour and also inferiour to himselfe and for a man to doe an act upon himselfe which he knowes to be both mortall and unlawfull and yet will doe it with purpose and intent to bereave himselfe of his own life it cannot be denyed to be murder in the highest degree and he a murderer that doth it §. 5. How murder is vile The vilenesse of murder in its effects The vilenesse of murder is not onely seene by its contrariety to Gods Law and the heavie censures and punishments thereof and its incompatibility with humane society but also by the effects thereof upon the sufferer 1. It destroves naturall life For first the act of murder utterly so destroyes the naturall life of man upon the departure of his soule from the body that the same is never againe recovered For naturall life depends not onely upon the presence of the soule informing the body but even upon our state of being in this world insomuch that after the resurrection although soule and body shall be againe united yet as then our bodies shall be spirituall bodies a 1 Cor. 15 44. so shall our lives be So then a murderer takes that life away which he can never give nor restore and destroyes that which he can never build up 2. It destroyes mans persen Secondly the act of murder destroyes the person of man which depends upon mans life For neither is the soule alone nor the body alone the person of man but the whole man consisting of soule and body with their properties hypostatically united So that when the soule is in heaven he cannot say but Synechdochically that the person is in heaven Nor when the body is in the grave can we properly say that the person is in the grave For then either a man must be two persons one in heaven and another in the grave which is absurd or else one created person should be in diverse places at once which is impossible Observe vvhere the person is after death If you say where then is the person after death I answer it is not in actuall being but potentiall in its constitutive principles of soule and body that are to be joyned together at the day of judgment And therefore it is that the soules separate from the bodies thinke not nor worke in that manner as they did organically in the body whereupon the Psalmist saies of Princes that when they die their thoughts perish b Psal 146.4 and therefore neither remember they in that estate things past nor are capable of present under those species and notions as they did here in the body So then he that murders a man destroies a person although his distinct natures doe remaine Thirdly a murderer is injurious to God not onely in breaking his Law but also in destroying his Image which is not properly in the body or in the soule apart but in the whole person of man consisting of both soule and body with their properties personally united man was created in Gods Image now the soule alone or body alone is not the man but both united as is said so it is apparent that wrong is done to heaven and earth by a murderer §. 6. Of the originall of murder Murder whenee 1. From our selves We are to consider whence it comes that man doth monstrously First fall upon his owne kinde to destroy it and then upon himselfe Of murder in
the truth and Church is bound to doe the duties of his calling notwithstanding any such former restraint or danger of disobedience to it because the power of the Church is but ministeriall under and according to God rather declarative than Soveraigne therefore what she doth tyes not men here on earth to obey it to the destruction but to the edification of the Church or at least to prevent a greater mischiefe And also because the true Church may doe no such acts of deprivation or suspension whereby to intend or effect the destruction of the Church and therefore in that case transgressing of such restraints is no disobedience to the Church but rather an obeying the intent of the same as in times of persecution we have plentifull examples specially of the Church of the Iewes against the Christians A Caveat Yet herein is to be observed that such performance of duties in that case after restraint bee done in mecke patient manner without tumults or forcible opposition of authority submitting with passive obedience where they cannot lawfully performe active This extends not to warrant any schisme or heresie that esteem themselves only to be the true Church as did the Donatists and others to oppose out of feare of their owne ruine the proceedings and restraints of the more Orthodoxe and generall body of a sound Church whose authority doth preponderate and oversway her apostating members so long as by the doctrine publikely taught in her men may be saved and built up §. 30. Against commission of evill upon any humane command or threats Fourth member about commission of evill upon humane command The fourth member of the case wherein a man ought to expose his life to death in causes concerning religion is when a man is desired commanded or threatned to doe any sinne forbidden by Gods word that then hee doe it not although he therefore doe die as Iosephs practise manifests in resisting his whorish mistris a Gen. 39.12 and the three children that would not upon the Kings command worship the golden Image to save their lives Daniel 3.18 Because it is better for us to die than deliberately and wilfully to sinne against God as the woman with her seaven sonnes did choose 2 Mach. 7. according to S. Augustines judgement who sayes that if it be propounded to a man Vt aut mali aliquid faciat aut mali aliquid patiatur eligat non facere mala quam non pati mala b Epist 204. that either he should doe some evill or suffer some calamity then let him choose rather not to doe evill than not to suffer evill Observe How we are to abhorre sin For we are ever to doe that which may most neerely unite us to God our chiefe good and to shunne what may divide us from him which nothing can doe but our sinnes specially those that consist in the transgression of the negative Commandements and are most opposite to God and incompatible with him and therefore those lawes doe binde ad semper to the alwayes observing of them and cannot be dispensed withall seeing God is unchangeable The evill of sinne should be more terrible to us than death it selfe not onely for that it is the cause of death and imbitters it but also because it deprives us of a greater good of our spirituall life that farre exceeds the naturall The beatificall object that sinne deprives us of is the infinite blessed God from whom to be separated is worse than death it self and in that respect rather than we should sinne we should choose to suffer death which is a glorious kinde of Martyrdome and a meanes of advancement to happinesse for the power and practise of the truth laying downe our lives which is a more undoubted signe of grace and salvation than is the suffering of many for holding the truth in opinion and profession Wee should choose rather not to bee than not to bee happy for the originall and end of our being is better than our being it selfe in regard that our happinesse is not of and in our selves but in and from another who is both our beginning and end §. 31. Of the kindes of sinnes of commission to be avoyded Evils of sin to be avoided These sinfull evills that wee ought thus carefully to avoid and forbeare to death are of two sorts 1. Against the law of nature First those that be directly and absolutely forbidden by the Law of nature as fundamentally unlawfull at all times and in all cases for the contrariety that they have against the nature of God and against the inbred principles of reason and conscience of which no question can be made but that wee are alwaies utterly to shun them notwithstanding any humane command or inforcement that may be to the contrary because no human power can dissolve the obligation of those ingrafted Commandements of God and nature Innata Lex Rom. 2.15 that we may be discharged in conscience from keeping of them which would overthrow both divinity and humanity neither can any free us from the punishment of the transgression of them both because equity and Law requires that the soule that sins shall die and also for that there is no power matchable with Gods and natures to protect or free us by force from their vengeance 2. Against the positive Law of God Secondly the sins that wee are to shun and not wittingly and willingly to do upon any threats or worldly danger or for any profit are those that are forbidden by the positive Law and revealed will of God the violating whereof doth wrong the soveraignty and honor of God who is the absolute and onely independant King of all the world and his will the supreame unerring rule of our obedience throughout our lives our transgression whereof is a breach of that loyalty and due subjection which wee owe to that our highest Lord. To whese positive Law conformity is more properly obedience to God than conformity to the Law of nature is by it selfe considered Because the ground of our conformity to the Law of nature is naturall inclination and Reason equally binding Heathens aswell as Christians But the ground of our conformity to the positive Law of God is principally the soveraigne Authority and Will of God himselfe which kinde of obedience is that which is properly of the Church and her members to God and proceeds from faith love feare c. Evangelicall or Thelogicall graces From which obedience to God no wight can absolve or excuse us that we may lawfully and safely subject our selves to feare to please or to obey any other in opposition or contraty to him and his will Reasons 1. Because there is none above God whose will may be preferred or equalled to his to whom all is subordinate in nature state and imployment 2. Neither is any man Lord over the Conscience either to bind or discharge it contrary to the Law or will of God that we
discerne and feele the wofulnesse of their estates being under the desperate sense and importable horrour of their sinnes and judgements due for the same then are they in danger to conclude their wretched dayes by self-murder Observ To know our tempers and watch our selves Therefore people should well consider their owne tempers and states with the severall dangers that attend upon the same and are to be wise to fortifie themselves where they are weakest and so wisely to demeane and behave themselves that they neither entertaine nor give way to any thing in themselves that may bring them to destruction but by faith and good workes to walke with God whereby they may be sure to live for ever §. 2. Of the entrance into self-murder 2. Entrances into self-murder The second thing considerable in the acting of self-murder is the first entrances degrees or approaches into it which are specially foure 1. Crying capitall crimes Parricide proceeds First grievous capitall crying sinnes of blood as murder knowne or secret parricide which is killing of parents children wives or husbands 1. From love of them that are killed which flowes either from exuberancy of carnall affection to them whom they kill whereby they take occasion to kill them by prevention to free them from miseries or to have them with them out of this world being by their owne hands about to rid themselves out of this life 2. From hatred of them Or else it proceeds from unnaturall or monstrous hatred to them for wrong sustained by them for keeping some good from them 3. From love of some other things or for the supposed evill they may bring upon them as whores that kill their infants to avoide shame and punishment children that kill their aged parents to come to their estates mothers in law that kill their children in law to derive estates to their owne widdowes that kill their children to ease themselves of charge and to preferre themselves by mariage These persons as they kill their owne soules by such vile sins so are they justly given over of God in recompense of their owne wayes to destroy their own bodies by their owne self-murdering hands 2. Desperation The second degree of entrance or approach into self-murder is desperation of pardon of sins or of freedome from calamities which rather than some will endure they will kill themselves seeing no other way of easing themselves and their minds whereof some resemblance may bee seene in Iobs Wifes counsell to her Husband Job 2.9 expounded advising him in his extremitie to curse God and die that is that he would take a course to be rid out of his miseries either by blasphemy provoking God to kill him or by dispatching himselfe with his owne hands after that he had blessed God in making peace with him for the safety of his soule 3 Entertainment of self-murderous motions Thirdly a further degree of entrance into self-murder is the advised entertainment of temptations and motions for a man to kill himselfe voluntarily suffering the same to seise upon him with some liking thereof searching and pleading reasons and examples to beguile himselfe whereby he may thinke it lawfull or lesse-evill in that case to kill himselfe and begins to plot the manner how he may best accomplish it with a fluttering wavering resolution to doe it 4. Impatient desire of death The fourth degree of entrance into self-murder is the impatient wishing and desiring of death and a lothing and wearisomnesse of life which so farre prevailes upon some that their whole study and endeavours are how to get out of their lives and to dispatch themselves by their owne hands rather than to live here A question concerning desire of death It is here a pertinent question whether it be at all lawfull to desire that we were dead Answer For resolution whereof it is to bee considered that there are two sorts of desires of death the one is holy the other is sinfull 1 A holy desire of death How it is holy A holy desire of death is that which desires not to be unclothed but to be clothed upon 2 Cor. 5.2 4. the things that make this desire to be holy are two 1 By subordination to Gods will First when it is conditionall and moderate with respect and subordination to the good will of God being content to live if God will have it so and while wee are in this life such holy desires of our dissolution from hence doe not hinder but further all such performances as tend to the glorifying of God and to the edification of our selves and others 2 In the motives thereof Secondly the holinesse of the desire of death consists in the motives thereof the which are two 1 The first is to bee with Christ that we may enjoy God in him to our full happinesse Philip. 1.23 The second is that we may be wholly freed from sinning against God and may be beatifically perfit in having the fulnesse of that whereof we now have the first fruits as the Apostle professes touching himselfe that he did forget those things that are behinde and did reach forth to those that are before and did presse toward the marke for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Iesus a Phil. 3.13 14. yet for to be translated no man is purposely to doe any thing to hasten his death nor to omit any thing due for preservation of his life or to bee more negligent in doing the things which are pertinent for him to doe in this life Vnlawfull desires of death A sinfull desire of death consists in three things First in absolutely desiring it according to our owne wills how and when to die with using meanes as wee list to effect it neglecting the preservation of life and well imployment of the same in doing all those duties for which God doth give it to us 2 Secondly when our desire of dying is from lothing of life and envying the benefit of it to ones selfe for Gods glory and the good of others which wee postpone and subject to our owne self-wills 3. Thirdly when our eager desire of the same is more for freedome from some temporary evills b 1 Kings 19.4 Job 3.3 Jer. 20.14 Rev 6.16 than for to enjoy spirituall and eternall good which ought not to be because God is as much if not more glorified and our selves and others truly benefited by our passive obedience as by our active Note for by the former God hath his will more than by the latter Our chiefe care should be for the happy estate of our soules and of both soule and body for evermore Non pro vitandis naturae vel fortunae malis sed pro vitando malo animi ossequendo potiore bono And therefore as one saith Wee may not desire death to shunne and escape the evills of nature or fortune but to avoide the