Our Lord advifes his difciples, Luke xii.

15, "to take heed and beware of covetouf"nefs: for that a man's life confifteth not "in the abundance of the things which he poffeffes," and again, xxi. 34. "Take "heed to yourfelves left at any time your "hearts be overcharged with furfeiting and "drunkennefs," and "cares of this life;" and he advifes us to lay up "treafure in heaven, rather than upon earth," Matt. vi. 19. The apoftle Paul has many earnest exhortations upon this fubject. Heb. xiii. "Let converfation be without co"vetoufnefs, and be content with fuch

5.

your

things as ye have." 1 Tim. vi. 6. "God"linefs with contentment is great gain: For "we brought nothing into this world, and "it is certain we can carry nothing out. "And having food and raiment, let us be "therewith content. But they that will "be rich fall into temptation, and a fnare, "and into many foolish and hurtful lufts, which drown men in deftruction and

66

perdition. For the love "root of all evil, &c."

of money is the

Laftly, he gives

a beautiful

a beautiful defcription of the temper of his own mind in this refpect, Phil. iv. 11. “ I "have learned in whatfoever ftate I am, "therewith to be content. I know both

"how to be abafed, and I know how to "abound: every where, and in all things

I am inftructed, both to be full and to "be hungry, both to abound and to fuffer "need."

It may feem extraordinary to fome perfons, that nothing fhould be faid in the fcriptures about the criminality of what we ufually call felf-murder; but fince all thofe wrong difpofitions of mind, which lead to it, are fufficiently cenfured, there was no great reafon for noticing this particular action, which takes its rife and its character from them.

The voluntary death of Achitophel, and indeed of Sampfon, in the Old Teftament, and that of Judas Iscariot, in the New, are mentioned in the courfe of the hiftory, together with the circumftances which led to them, but without any particular cenfure, VOL. II.

and

and Sampfon was even affifted fupernaturally to put an end to his own life, together with that of his enemies.

Jofephus, in the fpeech which he made, to diffuade his countrymen from laying violent hands upon themfelves (which great numbers of the Jews about that time did) De Bello Judaico, lib. iii. cap. 7. makes not use of one argument drawn from the fcriptures, but only from reafon, or the principles of the heathen philofophy; speaking of the feparate ftate of the foul, of tranfmigration, and of Tartarus.

It feems to be fufficient to say, that there is no example in the fcriptures of any perfon of diftinguished virtue putting an end to his own life, and that a voluntary death is never mentioned with approbation; and the moft eminent perfonages, efpecially Jefus Chrift, are recorded to have borne pain and torture to the last, without ever thinking of relieving themselves by a voluntary death. We also know that none of the apoftles, or primitive chriftians, ever took this method.

to

to avoid torture, even when they could have no hope of life; and we cannot but feel that we should have thought meanly of them if they had done fo; thinking fuch a degree of impatience and cowardice, as that conduct would have argued, a confiderable flaw in their characters.

I do not fee much force in the argument against a voluntary death, from the confideration of life being the gift of God, and a trust, which we ought not to refign without his orders, becaufe every bleffing of life comes under the fame defcription, and yet many of these we think ourselves fufficiently authorised to relinquish, according to our own prudence and difcretion. But to throw away life is, in another view, a very different thing from relinquishing wealth, rank, or ease, &c. for it is putting an end to the whole period of trial and difcipline, and throwing away the opportunity which adverfity, as a part of it, might afford, to improve us, and fit us for fomething greater hereafter; and, with refpect to other perfons,

U 2

fons, there certainly is not a nobler, or more improving fpectacle in the world, than that of a good man firuggling with undeferved fufferings, without a complaint.

But though, on thefe accounts, I fhould, in all cafes, condemn a man for withdrawing himself from the public theatre of life, I would not bring this action under the denomination of murder, because they are by no means things of the fame nature; for, certainly, the temper of mind with which a man deftroys himself, and that with which he kills another, are very different; and the latter is much more malignant, and deferving of punishment, than the former. Defpair, or fear, are reprehenfible; but malice is certainly of a much more atrocious

nature.

Neither can there be any thing peculiarly hazardous in fuicide, confidered as the last crime of which a man is guilty, and of which he has no opportunity of rcpenting, because it is not any fingle action, the firft,

the