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
consideration of nor are subject to self-murder because the law against murder is not given to them who are not properly capable of the same by meanes of their want of reason neither are they subject to this fact and sin of self-murder which by instinct of nature they abhorre and doe alwaies naturally indeavour their owne preservation 3. Rationall life The third kinde of naturall life is that which is called rationall or of reasonable creatures which is proper to men whereby they live besides the life of vegetation and sense common with other earthly living creatures according to reason or in a rationall manner both for the essentiall forme of their natures whereby they are called rationall creatures and also for their thoughts and actions which for their originall principle whence they flow and for the rule whereby they are ordered are reasonable morall and more divine in all their motions than are other earthly creatures if the same be not perverted by some other exorbitant principles or accidents In and under this rationall life of man both the other lives are comprehended as things inferior and subordinate are contained in their superiour and summary head Note Mans perfection The perfections of all other earthly creatures are in man together with or comprehended in that which is proper to himselfe whereby he transcends them all §. 2. Man only is subject to self-murder Notwithstanding that man indowed with understanding hath the greatest helps against self-murder and hath the greatest reason of all worldly creatures to preserve his life it being so excellent above theirs yet he onely of them all is subject to this fault and mischiefe of self-murder The greatnesse of the sin of self-murder And as all the aforesaid three kinds of lives are comprehended for faculty and vertue in mans reasonable life flowing from his reasonable soule as we see in the ceasing of them all in man at once upon the departure of his soule from the body Note so the killing destroying of mans life is absolutely farre greater than the destroying of the lives of all other earthly creatures because both the lives of them all for kinds and also mans own proper life that farre excells them all in the destruction of mans life are destroyed and also all other creatures were made for man for the comfort of whose life all their lives do serve §. 3. How naturall life is knowne by man in whom it is Touching the knowledge of the naturall life of man a reasonable living creature apprehends the same both by sense and understanding This life is knowne 1. by sense by sense a reasonable creature not onely descernes that it lives but also feeles this life by the effects of it to be a quickning power of inlivening the body inwardly and disposing and inabling it to action outwardly 2. By understanding By understanding a man knowes that this life is an act of the spirit or soule in the body of man or a quickning vertue of it in a continued fluxe by the personall union of the soule and body together §. 4. The soules double act of life in man The soules act of life in man This act of the soule in its union with the body is twofold 1. Making the subiect to live First that which respects the bodie it self or rather mans person in that worke or lively energie which we may in some respect call opus ad intra or a reflexe worke of man upon himselfe upon the personall union of the soule and bodie whereby he becomes a living soule Gen. 2.7 for extension in all his parts and for intensiox in fulnesse of lively power for his subsisting and growth to his appointed period and for use of all his organs and faculties for their proper function being thereby also able to discerne take notice and judge of himselfe his state and actions For not the soule only nor the body onely is to be properly said to live after their union together but the person consisting both of soule and body doth live this life which is not the life of either of the natures or parts of man by themselves considered Man lives or dies personally considered but the life of the person of man consisting of both natures personally united And therefore when one kills a man we say not properly that he hath onely killed an earthly body but we say properly that he hath killed such a person as consists of a soule and a body and therefore it is said in Scripture that there were so many soules slaine a Joshua 10.28 not that the immortall spirit is in it selfe subject to such a death or can be slaine but in regard of its Acting and working in its personall union with the bodie whereby both of them live personally together that life which is the life of the person which is destroyed and ceases upon death which is further apparent by this Reason because the murder of a man is so hainous a crime in regard of the destruction of the Image of God in man which is not onely in the body or onely in the soule but is in the whole person of man so long as the same lives 2 Making the subject to worke The second lively act of the soule in this union with the body personally considered is that whereby it makes the body organically fitly disposed and active to those duties which we call opera ad extra works about objects not it selfe which works are the common outward workes of the person consisting of those two natures and not of either of them apart Observe Upon life depends the subsisting and working of the person Whereupon wee may observe that upon this life depends both the subsisting of the person of man in its being and also all its actions naturall civill and morall so that he that kills a man destroyes his person and abolishes all his personall actions and activity whereby he might be serviceable and usefull to God to himselfe to the Church or Commonwealth And yet we see no thing more passionately and rashly enterprised than killing of men than the which nothing should be more deliberately and upon weightier causes done it being no lesser matter than to dissolve heaven and earth by destruction of a person consisting of an heavenly spirit and of an earthly body to destroy the noblest naturall life and to deprive God and the world of the most glorious and profitable workes Such a thing is this naturall life of man generally considered CHAP. 4. Of mans naturall life more specially §. 1. Wherein the naturall life of man consists Mans naturall life is fraile Phil. 1.22 expounded MAns naturall life consists as in part wee have heard in the Act of the soule united personally with the body by meanes of the animall naturall and vitall spirits which the Apostle calls living in the flesh Philip. 1.22 which is to live neither to the flesh to
their eternall future happinesse in the world to come to abandon all thoughts of self-murder that consideration of present things may not wholy possesse and take them up from minding and intending the spirituall good of their soules and the future felicity of a better life but that they may order all their wayes and actions so as the same may not prejudice but advantage the good of their soules and advance them to and in the estate of glory Self-murderers regard not their souks But it seemes by the practice of self-murder that self-murderers either thinke that they have no soules but are as irrationall brutes of whom death ends all or else that they undervalue their soules as things nought worth and are regardlesse of their future estate in the world to come as if neither of them were worth their care and respect that for the same they should frame their course and order their practice and otherwise than they list themselves and in that respect are wilfull mad Atheists What they should consider If self-murderers doe conceive that they have soules that are superstites remaining after their death and beleeve that there is a life of happinesse or misery to come after this then should they be mindfull of the same and consider what shall become of their poore soules and what their state shall be if they doe kill and rid themselves out of this life and world and whether salvation or damnation is the portion of self-murderers §. 2. That all that kill themselves are not properly Self-murderers nor in their estate of damnation All self-killers are not properly self-murderers About determining this great question concerning the sinall estate of self-murderers whether they bee all damned in hell or any of them saved in heaven we are first to consider that all that fall by their owne hands or meanes are not self-murderers as hath beene formerly shewed in divers exempt cases in the chapter of direct bodely self-murder Chap. 12. §. 5. to which I referre the reader For although all self-murderers are self-killers yet all self-killers are not self-murderers they are not termes convertible or reciprocall because although they may agree and be the same in themateriall part or substance of the action They differ formally yet they doe differ in their forme and nature of Anomy or sinfulnesse which doeth varie and alter the kinde that it is not the same properly with the other and so it is not simply subject to the same effects and Consequences thereof Whereupon not only by the verdict of divine reason but even also by the Courts of humane Iudicature about feloes de so such are acquitted as are expressed Chap. 12. § 5. In the exempt cases As if a Child kill it selfe that hath not attained to age of discretion or to use of reason or if a man or woman kill himselfe that is an Ideote or naturall foole or is mad constantly or in a fit of Lunacie or of a Fever or Calenture or in a fit of Phrensie how ever involuntarily contracted or by mischance no Court of equity or Iustice in advised well informed proceeding will condemne such an one for a self murderer and accordingly so dispose of his body and goods as of self-murderers For for them to exempt such from the number and censures of self-murderers their reason is good because it is most inbumane and unreasonable so ignominiously to condemne and censure persons for self-murderers whose case deserves pitty and commiseration for their lamentable suffering both in their death and also in that evill of calamity which is the cause of it against or at least without the free consent of their wills and therefore to punish a fact neither of their proper effecting nor advised approving by addition of more misery were most unjust Hereupon it necessarily followes that the persons justly acquitted and exempted from the number and censure of self-murderers by the verdict and Judgement of men as such to whom usually the Church grants communion of Christian buriall with other priviledges of holy Church after their death cannot in charity be denyed by it the happinesse of salvation §. 3. That proper and direct self-murderers are all reprobates and without the state of grace All self-murderers are damned The proper subject of this question about salvation are not the persons aforesaid salling by their owne hands in the foresaid cases who are not properly self-murderers But those only that out of deliberate Iudgement doe advisedly wittingly and willingly kill themselves contrary to the meanes and power that they have to the contrary if they list to use the same as they might of these I say and doe peremptorily conclude that they all and every of them that so murder themselves are certainly and infallibly damned soule and body for evermore without redemption which I will pregnantly prove by five strong and undenyable arguments and reasons Reasons 1. None in the state of salvation can be properly a self-murderer First because none doe nor can so murder themselves but unregenerated and reprobate persons who dying in that estate cannot possibly be saved For both the transcendent greatnesse of that sinne of self murder in it selfe and perfect forme considered and in all the circumstances thereof for manner of doing of it And also the full measure of the wills exorbitancy in a plenary consent and the indivertible indeavours of the minde and all the powers and faculties of these self murderers presumptuously to doe this vile execrable act against all resistance and helps to the contrarie is such as cannot be incident to any godly body that shall be saved Of the regenerated preserved Because in those that are truly adopted of God both the power of sinne formally considered in that degree of Anomie and excesse of enormity is by saving grace and the Spirits working in them broken and bridled that they cannot breake out into the same so extremely as others doe And also their wills are brought under such conformity to the rule and command of God and of his spirit and all their powers faculties and dispositions are in some measure so-inclined to goodnesse and divine obedience that they can never transgresse into any odious grosse sin without far more reluctancy opposition and hinderance in themselves against it from light of Iudgement divine restraint and from antipathy of renewed inclination than can be in any that is wicked or unconverted who running in an unregenerate estate with such a full Careere sometimes upon the rock of self-murder doe therein outstrip others so farre that they overshoote themselves beyond all bounds of salvation and are all certainly damned even in the judgement of men here on earth who have no better esteeme of them but as of damned Reprobates who by their owne meanes and procurement perish for ever not onely by and for the odious act of murdering themselves but together with that for their former wicked impenitent life and are not saved
state life is put into us but in this latter state wee shall be put into life filled with it within us and fully compassed about with it without us as vessels cast into the sea are filled with water within and without so being comprehended by it as well as it is comprehended by us according to our modell and capacity This life is one Although these degrees of spirituall life bee severall yet the life it selfe is but one whereupon these subsist This life is begunne here in the state of grace by faith in Christ and is consummate and fully accomplished by vision or sensible fruition in the state of glory in heaven according to our hope Gods promises to us although at death faith doth cease yet the spirituall life thereby wrought in us is not extinguished for or by the introduction of the life of glory but the manner onely is altered and degree of spirituall living intended to perfection The degrees subordinate A mans severall and graduall kinds of lives do stand in subordination one to another thus to the life of glory in heaven with the Lord none can attaine but those that first live by faith in Christ in the state of grace in manner conformable to Gods word and will neither can any attaine to the life of grace but those that first live the naturall life which is the materiall or passive foundation of the other twaine for this naturall life gives beeing to a man the other two doe adde perfection and happinesse to him so that if the first be a blessing much more are the other lives blessings and highly to be esteemed These three degrees or kinds of life are like to the three roomes of the Temple where all entrance into the most Holy place was made by the Holy place and into this by the outward Court so none could come into the third but by the second and none could come into the second but by the first whereby it appeares that naturall life brings man under a possibility and capacitie of the life of grace and glory and the life of grace brings us that certainely have it into faire assurance of attaining the life of glory for that they are specifically the same but gradually different as the twilight and perfect light at noone §. 4. Who may have spirituall life and by whose fault doe any misse of it Denyed to none Although all men that doe live the naturall life attaine not to the spirituall yet spirituall life is denyed expresly to no man if they will carefully use the meanes and truly indeavour to have it for whosoever miscarries and misseth of this spiritual life he himselfe is guilty and cause thereof Lost by our owne fault for God hath given sufficient meanes of salvation and made a generall offer thereof to all men as Ioshua did call Heaven and earth to record that day that he had set before the people life and death and so did put them to their choise Ioshua 24.14 if with Mary wee choose the better part wee are happy it were better for us that wee had never lived at all than that wee should not live this spirituall life without which we are dead while we live a 1 Tim. 5.6 None can be excused by pretense of want of particular insinuation of the Gospell that is the power of God to salvation to every individuall man or because it is not naturally ingrafted in every mans heart as is the morall Law in the generall principles and matter unformed thereof though not as it is perfectly formed in every particular precept For the Gospell is not contrary to the Law but the Law both morall and ceremoniall is our Schoolemaster to drive and direct us to Christ for salvation b Gal. 3.21.24 and that for the same we should neither rest upon our selves nor upon the Law The Gospell to al published 1. To Adam Againe when God himselfe at the beginning first after the fall preached and delivered the gospell to Adam and Eve c Gen. 3.15 he did publish and give the same to every particular man and woman then in them that ever should be borne into the world to whom their parents were bound successively to preach and deliver the Gospell by a continued tradition Note If any of their children should have died before they were capable of salvation by that mean then as it is most probable they were to be saved as dying infants of beleeving parents now are 2. To his posterity Furthermore ever since the first promulgation of the gospell to Adam it hath pleased God to repeat and more and more fully to explicate the same by his servants with invitation of all men to entertaine the same from age to age in such places and companies where all men might take notice thereof if they were not wanting to themselves in adjoyning themselves to and keeping union with the Church where they might be within the hearing of the Gospell which is sufficient to leave men inexcusable in their ignorance of it Although God by his providence and prerogative Royall directs dispenses and applyes the Gospell in the ministrie of it to some people and not to others according to the good pleasure of his will after the first promulgation as wee see how the publication of Lawes and proclamations of Princes which are as little written in their subjects hearts as the gospell is in mankind Comparison being published in manner and in places as Princes please whereby and whence their subjects are to take notice of them ignorance of the same excuses not but that the disobedient and transgressors of them may justly be punished notwithstanding that they never knew them seeing every man is at his owne perill to looke after and take notice of those Lawes or ordinances whereby he is to live whether they proceed from inbred naturall notions or outwardly from the will of his Superiours §. 5. Of the excellency of spirituall life Spirituall lifes excellencie Mans spirituall life far excells his naturall life in three respects especially 1. For nature First in regard of the things where in it consists the naturall life consists but in the union of soule and body which are but naturall things and holds by a tie of naturall spirits in the blood upheld by earthly naturall meanes such as man is made and compounded of Spirituall life which is now supernaturall consists in a spirituall union with God by his eternall Sonne and Spirit and is upheld by supernaturall meanes and divine influence whereby we live the life of God and also by God and to God a Rom. 14.8 and so as the life of naturall or reasosonable men 2 Cor. 5.15.1 Pet. 4.2 farre excells the lives of brutes so doth this spirituall life of Gods regenerated people farre surpasse the lives of meere naturall and unregenerated men and therefore it is that men are farre more beholding to the
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
the publike good is to be preferred before our owne private which argueth the greater charity for extension of it abroad and as we are not made every one for himselfe onely but for the good one of another So should wee endeavour the same by life and death as the Apostle commands that we should not looke every man on his owne things but every man also on the things of others Phil. 2.4 In the publike good the good of every particular is comprehended and therefore the members severally considered are to expose themselves to suffer for the good and preservation of the Whole Thomas of Aquine sayes well that Charitas communia propriis anteponit a Tho 2.2 quaest 26. arlic 4. ad 3. Charity preferres the publike before the private In this also David a Mauden is cleare when he sayes in his aforenamed discourse Laudabiliter facit qui pro bono publico se periculo exponit Sicut enim in naturalibus pars una corporis rectè periculo exponitur pro servando toto corpore ita in politicis particulare Reipub. membrum pro servanda tota Republica That man doth commendably that exposes himselfe to danger for the publike good as even in naturall things one part of the body is rightly exposed to save the whole body so also in things politique a particular member of the common wealth is to be exposed for to save the whole And therefore the Prophet David upon this ground accompanied with a speciall instinct and motion of the Spirit for the generall good of his nation undertooke with the perill of his life a dangerous combate against the Gyant Goliah b 1 Sam. 17. Caiaphas did tell a truth when he said that it was better that one man should die for the people than that the whole Nation should perish c John 11.50 Eleazar is commended Qui se in mortem dedit ut populum suum liberaret Who gave himselfe that he might deliver his people sayes Mauden Examples of this practice are frequent among the Heathen and by them celebrated with greate praise As Codrus the Athenian King if I be not mistaken who thrust himselfe into death among his enemies that hee might procure victory to his people according to the Oracle Also of Curtius the Romane it is said that Se pro Republica praecipitavit in hiatum terrae for preservation of the common-wealth hee did throw himselfe into a gulfe of the earth But of this kinde many might be alleadged Vpon this ground it is that the keeping of a Passe the defending of a Town or Fort or the making of a Stand to check the pursuing enemy may be committed to a few against an unresistable multitude of enemies which charge and service those few are not to decline nor disert and quitt although they doe foresee that in that service they must all die upon the place when it is apparent that by the losse of the lives of those few after that brave manner the lives of many others are preserved with a more generall publike good of that body and State whereof they are members So Sampson-like doing more good by their thus dying than they ever did or could by otherwise living §. 19. Of certaine questions resolved Questions 1. About a man-flayer for whose sake his friends are pursued to death To this point belongs the decision of divers questions As first if a man have killed another and escaped for revenge whereof the kindred and friends of the slaine in their pursuit of the manslayer for justice doe fall upon his kindred and friends that favour or entertaine him whereby may follow the effusion of much innocent blood where there is not sufficient power and authority to order and protect men against such outrages then is such a manslayer bound in conscience to put himselfe betweene his friends and such harme and to offer himselfe a sacrifice to appease wrath and to prevent a more generall bloodshed mortality and deadly feud Whereby for his sake many of his dearest friends might perish It is better that one should die for preserving of many than that many should die for preserving one of no more worth and use than any one of the other which is apparent by Ioabs demand in his pursuit of Sheba at Abel of Bethmaachah requiring him to bee delivered up to him upon promise that he would depart from the City which was done accordingly a 2 Sam. 20.21 §. 20. About a man under deadly displeasure of Superiours Question 2. Secondly if a man be fallen so farre under the displeasure of his Prince or State although unjustly and undeservedly that they pursue him with that eagernesse to death that for his sake and life a storme of destruction is like to light upon and consume his dearest and nearest friends then ought he for their safety to put himselfe into the hands of implacable authority to bee thereby heaved as Ionas a Jonah 2.15 into the high grown sea of Superiours displeasure that the same may cease from the raging thereof Which practise and care seemes to have beene used by our Saviour Christ when he said if you seeke me let these go their way b Iohn 18.8 to make a party if hee were able to resist were to make an innocent man guilty of rebellion and the meanes of more generall ruine An objection If it be replied that self-love is against this course and that the preservation of justice is to be preferred above many mens lives and that such yeelding doth condemne the sufferer as guilty and encourages the persecutors in their injustice Answer 1. About love I answer that the love of the whole or more generall body or principaller parts thereof is to be preferred before the love of any particular or inferiour member of the body as is cleared by what is spoken already 2. About Justice To the second I reply that of justice in generall it is true that it is to be preferred before the bodies and lives of many men 1. In generall because neither trade humane society nor the world can consist without it and therefore it is that for maintenance therof Kingdome is justly armed against Kingdome to reduce and keepe those to justice that otherwise transgressing the same would confound all in tyrannie or anarchy 2. In particular But the case is not so in particular execution of justice about every individuall person when by seeking or preserving of Iustice in particulars wee open a way for greater injustice using a medicine worse than the disease But our Saviour Christ fully cleares this point in the fift of Mathew when he saies Yee have heard that it hath beene said an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth but I say unto you that yee resist not evill but whosoever shall smite thee on the right Cheeke turne to him the other also And if any man sue thee at the Law and take away thy
of Iustice cuts men off not onely for punishment of mischiefe done but also specially for prevention of evill to come The barre removed The barre that may hinder such a man from taking this course may bee the feare of immortall shame and disgrace that he thinks he should never be able to indure if hee should live and the Magistrate not put him to death after this publick accusation of himselfe But to that it is easily answered that the comfort and ease of the conscience would bee such upon that course and the opinion and respect of the godly and wise concerning him that all that feared shame and disgrace would vanish in the ayre and he be the better approved §. 24. A sixt question about burning or sinking of a Ship in sea fight A Sea case For conclusion of this point I will propound a sea case to wit whether it be lawfull for a Captaine or Master of a Ship being overcharched with enemies in a Sea fight rather to fire or sink his Ship with himselfe and his company to perish in her than to yeild and bee at the mercy of his enemies Touching a Sea fight Answer Touching Ships Royall When to susteine untill the ship be burnt or sunk without danger of self-murder I answer if the Ship do belong to the King and is in service for the State and committed to her Commanders with charge rather to burne or sink her than to yeeld then are they to follow their Commission in obedience to their Superiours alwaies being carefull that they neither directly burne nor sink the ship with themselves in her but as the same may be done by the invading enemies or accidentally by themselves in their owne defence as by blowing up the Ship with intention to destroy their enemies although they do see that they cannot doe the same without the death of themselves thereby as Sampson did When a man himselfe may burne or sink his owne ship without danger of self-murder A proviso Furthermore such a Commander may himselfe burne or sink such a Ship so committed to him when he is no longer able to keepe her out of his enemies hands for that he is to deprive the enemies of all the strength hee can provided that he and the remnant of his Company do forsake her and shift for their lives otherwise as they best can that they may not bee guilty of selfe-murder But if a Captaine or Master have Command of such a Ship without such peremptory charge then is he no further bound in conscience touching yeelding keeping sinking or burning of her in such a desperate case than such a Captaine or Master that Commands at or by his owne discretion according to the Lawes and Customes of the Sea the determination whereof is touched in the next Touching a Merchant man whē to sustaine untill she be burnt or sunk without danger of self-murder But if so be that the Ship be a merchant-man and is commanded by her Captaine or Master at his owne discretion according to the Lawes and Customes of the Sea if so be that he be so oppressed in fight with his enemies that he is not able to make longer resistance or to escape and shall certainely foreknow that if he his Ship and Company do fall into the hands of their enemies their adversaries will thereby be so encouraged and strengthned that the Nation or State to which such a ship did belong shall suffer much more harme and damage by the imployment of her her Company and goods against the same than if so be that such a Ship should have perished in the Sea with all her company and goods or if so be that such a Commander do foresee that his yeelding will bring him and his men to a captivity or death more tedious than what by resistance they can suffer then ought such a Commander to choose the best of the two evils of damage and rather die in resisting induring the Ship to be sunk or fired by his enemies or to doe it himselfe A proviso alwaies being carefull in such a case for preservation of their lives as long as they can by quitting her and shifting as they can in the Sea at the mercy of their enemies and of the waters when Gods providence unevitably casts them into their hands In such a desperate pinch to blow up the Ship whereby they foresee that themselves also must perish is no more unlawfull than Sampsons pulling downe the house upon his enemies and himselfe so long as their intention is not to kill themselves but their enemies in their owne just defence which in this case they cannot doe without killing themselves accidentally But if there bee not so great danger and losse like to ensue by their enemies taking such a Ship as by perishing in resisting then is such a Commander to yeeld that he may not bee guilty of indirect self-murder as hath beene said about fighting beyond our warrant or upon desperate disadvantages and that he may save himselfe and his Company for further service of God his Countrey and friends When to yeeld §. 25. Of adventuring about saving of soules The third point saving of soules The third point concerning the second case about present urgent necessity wherein a man may adventure the losse of his life for a greater good without any danger of self-murder is when the necessity and opportunity of saving mens soules requires the adventuring of the losse of a mans naturall life to doe it which may fall out in two Cases Case 1. Of adventuring to infectious persons First if a man be sick of some pestilent infectious mortall disease and labours not only under the feare and pangs of death But also lyes oppressed with the horror of a troubled conscience like to be swallowed up in utter despaire languishing and longing for meanes and comfort of salvation then may the Minister within whose charge such a one is or in his default some other either Minister or private Christian upon outward calling from the party or by Gods providence inviting him finding withall an inward motion and inclination of the spirit to take the opportunity to save a soule then I say may one of these adventure into such infectious places and to such infected persons out of love and zeale to save a soul in danger of perishing so they indanger no other lives than their owne by so adventuring 1. Grounds of adventuring The grounds of which adventure are first confidence of Gods protection in that warrantable pious imployment so farre as God sees good 2. Secondly comfort that if in that service a man doe die he had a lawfull calling and his adventure was for saving that which is better than many lives for which the deare Son of God did die upon the crosse A Caveat Yet men are herein to be observant that they tempt not God by their rash presumption or self-confidence needlesly or beyond
troubles of mind 1. Trouble of conscience for sinne First extreame griefe of minde and trouble of conscience in respect of sin which by the guiltinesse thereof and by the terror of the expected punishment thereof distresses and overcharges the wounded conscience when withall a man apprehends himselfe to bee wholly destitute of true grace and deserted and forsaken of God given over to a reprobate sense whereby he cannot rest but is comfortlesse and at last is swallowed up of utter desperation living as if he were continually in hell sensibly seeling as he thinks the flames and tortures of the damned in his conscience For ease out of which estate men many times kill themselves hoping to mend themselves by change although it bee but as skipping out of the frying-pan into the fire Grounds of this trouble of mind The grounds of which perplexities of the mind about sinne are three 1. Greatnesse of sin and its punishment First a mans thorow apprehension of the greatnesse and deformity of his sinne and of the fearefull judgements due to him for the same which affrights the conscience and drives it to runne into any course to hide it selfe from the same 2. Emptinesse of grace c. Secondly the soules emptinesse of repentance and grace and the possession and dominion that noysome lusts disorderly affections and fearefull temptations have of the same whereby it seemes to be a cage of uncleane spirits from which when a man can no other wayes be rid then resolves hee to kill himselfe to free himselfe from that horror of minde that he is not able to indure 3. Conceit of time of grace to be past Thirdly when the soule conceives that its time of grace is past and that it is too late to repent and get grace against which when men find themselves hardned and shut up then falling under desperation they resolve to destroy their owne lives that seeing they have no hope that they shall be better by living they may not thereby make their estates worse by what they may indure both in this life and in the life to come Observ 1. Men deceived by sinne We may here observe how men are deceived by sinne which promiseth at first all contentment and happinesse to the clients and entertainers thereof but in conclusion paies them with destruction and shuts up their dayes and life with a tragicall conclusion Note None are more faithfull drudges to any Master than sinners are to sin and none are so ill rewarded by their Masters for their service as they 2. No case of conscience frō our selves Againe from hence it is remarkable that so long as men in distresse of conscience for their sinne looke not out off or beyond themselves for ease and comfort they cannot but sinke under their owne burden For our blessed Saviour directs us to a better course in this case when he sayes Come unto me all yee that labour and are heavie laden and I will give you rest a Mat. 11.28 §. 12. Of discontentment of minde Ths second sort of trouble of minde is discontentmēt The second sort of the troubles of mind which occasions self-murder is mens excessive discontentment for being crossed or disappointed of their desires or wills in which respect it was that Ieremy did wish his own death b Ier. 10.17 at least was weary of his life 1. Grounds of it This discontentment of minde arises from two causes First from want of that good true or seeming which we desire or expect 2. Kinds of discontentment Secondly from suffering of that evill which we would not This discontentment of minde is twofold 1. From disappointment of mens passiōs and affections First that which ariseth from the crossing or disappointment of the will of mens affections and lusts as those that immoderately affect and love to have and enjoy others of the other sexe and are deeply overset in carnall or conjugall love which is an unruly passion and being disappointed occasions people therefore to kill themselves a wife kills her selfe because her husband crosses her will that either he will not doe as she would have him or that he will not let her have her will to goe and doe as she list or is displeased with her match which proceeds from hatred to her husband whom she envies the enjoying of her and so I might instance in many like particulars but it is most unreasonable that because a body cannot have their love or will that therefore such an one sould revenge the same upon himselfe by an act of the greatest hatred and hostility in the world and that one should rather choose to kill himselfe than to live after a repulse in suite of love or to see another brooke what they impotently affected to enjoy The second kinde of discōtentment crossing the will of reason in three particulars Secondly discontentment of minde is that which proceeds from the crossing or frustrating of the will of sound and naturall reason in three particulars 1. Concerning a mans selfe Iustice First in things concerning a mans self as if he cannot have equity and justice done him hee in discontentment therefore kills himselfe or as a childe because his parents will not give him fit maintenance as they are able nor dispose of him or her as they might and ought murders himselfe 2. Concerning a mans family Secondly in things concerning a mans family or friends as Rebeccah was weary of her life because of her daughters in law a Gen 27.46 and as if parents should for their being crossed of their wills in and about their children kill themselves 3. Concerning Church or Common-wealth Qui non poterat serre dominatum Caesaris Filli. Thirdly in things concerning the generall body of Church or Common-wealth whereof a man is a member as if for the ill government or miscariage of either or of both of them he should kill himselfe as did Cato Viicen sis But all this may bee uneffectuall to move a man or woman to kill themselves if they would deny their owne wills and submit themselves wholy to Gods who suffers and orders all these evills and brings good out of them And if they would consider that not by dying but by living things are reformed and by self-murder disorders are increased and judgements provoked and deserved and not prevented nor amended §. 13. Of shame and confusion Third kinde of troubles of minde Shame The third kinde of troubles of minde that sometimes occasions self-murder is shame and confusion either for what a man hath ignominiously done or suffered or is certainly like to do or suffer whereby he falls under contempt scorne and importable disgrace with those whose respect he overvalues and so apprehending himselfe to bee dejected and used more indignly and unworthily than he thinkes he hath deserved or can indure he resolves to kill himselfe to free him from the same or