always Ignominious to those who have been thus expos'd when Arsinoe Cleopatra's younger Sister a Virtuous Lady was us'd so by Julius Caesar the Multitude was softened into Pity and Compassion at the sight and immediately reflected upon their own Condition * Dion Cass. lib. 4. that they were in effect as much Slaves as she and that great Man was never so much overseen both as to his Politicks and Generosity as in gratifying Cleopatra at so dear a rate So might it have been with Cleopatra her self too had she been as Virtuous as she was Great For where is the Crime of being Oppress'd or the Shame of being Unfortunate How cou'd the Multitude have ever dishonour'd her Had not her own Infamy ran before her What a strange niceness of Honour is it not to scorn to commit the foulest Vices and yet to scorn to hear of them Honour is truly lost when an ill Action is committed not when it becomes known and therefore it is very Ridiculous though very Common to be easie as to the first and scrupulous as to the latter for this is to make Secrecy the measure of Good and Evil and no Vice dishonourable but only when it is discovered where Virtue suffers publickly the Honour of the Publick suffers this is Infamous to the State not to the Person that is injur'd whose Honour may be encreas'd by suffering as they should do But where Honour is first blemish'd by enormous Crimes 't is too late to be tender of it as to Publick Disgrace or to think to redeem it by Self-murther for this is not only a great Crime it self but a Confession of all those which are laid to the Parties Charge And though Cleopatra was so tender in this matter yet other Persons of unquestionable Courage and Honour underwent the same Misfortune Not only Perseus but Jugurtha whose Wit and Courage gave the Romans so much trouble did so nay Ventidius the faithful Friend of Anthony was first led in Triumph himself and afterwards by a strange change of Fortune Triumph'd over the Parthians the most dreadful Enemy the Romans ever had But to oppose one Queen to another Zenobia contended Personally with Aurelian for the Empire of the World and fought with the same Spirit with which her Secretary Longinus wrote And yet when she had satisfied whatever Honour requir'd as to Action she made use of it to bear her Adversity with as great a Mind as she did her Prosperity and therefore she did not Murther her self when she was to be led in Triumph but carry'd it so as to be consider'd with Admiration and liv'd in Rome it self with great Respect many Years after Let me add one Instance my self of great niceness of Honour and that is Sporus * Dion Cassius â—…iber 63 65. He was married publickly to Nero under the Name of Sabina Saluted by the Titles of Sovereign Lady Queen and Empress nay the Cities of 〈◊〉 to their Immortal Honour offered Sacrifice for their having Issue Yet this Person being commanded afterwards by Vitellius when he came to the Empire to appear on the Theatre in the dress and manner of a Ravish'd Maid chose rather to kill himself because he cou'd not bear the Disgrace as the * Dion Cassius â—…iber 63 65. Historian says what niceness of Honour cou'd ever exceed this and how great a Credit was this Person as well as his Husband Nero to all Self-murtherers Thus much to the first part of the Objection and the Instances brought to support it Let us come next to the Particular Case that is brought to the same End which is thus introduc'd How much more shou'd any Man of Honour do the same especially since there may be Cases much â—…arder than theirs were I have had one put to me much to this purpose A Gentleman born Nobly and bred a Soldier having gain'd much Honour by many great Actions in his Countries Service is afterwards by the Ingratitude and Jealousie of his Prince accus'd falsely of some foul Crime and Condemn'd to suffer a Publick and Shameful Death the Question is Whether such a one after he has stood his Trial and done what he cou'd to clear and save himself shou'd tamely expect the Death which he sees is Inevitable let his Enemies have their Will over him and be the Scorn and Derision of the Multitude Or not rather disappoint their Malice and Contempt and vindicate his Honour by killing of himself I confess I am of Opinion that he ought not to do the latter by any means For the Reasonableness of which 1. Let us see what may be the Character of a Man of Honour the Ignorance whereof so often misleads People in other Cases as well as this according to what has been said above He is one who has a just and regular Elevation of Soul whose Eye is always sixt steddily upon his Duty and who disdains equally whatever Threatens or Flatters to draw him from it One who is ever glad to be doing good to all Men and abhors Cunning and Oppression as much as Cowardice Or if we take Honour for Publick Reputation He despises all but that alone which comes from Good and Wise Men yet he prefers his Duty before this also he values a Good Conscience above a Good Name and therefore would be as Virtuous in a Desart as in the midst of Prying Multitudes nay would not be guilty of an unjust Action though he shou'd he sure that it wou'd be conceal'd from God as well as Man much less to gratisie any Revenge or to avoid any Disgrace Now though the Instance is given here in a Soâ—…dier and many are apt to think as well as those Gentlemen themselves that they ought to be more concern'd to vindicate their Honour than other People are I do not see any ground for this If what I have said of Honour before and also just now and chiefly to prevent this mistake be duly observ'd nay although Courage alone shou'd be the Standard of Honour as some of them are inclin'd to believe and they shou'd think themselves bound to observe stricter measures in regard to this than the rest of the World yet this is not to be vindicated by Self-murther in the Case before us as shall be shewn immediately 2. The chief ground of this Plea is That such a one has stood his Trial that he has done what he cou'd to clear himself and for all that is unjustly Condemn'd But nothing of this alters the Case this does not give a Man more right over his Life than he had before and one sort of Injustice is not to be return'd by another If Man is unjust to me what excuse is that for my being unjust to God Socrates was Condemn'd unjustly if ever Man was yet he refus'd * See Plato's Crito to save himself by flying out of Prison at his Friends entreaty because he reckon'd it against the Laws of his Country and unjust to do so How
the End of humane Life must be something which it is in every Man's Power to perform otherwise this wou'd detract both from the Goodness and Wisdom of God and therefore it cannot depend upon any thing without us as Wealth Honour or the Pleasures of Sensation or the obtaining whatever * See Chap. 7. seems good to any one or avoiding whatever seems evil to him for none of these things are at the absolute command or disposal of Man wherefore that which is the universal End of every Man's Life must be something which depends only upon every Man's self and which no Events or outward Circumstances can hinder him from observing if he will III. The End of Life must be answerable to that degree of Capacity which the Creature has in respect of other Creatures Life is common to Beasts as well as Man the End of their Being is to live because by the Faculties which they are endowed withal they are capable of no more than what is proper for the promoting of this but Man is capable of more because endowed with nobler Faculties and therefore must have a nobler End than they and consequently a greater degree of Happiness These things being granted the best way to discover the True End of Man's Life will be to consider Humane Nature attentively according to that Rank which it bears in Vniversal Nature To this purpose it may be of some Use to examine what may be the true meaning of that Maxim which was in so much Credit among the ancient Greeks and Romans viz. The following Nature The Word Nature is sometimes a very general Term and then signifies that Course which the great Creator did put the whole World to act in sometimes in a more limited sense it signifies that Rule which he gave to each Creature to act by for the fulfilling of that particular End for which it was made in proper Harmony and Consent with the Vniverse Thus not only Beasts but Plants even Stones and Minerals and every Element may be said to follow Nature Yet since there are different Faculties appropriated to each of these by which they excel each other accordingly and as Beasts excel Plants by Sensation so Man excels them by Reason The true sense of the following Nature and the true End of all created Beings is the working according to the utmost of their Capacities or according to that Superiour Faculty or Power wherewith they are endowed and by which they are distinguished from one another To bring this particularly to Man the utmost Capacity of Beasts depends upon the Faculties or Powers of Sensation The utmost Capacity of Man depends upon the Powers of a Rational Soul Now Beasts act by necessity they follow directly where-ever sense does lead but Man is a voluntary Agent able to discover of himself what is his Duty and to follow this of Choice not of Necessity Wherefore there must be two principal Fountains of Man's Actions namely Knowledge and Free-will Again we must distinguish concerning Knowledge for this is of various kinds according as its Objects are that which is concern'd in the present Question is the knowledge of those Rules and Laws by which our Actions ought to be guided the knowledge of our Duty as usually divided according to its three chief Objects God our Neighbour and our selves This Knowledge so much of Reason as this implies is easie to be attain'd unto by the meanest Capacities for tho' there are three Objects about which Humane Actions are chiefly concern'd yet this variety does not hinder the clearness of Man's Knowledge as to the Fundamentals of his Duty towards each particular Object For instance who can be ignorant Or who must not consent immediately That the Supreme Being to whom we owe Life and all Things ought to be honoured or that we ought to do by others as we wou'd be done by our selves or that we ought not to injure our Health or act against our Knowledge or do any thing to impair much less to destroy those Faculties by which we excel other Creatures These are Truths which are so plain and self-evident that the very mention of 'em is Demonstration and therefore no Man can plead Ignorance in this Case or that his own Reason tells him otherwise This then is the first Fountain of humane Actions knowledge of Duty And such Knowledge being to be attain'd unto by Reason alone and yet to be attain'd easily by every Man's Reason such Knowledge being the Perfection of that noble Faculty I desire leave to distinguish it in the following Discourse when I mention the End of Life by the Word REASON But yet the easiness of this Knowledge wou'd signifie nothing unto Man unless the Will did put it in Execution It must be readily applied and reduc'd to Action or else our Duty wou'd remain unperform'd Thus 't is not sufficient for a Man to know that God must be honour'd that his Neighbour is to be us'd as himself or that he ought to do himself no Injury unless this were put in practice by his being pious just patient temperate c. Wherefore the Compliance of the Will with that which it knows to be its Duty is the chief thing to be taken care of The Vices of Men come not so much from want of Knowledge or Reason in this Case as from want of such Compliance And the true Notion of a weak Man is not so much from his being ignorant of his Duty as from his not doing what he knows to be so On the other side that which makes a good Man is not greatness of Knowledge but the bending of his Will vigorously in all Circumstances whatsoever to the doing what he knows is his Duty And therefore the doing so is that which has obtain'd the venerable Name of VIRTVE for VIRTUE is the force and vigour of the FreeWill through which the Soul complies chearfully and gladly with what it knows to be Duty Which force or vigour takes different Names according to its different Objects above-mentioned and is call'd Piety Justice Beneficence Constancy Temperance c. If this is allow'd it will not be difficult to show wherein Man's true Happiness consists for this is the natural result of what has been said 't is that Rest or Ease which the Soul enjoys after it has mov'd regularly and vigorously in the doing of its Duty 'T is the sweet Fruition which it is blest withal upon the just sense of the proper Vse of its Free Will and its having faithfully discharged the End for which it was made which it being impossible to do otherwise than by Reasons showing what is Duty and Free Will 's obeying accordingly I conclude that the true End or Design of humane Life is THE FOLLOWING OF REASON BY VIRTUE I will not contend but that the following of Reason mâ—…ght possibly signifie as much as the following of Reason by Virtue because the Word Following seems to imply an Act of Free-will and if this be
Life if nothing is Sensitive Good but that alone which is reported by the Senses to be proper to preserve Life then it must be absurd to destroy Life upon the pretence of either of these Goods and to do so must be Evil both as to Moral Evil and Sensitive also and therefore highly against Nature To this let me add that the only reason why any thing is naturally Evil to the Body is as it contributes to the separation of it from the Soul which is done positively and violently by Self-murther Nature is the Course the Order which God put the Creature to move in To break off that Course violently must certainly be against Nature and what is so cannot be Lawful But here again it may probably be Obâ—…ted That if the End of humane Life as â—…t has been assign'd by me is the following of 〈◊〉 by Virtueâ—… Whose Reason must this be Must not every Man be guided by his own Reason and consequently will not his Virtue consist in following that which seems Good to him and avoiding that which seems Evil to him This brings me to consider Lastly The unreasonableness of every Man 's being left to himself to follow that which seems Good or Evâ—…l to him and to dispose of Life accordingly There must be a certain End or Design for which Life was given as the Rule of humane Actions otherwise the World wou'd be in Confusion The several things which the wisest men of Old have offer'd as this End of Life I have endeavoured to comprehend under these Words THE FOLLOWING REASON BY VIRTVE I hope it will not be expected that I should weigh out how much Reason to a Scruple will serve to this purpose because all Men readily assent to such Principles as these as self-evident That no wrong or injury ought to be done that a Man has no right to destroy what is not his especially if it be allow'd him only for his Advantage and Improvement that whatever destroys humane Society is to be avoided that whatever contributes to the preserving and improving of the Faculties which are peculiar to Man above other Creatures ought to be embrac'd These Principles I suppose are plain to every Rational Creature and allow'd fit to be observ'd by the Virtues of Justice Temperance c. Or should any Man be suppos'd to be ignorant of any of them in Lapland or new Holland yet there is no danger of this in civiliz'd Countries especially this wherein we Live nor are they deny'd by such as are chiefly against us in this Argument but acknowledg'd and maintain'd by 'em and pointed out and required to be observ'd by humane Laws Wherefore if there can be no ignorance as to these Fundamental Principles and if there can be no want of Power to observe and practise 'em to what purpose is it to plead for particular Reason and for the privilege of Judging for ones self A Man cannot do so safely without some Rule and that Rule must be universal publick Reason and unless every private Man's Reason be squar'd accordingly it can never be right but if it be squar'd accordingly then it ought not to be contended for as private Reason As Man is oblig'd to follow that Nature which is common to him with the rest of Mankind so he is oblig'd to follow that Reason which is so too I mean as to the Fundamental Rules of humane Actions He may make use of his own Reason perhaps in finding out means to observe these Rules to observe them I say not to break them one of the chief of which is the preserving of Life As in all well formed Governments one Law extends to all for the common Good so is it in the Government of the World which is order'd by Infinite Wisdom And therefore 't wou'd be as absurd to plead for particular Reason as a privilege to act against natural Principles as it wou'd be to desire it as a privilege to act against just humane Laws Reason when loudly boasted and zealously contended for by particular Men against any Ancient and Establish'd Rule shou'd always be suspected It shows some uneasiness under that Rule which if enquir'd into and examin'd with the Person concern'd wou'd be found to be against some particular Interest or Inclination which had gotten the ascendant â—…ver him In these Cases when every Man talks of Reason he means his own his own sorry share and that too perhaps very much vitiated and corrupted thus you shall see reason of all Complections Melancholy Phlegmatick and Sanguine Reason for when this is once enslav'd by any Appetite or Passion it takes the Colour of it and then whatever is the object of each Man's Desires whatsoever is his particular method of compassing it or measure of enjoying it is call'd Reason Thus this Godlike faculty is made frequently the pretence of the greatest Absurdities in our Actions as well as Discourse and it may be observ'd that People always plead it most that most offend it pretending the most faithful Duty to this Sovereign Power and yet all the while impudently warring against it in its own Name Hence it is that seeming Good and seeming Evil are made to be the Rule of humane Actions and the following of them the End of humane Life the measure of its being Good or Evil and Preserv'd or Destroy'd accordingly Whereas to act according to seeming Good or seeming Evil can never be allow'd but in the case of sudden or extream Necessity or Panic Fear when the Soul has not the Power or Leasure to bring its Actions or Resolutions to the Rule of right Reason or to examine what is really Good or really Evil and then we ought to observe that this is allow'd but upon one Account neither and that is the preserving of Life and therefore is a very strange Argument for the Destroying of it But after all that can be said seeming Good and seeming Evil are sloating and uncertain things and therefore can never be the Rule or End of Living because as they can be no certain measure themselves so they must destroy it as to all other things for to suppose this is not only to let a Man loose to any Object that he pleases but also to hinder his obtaining of any one while a new seeming Good may be starting continually and so a warm Head shall be sure never to want Game And Life thus employ'd wou'd be given to a very extraordinary End indeed especially if we consider that the Event of this must prove not only fatal to a Man's self but may do so by degrees to all that are near him nay must do so to all Mankind For if seeming Good is sufficient to justifie our Actions what Crime can ever be justly laid to any Man's charge As there is no Errour that pleases under the notion of Falshood so there is no Wickedness that prevails upon the Mind as it appears Evil but as there is seeming Truth in the one so there must
a kind so Evil so Painful Dangerous or Dreadful wherein Honour can put a Man upon killing of himself Lastly if this be the guard which is to follow the Soul diligently through every part of its Duty as to the chief Objects of it God our Neighbour or our selves how can it ever perswade a Man to such an Act as is the highest Injustice to every one of these Whoever considers inward Honour which is the most worthy of a great or good Man's care in these respects he will find nothing more against Self-murther than this so likewise as to outward Honour if this consists in the praise of good Men grounded upon excellent Virtue and if nothing is truly Disgrace but what comes from the same Persons for forsaking the true End of Life and if this though forsaken may be recovered again when the Party concern'd pleases then how can any Man kill himself to avoid Disgrace especially since killing himself is an Act of the greatest Injustice in the Judgment of the best Men and therefore the doing so must be increasing of Disgrace rather than avoiding it Wherefore whether we consider inward or outward Honour neither of these can ever require a Man to Murther himself and therefore I suppose that whenever this is said to be done upon this Account it is either meer Pretence or else proceeds from some mistake concerning one or both of these kinds of Honour Let us see then what these may probably be Some Men are deceiv'd by reckoning Honour nothing but a greatness of Mind Elevation of the Soul without considering upon what Grounds it ought to be rais'd and by what Rules directed when it is so from whence instead of any just Grandeur they sall into insolent Haughtiness and this encreases upon the value which they set upon themselves and that value is nourish'd by their choosing out some one Virtue asfecting the observation of it in a more extraordinary manner than other People do which makes 'em run over the bounds of what is sit and just as far as the Idle or the Cowardly fall short of 'em Montaign says very well that * Essays lib. 3. cap. 2. the Virtue of the Soul does not consist in the flying high but in walking orderly But these Gentlemen are contented with nothing but what is †Honour is nothing but an itch of Blood A great desire to be extravagantly Good Mackenzy's Moral Galantry pag. 3. extravagant their Actions like the thoughts of young Poets are above the ken of Reason too lofty to be Regular too sublime to be Understood Thus they become Prodigal instead of being Liberal sollicit Danger rather than resist it and despise Justice as much as Cowardice And this running 'em into great Inconveniences making them to be obnoxious to humane Laws or to fall into Poverty Sickness or Disgrace they know not how to be controul'd repine under the ill usage which they think they suffer from God and Man and foolishly imagine to be reveng'd of both by falling upon themselves Others again have taken up a particular Principle proclaim'd it to the World boasted of it at several times as for Instance this of Self-murther they have often maintain'd in Company that it was reasonable in such and such Cases and then falling into the same Cases themselves think that they are obliged in Honour to put it in Execution But if Self-murther is unlawful in so many respects as has been shewn * See more to this purpose Chap. 11. concerning Decorum what can be more Absurd than for a Man to think it more Honourable to continue in the Wrong than to change for the Right * 〈…〉 and to be a Martyr to Errour by his own Hand only for the Reputation of Constancy and Perseverance in it But that which is the greatest occasion of Errour in this matter is the immoderate desire of Applause the neglecting the Principles of Virtue upon which inward Honour is form'd and aspiring impatiently to outward Honour only and not only so but mistaking the Persons who are to bestow it and therefore endeavouring to please the most and not the best the very same is done likewise in relation to Disgrace this is that fatal Rock upon which many great Spirits have been cast away and therefore there never was any considerable Moralist but has cautiously warn'd People of it and endeavoured carefully to recal them to consider the Dictates of Reason and Conscience and inward Honour to Reverence themselves and not the Multitude and to do well for their own sakes without any regard to common Praise or Disgrace And indeed it might be enough to cure this to consider attentively how much a Man must undervalue himself in order to be rais'd in this manner he that courts any one must endeavour to humour and please him now this cannot be done but by being like him by levelling a Man's self both to his Capacity and Inclination by renouncing his own Judgment and following what he takes to be the others that is by counterseiting both Ignorance and Vice When any one of the Multitude is to be Courted But who wou'd do this for publick Fame who wou'd rake for Reputation so very low This is no less than to invert the Nature of things to make the Lees of Mankind the Fountain of all Honour * If Publick Honour were a thing of Value the Multitude would not have it to bestow for it is not reasonable to think that Providence would deposit things precious in such Hands It must chuse it Servants very ill if these are its Stwards Mackenzie ag calum p. 34. and sorce its foul and heavy stream to mount upwards And yet this is not the way of the World in matters of much less Importance than those which we are speaking of Virtue and a good Conscience In Building or Painting in Musick or Poetry the sensible Artist does not appeal to the Multitude but is contented with the Applause of the few skilful only Shou'd not a Man then who has a just sense of his Duty and who is conscious to himself of obeying his Reason faithfully by Virtue shou'd not such a one be as well satisfy'd in his few Applauders as he that excells in any Art or Science Many Men indeed are apt to be deceiv'd by the noise the bulk of a vast Multitude but can Number alter the Nature of things or shall it be put to the Vote what is Good and Evil A great many Men may be the stronger as Beasts are when they gather into a Herd but not the wiser nor the better Judges of Virtue or Dispensers of Honour and the best way to remedy this Errour wou'd be to take out the first Man that we meet withal in the Crowd we Adore and to weigh his Education Capacity and Honesty Wou'd you trust such a thing as this with a Secret Wou'd you ask his Advice in any matter of Importance the putting out your Money disposing of a
she will assist you to bear Pain is always most acute when new the Powers of Sensation are blunted by degrees by their Objects pressing too violently upon them and continual labour under Pain will harden the sense of Feeling and deaden Perception No one can know his strength unless he will try it the force of deliberate and well weighted Resolution is incredible and has supported the Weak and the Guilty in the most dreadful Torments Shall Women be able to suffer so much in Child-birth Could the Spartan Boys bear whipping to Death before their Altars without a Groan Nay have the greatest Villains mock'd their Executioners Could such a Wretch as Ravillac or he that shot one of the Princes of Orange smile amidst all the Artisices of Torture and shall not Innocence and Virtue be able to support a good Man under the ordinary calamities incident to humane Nature If submission to Providence Perseverance in Duty Constancy and Patience are Virtues when are these to be practised unless in extremities But it may be said the Disease is incurable the Pain is without intermission and therefore what good can a Man do by suffering on but only expose humane Nature and render it Contemptible not at all but rather quite Contrary who can pronounce a Disease like to last incurable and how oft have the best Physicians been deceived in this matter And as to intermission suppose there should be none where the Pain is intermitting Constancy and Patience must be intermitting too and return only by fits as the Distemper does but when the Pain is continual Virtue is continual also and yet not in danger of being long upon Duty because extreme continual Pain will quickly dissolve Nature and discharge the Soul and this Consideration might be sufficient to support a Man under such Circumstances without Diogenes's Dagger to give him Liberty For if the Soul be imprison'd and enslaved when in a tortur'd or diseased Body then let it look upon every Pain as a step towards its Freedom as the bursting of some Chain or the falling off of some Fetter and as every Limb grows weaker and every Sense decays let it collect its sorces cheerfully and rejoice at these happy beginnings of Laâ—…ful and Eternal Liberty And as to 〈◊〉 this is not worth Consideration in comparison of ones Duty yet a good Man need not fear it He will rather do credit to humane Nature than expose it by his 〈◊〉 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Seneca says he will not leave his Body but when it begins to assect his Mind and then he well jump out of it 〈◊〉 from a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…ouse this is a very low thought and would not be pardonable but that He make some amends for it in another place †De Consol. ad Helviam where he says that he who was great before he fell is not the less great for being fallen but is as far from Contempt as the Ruins of Temples are which the Religious adore as much as when they were standing Though Holy Temples yield to Time yet they cannot crush the God that was Worshipt in 'em by their fall no more can a decaying Body oppress an upright Mind And while the Mind is not oppress'd it cannot be contemptible There is a Beauty in Constancy and Fortitude which shines through all the Deformities of Death for at such times 't is not the Body but the Soul that is to be regarded and therefore what if the Body be pale weak and wasted away yet if the Mind continues the same unshaken and undaunted all the signs of outward Decay are but the marks of inward Virtue the Trophies of the Souls Strength and Victory and more proper to cause Admiration than Contempt Which of Scaevola's Arms would an Ancient Roman have reckon'd most comely that which was shrivel'd up lame and deformed with Scars or that which was whole and strong Sure brawny Limbs and a good Complexion are not Essential to Virtue Nay even the last Minutes of a great Man shall be beneficial the very sight of his Calamities shall be full of Instruction so that while he has Breath he shall never be past doing good All the excellent modern Buildings of Italy if I may use this allusion once more are owing to a few remains of the Ancient Roman Structures which notwithstanding the injuries of many Years and many devastations retain still some thing of their former Beauty and Magnisicence the same use might be made of the Decays of great Men in extreme Age or Pain or Sickness They are not indeed what they were but still they are more than others are what is left is regular and great and sufficient to form in us an Idea of what is lost and to teach us by the Rules of Proportion to improve our selves accordingly But a great and good Man's Example is as necessary in Death as Life we are to study as much how to Die as how to Live Where then can we receive so much Instruction for this purpose as in the Deaths of such Men and if so when can they be ever past doing good But I will not insist farther upon this Let the Stoics who are the great Defenders of Self-murther be Judges in this matter if we look into their Writings we shall find it inculcated continually the Pains of the Body can never have any influence upon the Liberty of the Mind That their wise Man is above the taking notice of any outward Evil that he is at perfect Ease in the midst of Tortures Nay they reckon it no less than a Crime to own the least sense of Pain and indeed grant more in that respect than we desire and yet after all make Pain by a strange Contradiction one of the chief Causes of Self-murther 〈◊〉 The next thing which I propos'd to speak to was Whether any Man upon account of extreme Aâ—…iction especially Pain or Sickness has Liberty or Authority to Destroy himself Not only the Stoics heretofore but some others since have been inclined to think that he has thus one tells us * Mont. lib. 2. chap. 3. God gives us leave enough to part with Life when he is pleased to reduce us to such a condition that to Live is far worse than to Die The Rule which is here given whereby we are to judge when we have this leave is when God is pleased to reduce us to such a Condition that to Live is far worse than to Die But this will be found very insussicient to this purpose if we examine the Particulars it supposes these two things 1. That there may be some Condition of Life far worse than Death 2. That 't is God that reduces the Sufferer to such a Condition As to the first before we can compare things rightly we must understand exactly the terms by which they are represented Life as Humane implies the union of the Soul and Body Death is the dissolution of that Union the condition of Life which is supposed here
but Man alone and since this dread may increase to a very great degree by the niceness of his Reflection and the tenderness of his Conscience there is no Creature that can possibly be so miserable as Man and if this is to no purpose then there is not a Beast an Insect that perishes but has greatly the advantage of this Reasoning Creature this Lord of the World as he has flatter'd himself to be for so many Ages Since then it is certain that Man has such Notions and that God who dispos'd the frame of his Nature in such a manner as to receive 'em early and retain 'em strongly is All-wise Good and Just It cannot be imagin'd that he did this in Vain or only to Disturb and Torment him for as it would not be agreeable to Infinite Wisdom to do any thing to no purpose so it would by no means consist with Insinite Goodness to fix such Principles in the Noblest of his Creatures as must serve to no other End but to make him more miserable than any of the rest These Reasons I hope may suffice to prove to any Unprejudic'd and Impartial Person who acknowledges that there is a God the Necessity and Certainty of a Future State of Reward and Punishment and that too according to Natural Principles As for those Objections that are usually made upon this Occasion That the distinction of Good and Evil depends only upon Humane Laws that the Hopes and Fears of Future Reward and Punishment are not Natural but the Inventions of Politicians to manage Mankind and support Government and that this is prov'd by those who having had the Sence and Courage to assert their Natural Liberty have never been troubled with any thing of this kind nothing can be more Unreasonable than this for first it is plain by the consent of Nations that the distinctions of Good and Evil which are generally the same are sounded in Nature that the force which they have upon Men's Minds is ancienter than Government it self as being from Right Reason which is co-eternal with God As Cicero tells us Nor says he * Nec si Regnante Lue. Tarquinio nulla erat Romae Scripta â—…ex de stupris idcirco non contra illam legem sempiterâ—…am Sext. Tarq. vim Lucretiae attulit Erat enim ratio profecta à 〈◊〉 Natura adrecte faciendum impellens à delicto avocans quâ—… non tum denique incipit lox esse cum scripta est sed tum cum orta est orta est autem simuâ—… cum montos divina Lib. 2. de Legibus if there had been no Written Law against Rapes in Tarquin's Reign would his Son Sextus when he forc'd Lucretia have sin'd the less against this Eternal Law because this was Reason it self rising from the very Nature of Things and prompting Us to Good and restraining Us from Evil accordingly which did not then first become Law when 't was written down but oblig'd from its beginning which was the same with that of the Divine Mind it self So that the Goodness of Humane Laws depends upon their being deriv'd from this Eternal Fountain they do not of themselves determine what is Good and Evil but only declare what was so before to save People the pains of disputing about their Duty and to promote it by the threats of immediate Punishment But of all Pretences that sure is the weakest which would insinuate that the Notions of Good and Evil and the Hopes and Fears which are the effects of them are owing only to the Craft of Politicians and are not Natural but meer Fiction For this very Objection which supposes 'em necessary for Government proves the contrary for if Civil Government is absolutely necessary for Man's Happiness if such Government cannot be preserv'd without such Notions then we must either say that Man was made so imperfect as not to be furnish'd with such Notions such Principles and Rules as are absolutely necessary for him that what was thus omitted by God was supply'd by the Cunning of Crafty Men or that God suffers his Creatures to be impos'd upon by their Brethren to be fill'd with vain Hopes and tormented with vain Fears and that too often to their present disadvantage Or else we must grant that these Notions which are necessary for the general good of Mankind and are also generally embrac'd by them must be Natural In a Word nothing sure can be more reasonable than this Man cannot be happy without Civil Society Civil Society cannot be supported without Man's Passions and Appetites are restrain'd these cannot be restrain'd without the Hopes and Fears of a Future State these Hopes and Fears are generally entertain'd by Man and do restrain him and therefore as they are Natural they must be True and there is a Future Sate accordingly Nor does it signify any thing in this case to boast of Wit and Courage Asserting of Natural Liberty and the being free'd by these means from these Notions What was the Opinion of the Greeks and Romans in this Case were not these People as Famous for their Wit as for their Arms and wou'd it not be as Ridiculous for any single Man to oppose his Sence as his Courage against them and how is Man's Natural Liberty endanger'd by these Notions when it depends upon the direction and assistance of such Principles as are founded on them as has been shewn in the first part of this Chapter Or supposing that some Gentlemen even that one in a hundred which I am sure is many more than I need grant had wholly extinguish'd any such Notions does it follow from hence that there is no such at all or are those few a better Argument of what is Natural to Man than so many Thousand of others What if there be some few that are Deaf or Blind or that have besotted themselves by their Vices shall we conclude from hence that Stupidity or Blindness are Natural and that Seeing and Apprehending are signs of Mens being out of order Though a Man should be free from all sense of Evil and fear of Future Punishment this would be no better Argument that such a Persons Soul was in its proper and natural State than the Bodies being free from all Pain would prove that it was in perfect Health Pain is the effect of some Violence offer'd to Nature in order to put it upon its Guard as the Soul has an outward sense of it by the Body that it may resist or avoid whatever is hurtful to that so it has an inward sense of it in an ill Conscience that it may avoid what may prove hurtful to it self also Now as it would be very strange for any one upon his loss of Feeling in any Part from a Gangrene or Dead Palsey to argue that 't was unnatural for any Man to have the sense of Feeling in that Part so is it no less strange for any one that has lost these Notions of Good and Evil Reward or Punishment in a
Life to come to tell you considently that they are unnatural for all that this proves is only that such a Persons Mind is distemper'd that it does not exert its Faculties in a natural way that is in the same way that the generality of Mankind do for 't is from hence that we must judge of Humane Nature not from the temper or report of one or few Persons and if so then these Notions which are so General must be Natural and therefore certain because whatever is of Nature is of God There needs no further Answer to the Objections against a Future State or any further proofs for it where the wisest of the Philosophers concur with us so Universally The belief of this was the Foundation of those Excellent Discourses which were written by these Antient Sages and therefore we may find the Immortality of the Soul and a Future State continually Inculcated by the greatest of them this too was the ground of that greatness of Mind that Justice Courage Temperance and Piety of the Greeks and Romans 'T was this that gave Socrates that Calmness and Tranquility in his last Minutes under the most barbarous Injustice and made him as casie in his Death as ever lawful Monarch was at his Coronation And 't is to those Excellent Authors * Plato and Xenophon See this also clearly copiously and solidly prov'd in the Treatise above-mentioned viz. 〈◊〉 Practical Discourse of Future Judgment Likewise in the 2d Part. Vol. 1. Chap. 5. Sect. 2. Of the Christian Life 〈◊〉 that Late Eminent Divine Dr. Scot. which give an account of this Great Man that I remit the Reader for further satisfaction or if happily what has been said shall be sufficient then there will I suppose be no great difficulty in the remaining Point 2. That Self-Murther being one of the worst Crimes shall have a Punishment proportionable and consequently he that makes use of this to obtain Ease or Liberty shall fall into a state of great Misery or Slavery To make this appear we need only to produce the Opinions of some of the Greatest Men in this Matter and consider briefly the Grounds of Punishment and Reward in General and the Nature of this Crime in Particular For the First Virgil describing the Aboad and Condition of Self-murtherers in that Place above-mention'd * AEn 6. shews it to be unspeakably worse than the Evil which they sled from while he crys out Quam vellent aethere in alto Nunc pauperiem duros perferre labores This was according to the Doctrine of Plato and therefore Macrobius discoursing upon that Passage of Cicero which I quoted before †p. 22 Sup. That there could be no entrance into a State of Happiness for those who Kill'd themselves says ‖ Macrob lib. 1. in Som. Scip. Cap 13 it was the Opinion of Plotinus an Eminent Platonist That no Death could be Rewarded but what was Natural and that Death alone was Natural where the Body left the Soul and not the Soul the Body Besides as he adds farther the Soul shall be Rewarded according to that Perfection which it arrives to in this Life therefore Death is not to be hastned because it can never be so perfect but that it may receive addition tho' a Man may have risen to a very high Pitch of Goodness and Virtue yet he may rise higher sâ—…ill wherefore he that cuts off his Life cuts off his Improvement and so despises the Reward which is propos'd to him which being a great Contempt of the Proposer must be the occasion of severe Punishment To these let me add an Excellent Author * Milton's Paradise Lost. lib. 10. of our own who makes the first Man upon his Wife 's advising to kill themselves in their great Distress to argue thus from the Light of Nature If thou covet Death as utmost End Of Misery so thinking to evade The Penalty pronounc'd doubt not but God Hath wiselier Arm'd his Vengeful Power than so To be forestall'd much more I fear least Death So snatch'd will not exempt us from the Pain We are by Doom to pay rather such acts Of Contumacy will Provoke the Highest To make Death in us live then let us seek Some safer Resolution But the Reasonableness of this will be more plain if we consider what must be the Ground of Reward and Punishment in General and the Nature of the Crime before us What is it then that shall make the Soul to be admitted into a State of Liberty Ease or Happiness but the endeavouring faithfully to fulfil that End for which Life was bestow'd by performing every part of its Duty towards God our Neighbour or our selves and this too notwithstanding the worst Evils and Calamities which can possibly befall us On the other side what shall expose the Soul to the Slavery of extreme Torment but the forsaking of this End the refusing to submit to the Will of God the Injuring our Neighbour and encouraging others to do so now if the doing any one of these things must make a Man liable to Punishment what must it do to be guilty of them all and much more by Self-murther For this is the 〈◊〉 destruction of God's particular Propriety the Positive Renouncing that End for which he gives Man Life the doing what is destructive to Civil Society the Overthrowing the Laws both of God and Man to Rebel against Providence and break out into Eternity Self-murther is the doing all this and what is still more the doing it wilfully and advisedly and therefore what Punishment shall be due to it I hope the greatness of this Crime appears so plain by this time every Argument which has been us'd for the proving it unlawful proving this also that no new Arguments will be requir'd of me to demonstrate it and therefore I shall only confirm this by these two Considerations 1. That this is the least capable of 〈◊〉 of any ill Action whatsoever or 〈◊〉 't is the positive 〈◊〉 of it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 been allow'd as a most 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Duty by the Light of 〈◊〉 by which 't is plain also that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for something that is past and of Resolution of not doing the same thing for the time to come but the Gentleman with whom we have had so much to do after he has brought in a maim'd account of Repentance under the covert of a venerable Name viz. * See Biath pag. 32. This is true Repentance to do no more to speak no more those things whereof you Repent and not be ever Sinning and ever asking Pardon tells us such a Repentance as this our Case is capable enough of Was ever any thing so trivial What kind of Repentance Why a Man is capable of keeping the Resolution of Killing himself no more after he has once done so Can this be in earnest but this is absurd as to both parts of Repentance for this is either Sorrow for what is past supposes some thing