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impulfes, as only fit to govern the crowd, thinks there is need of such a precept. One is almoft inclined to repeat here after the Grecian dramatift,

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Donne maintains fuicide to be fometimes permitted in scripture by fair implication.— His reafons, why he conceives the fixth commandment not to exclude "all" felfhomicide, any more than "all" killing, anfwered.-Reafons, why a man cannot impartially determine in favour either of his own life or death.-It is agreed with Donne, that there is no express prohibition of fuicide in all the old law, except it be contained under "Thou shalt not kill.”—Donne's meaning in afferting fuicide to be fometimes lawful under the Gospel.-Texts, which feem to him to make to his purpose: anfwers thereto.-Donne's confideration of our Saviour's "voluntary" facrifice of himself, as being a species of fuicide to be imitated by us on proper occafions. In what fenfe we are to imitate our Saviour's voluntary death.—Paffages of fcripture quoted, as being of more force to forbid, than thofe which Donne bas produced to allow, fuicide.-The apofiles left no actual precept on a matter Sa evidently repugnant to the whole fyftem of Chriflianity.—Scripture examples of fuicide.-Samfon.-Saul.-Ahitophel.-Judas Iscariot.-Opinion of Augustin, (in his mention of Judas,) "that a wicked man fins lefs in committing fuicide than an innocent one," refuted.-Eleazar.-Razis.-Scripture filence, as to the condemnation or acquittal of any historical fact related, is true filence, and not to be brought in proof either way.-The characters of those who committed fuicide in feripture, not good enough to give countenance to the action: not committed by the best characters under their heaviest afflictions: not by the apostles or first faints under their fevereft trials.-Some cafes in which fuicide was thought, meritorious

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in fome early ages of the church; fuch as to prevent a denial of the faith, a commiffion of any idolatrous act; to preferve virginity, to be efteemed martyrs.-The mission fallacy of thefe grounds of fuicide.-Why Pliny wrote fo mildly of the Chriftians to Trajan. Not likely to be perfecuted in thefe days in defence of our faith; therefore no pretence for committing fuicide on fuch accounts.-A Chriftian is to promote the glory of God in his "life.”—When fuicide winds up a life of iniquity, it has nothing to plead in its defence either on Heathen or Christian grounds.—Why we may hazard" our lives on laudable motives confiftently with Chriftian morality, though we may not put an end to them with our own hands.-Brief recapitulation of the preceding Parts; and reafons for entering further on an hifcrical and critical review of the fubject.

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HERE was a writer of eminent learning and abilities, Dr. John Donne [N], who died Dean of St. Paul's in the year 1631, who, though a ferious well-wisher to the cause of Chriftianity, goes beyond Hume, in not only denying that fuicide is prohibited in the Old and New Testament; but in maintaining, that it is even actually allowed, on fome occafions, by fair implication. The third part of Donne's work contains the fame inquiry as employs our prefent reflections, viz. “How the Law of God (meaning the revealed Law) "affects the fubject of fuicide?" He mentions feveral texts conceived by different writers to be direct prohibitions of the practice [o] of suicide; but as they must be allowed to be far-fetched interpretations, as applied immediately to it, we readily agree with him in difcarding them; and fhall only beftow a few reflections on his interpretation of the precept, "Thou shalt not kill," which, for the reafons mentioned in the laft chapter, may be conceived to include a prohibition of felf-murder.

Now Donne's objection to including felf-homicide under the commandment is fimply this. "The words (he fays) are general-Thou fhalt not kill:

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[N] A fuller account of this writer, as well as a criticifin on the two former parts of his work called Biathanatos," will be given hereafter.See Part VI. c. i.

[o] The moft material are these." I kill (fays the Almighty) and I make alive, neither is there any that can deliver from my hand." (Deut. xxxiii. 39.) The Lord killeth and maketh alive." (1 Sam. ii. 6.) Thefe and fuch like expreffions fhould certainly convince us, that the iffues of life and death are in the hands of the Almighty, not in our own; and confequently that felf-murder is unjuftifiable; but their immediate defign feems fim, ly to declare the omnipotence of God. M 2 " and

" and yet we kill by public authority, or in a just war, or in defence of one's own life, or of another's. All these exceptions we make without fuppofing we offend against the commandment; why then may not felf-homicide, on "certain occafions, be a lawful exception to the general precept?" Now if it be allowed, (and this he does not seem to wish to deny) that the general prohibition of self, as well as of other, murder is included under this commandment, the cafe must be very perfpicuous and felf-evident, which will justify an exemption from a moral precept which is fo plain and clear. The cafes of acknowledged exception which he mentions, are all cafes either mediately or immediately appertaining to felf-defence; or in which violence must be opposed to violence, and the tranfgreffion must lie at the door of the aggreffor. A thief or highwayman invades our property and endangers our lives; and therefore it is a mere matter of juftice, that where killing of one party or the other is inevitable, the innocent sufferer should be allowed to repel death from himself, and to inflict it (if abfolutely neceffary for his own immediate preservation) on his opponent. But if able, with perfonal fafety to himself, to deliver up the offender to public juftice, the magiftrate is then appointed, in defence of the whole community, (which is. but an enlarged degree of felf-defence) to inflict the legal fentence against the life of a dangerous citizen. When a public enemy invades our rights, he robs us of our property and endangers our lives; and the confequent fhedding of blood is nothing more than felf-defence as a nation. But the reafon of any exception to the commandment in favour of felf-affaffination is not fo evident, because there being no occafion for fhedding of blood at all, the point of killing is not of neceffity, (as in the other exceptions, which alone can justify overlooking the commandment) but of mere choice. Poffible cafes may be fuppofed, in which there fhall be an appearance or femblance of virtue in offering violence to ourselves for the good of others; but these only tend to prove the various degrees of guilt there may be in offending against this commandment, and that errors in judgment may be committed with an innocent heart. This, therefore, does not rife to an exculpation of the action itself, fince the fhedding man's blood can never be confiftent with the Divine laws, except on the score of abfolute neceffity; of which neceffity the party himself, advising only with himself, can scarce ever be an impartial judge. The natural love of life will incline him to determine in favour of his own life at a time, perhaps, when the good order of fociety might require its facrifice; or,

if he should have overcome this natural instinct, (as we see too often done) his defire of death may prompt him to esteem his life more infignificant and useless than it really is, and to determine that certain benefits would arise to others by his death, which might be all imaginary. In either cafe felf-intereft fways; and whether it be in favour of life or death, its empire is too powerful, and its language too persuasive, to make us cool and impartial judges.

But let us follow Donne through his fubfequent arrangements; agreeing, however, with him, “that in all the judicial, in all the ceremonial law delivered

by Mofes, there is no immediate prohibition of felf-homicide, unless it be "contained under-" Thou shalt not kill." He next examines into the New Testament, and after producing a few paffages, which he says are usually mentioned by his opponents, as forbidding fuicide, but which, it may with safety be agreed with him, are wrefted much from their genuine import, when applied in that manner [P], (and which, therefore, need no confideration in this place) he goes on to propofe fuch other paffages as appear to him to make in favour of his purpose, which purpose it would be unfair to mifreprefent or stretch beyond [] its author's real meaning; who only maintains fuicide to be lawful in certain cafes, "in which it works fomewhat to the fervice of God, and ad

[P] Some of the texts are-" The keeper of the prifon drew out his fword, and would have killed «himself, fuppofing the prisoners had been gone. But Paul cried, Do thyself no harm, for we are "all here." (Acts xvi. 17.) All that can be faid here is, that St. Paul used the most effectual argument with this man to restrain him from suicide; viz. that there could be no reason for it, as his prisoners were all fafe. But the apostle says no more on the fubject, as it would not have been a convenient season to have expatiated upon it. Again; "No man may do evil, that good may come." (Rom. iii. 8.) This, indeed, is, in a general way, applicable to fuicide, as well as all other evil, and condemns in particular that fpecies of it, for which Donne is contending; viz. "fuch as will advance "the glory of God." For if fuicide be an evil, it ought not to be committed "even" to advance the glory of God." We are the temples of God," (fee 2 Cor. vi.. 16. and I Cor. iii. 16.) "We are "members of his body, (Chrift's,) of his flesh and of his bones." (Ephef. v. 30.) Thefe are general reasons for great purity and holiness, and as such act to the regulation of those sensual appetites and purfuits, which so often terminate in fuicide. But these paffages do not aim at the prohibition of fuicide in particular. Every precept (as has been observed) enjoining faith, refignation, humility, &c. might be adduced with much greater force than the above; but none apply "totidem verbis ;" only in their fure and well grounded confequences.

[Q] See Donne's views in writing "Biathanatos," with all that appertains to it, more fully explained in the chapter fet apart for its examination hereafter.See Part VI. c. i.

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"vancement of his glory." Wherever it "really" does this, we should be ready to accede with him to an opinion of its lawfulness; our only doubt being, whether this ever "can" happen under the Chriftian fyftem of ethics? The texts he introduces are as follows:-" If I give my body to be burned, and have not "charity, it profiteth me nothing." (1 Cor. xiii. 3.) "The good fhepherd giveth his life for his fheep." (John x. 11.) "Greater love hath no man "than this, that he lay down his life for his friend." (John xv. 13.) " I will lay down my life for thy fake" (fays Peter). "He that hateth his life in "this world, fhall keep it unto life eternal." (John xii. 25.)

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"his own life, he cannot be my difciple." (Luke xiv. 26) "racked, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better refurrec«tion." (Heb. xi. 35.) "Because he laid down his life for us, we ought also "to lay down our lives for the brethren." (1 John iii. 16.) Donne likewife afferts the voluntary facrifice of our Saviour himself to have been a species of fuicide, which we ought to be ready to imitate on proper occafions. He confiders these paffages feparately, and concludes them all to be favourable to, and even commanding fuicide, when charity, or the good of our neighbour's foul, requires it. But they may all receive one general answer; that these and such like expreffions only require of us a readiness to lay down our lives for the fake of the Gospel of Christ, and for the edification of our Christian brethren, whenever fuch a facrifice is demanded of us, and we cannot preferve our lives from the violence of others, but at the expence of our innocence and faith. They only mean, that we should defpife the prefent life in comparison of a better; that we should readily and refolutely maintain our innocence and faith in the hour of perfecution, in the midst of perils and dangers, and at the hazard of our lives themselves, which we should willingly part with (if necessary) in the conflict, that so we may confirm others in their virtue, and meet ourselves with the rewards of our conftancy. Yet in all this there is not a word, a hint of felf-affaffination, but a fubmiffion only to the mockings and fcourgings, the imprisonment, the bonds, the tortures and cruel kinds of death, which others will be ready to impofe on us. We are taught hereby to despise those threatenings of death with which our enemies would terrify us, and cheerfully to submit ourfelves to its ftroke, whenever it falls upon us. As for our bleffed Saviour's example, (which we are bound to imitate in every thing practicable by mere humanity) He certainly laid down his life for our fakes, and that voluntarily,

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