CHA P. II.

SU I ÇIDE.

HERE is no fubject in morality, in which the confideration of general confequences is more neceffary than in this of fuicide. Particular and extreme cafes of fuicide may be feigned, and may happen, of which it would be difficult to affign the particular harm, from that confideration alone to demonftrate the guilt. And these cases have chiefly occafioned confufion and doubtfulness in the queftion. Albeit this is no more, than what is fometimes true of the moft acknowledged vices. I could propose many poffible cafes even of murder, which, if they were detached from the general rule, and governed by their own particular confequences alone, it would be no eafy undertaking to prove

criminal.

The true question in the argument is no other than this-may every man who pleases to deftroy his life, innocently do fo? Limit, and distinguish the fubject as you can, it will come at laft to this queftion.

For, fhall we fay, that we are then only at liberty to commit fuicide, when we find our continuance in life become ufelefs to mankind? Any one, who pleafes, may make himself ufelefs; and melancholy minds are prone to think themselves ufelefs, when they really are not fo. Suppose a law were promulged, allowing each private perfon to deftroy every man he met, whofe longer continuance in the

world he judged to be ufelefs; who would not condemn the latitude of fuch a rule? Who does not perceive that it amounts to a permiffion to commit murder at pleasure? A fimilar rule, regulating the rights over our own lives, would be capable of the fame extenfion. Befide which, no one is ufelefs for the purpose of this plea, but he who has loft every capacity and opportunity of being useful, together with the poffibility of recovering any degree of either; which is a ftate of fuch complete deftitution and despair, as cannot, I believe, be predicated of any man living.

Or rather, fhall we fay, that to depart voluntarily out of life, is lawful for thofe alone, who leave none to lament their death? If this confideration is to be taken into the account at all, the fubject of debate will be, not whether there are any to forrow for us, but whether their forrow for our death will exceed that which we should fuffer by continuing to live. Now this is a comparison of things fo indeterminate in their nature, capable of fo different a judgment, and concerning which the judgment will differ fo much, according to the ftate of the fpirits, or the preffure of any prefent anxiety, that it would vary little in hypochondriacal conftitutions from an unqualified licence to commit fuicide, whenever the diftreffes men felt or fancied, rofe high enough to overcome the pain and dread of death. Men are never tempted to deftroy themselves, but when under the oppreffion of fome grievous uneafinefs. The reftrictions of the rule, therefore, ought to apply to these cafes. But what effect can we look for from a rule, which proposes to weigh our own pain, against that of another; the mifery that is felt, against that which is only conceived; and in fo corrupt a balance as the party's own diftempered imagination?

In like manner, whatever other rule you affign, it will ultimately bring us to an indifcriminate to

T

leration

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leration of fuicide, in all cafes in which there is danger of its being committed.

It remains, therefore, to inquire what would be the effect of fuch a toleration-evidently, the lofs of many lives to the community, of which fome might be useful or important; the affliction of many families, and the confternation of all; for mankind muft live in continual alarm for the fate of their friends and deareft relations, when the reftraints of religion and morality are withdrawn; when every difguft, which is powerful enough to tempt men to fuicide, fhall be deemed fufficient to juftify it; and when the follies and vires, as well as the inevitable calamities of human life, fo often make existence a burthen.

A fecond confideration, and perfectly diftin&t from the former, is this. By continuing in the world, and in the exercife of thofe virtues which remain within our power, we retam the opportunity of meliorating our condition in a future flate. This argument, it is true, does not in ftrictnefs prove fuicide to be a crime; but if it fupply a motive to diffuade us from committing it, it amounts to much the fame thing. Now there is no condition in human life which is not capable of fome virtue, active or paffive. Even piety and refignation under the fufferings to which we are called, teftify a truft and acquiefcence in the divine counfels more acceptable, perhaps, than the moft proftrate devotion; afford an edifying example to all who obferve them, and may hope for a recompenfe among the moft arduous of human virtues. Thefe qualities are always in the power of the miferable; indeed of none but the miferable.

The two confiderations above ftated, belong to all cafes of fuicide whatever. Befide which general reafons, each cafe will be aggravated by its own proper and particular confequences; by the duties that are deferted; by the claims that are defrauded; by the lofs, affliction, or difgrace, which our death, or the manner of it, eaufes to our family, kindred, or friends by the occafion we give to many to fuf

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pect the fincerity of our moral and religious profeffions, and, together with ours, those of all others; by the reproach we draw upon our order, calling, or fect; in a word by a great variety of evil confequences, attending upon peculiar fituations, with fome or other of which every actual cafe of fuicide is chargeable.

I refrain from the common topics of " deferting our poft," throwing up our truft," "rufhing uncalled into the prefence of our Maker," with fome others of the fame fort, not because they are common (for that rather affords a prefumption in their favour), but because I do not perceive in them much argument, to which an answer may not eafily be given.

Hitherto we have purfued upon the fubject the light of nature alone, taking into the account, however, the expectation of a future exiftence, without which our reasoning upon this, as indeed all reasoning upon moral queftions, is vain. We proceed to inquire, whether any thing is to be met with in Scripture, which may add to the probability of the conclufions we have been endeavouring to fupport, And here, I acknowledge, that there is to be found neither any express determination of the queftion, nor fufficient evidence to prove, that the cafe of fuicide was in the contemplation of the law which prohibited murder. Any inference, therefore, which we deduce from Scripture, can be fuftained only by conftruction and implication; that is to fay, although they, who were authorized to inftru&t mankind, have not decided a queftion, which never, so far as appears to us, came before them; yet I think. they have left enough to conftitute a prefumption, how they would have decided it, had it been propofed or thought of.

What occurs to this purpofe is contained in the following obfervations.

T2

1. Human

"race

1. Human life is fpoken of as a term affigned or preferibed to us. "Let us run with patience the race that is fet before us."-" I have finished my "courfe."-"That I may finish my courfe with joy."-"You have need of patience, that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise." Thefe expreffions appear to me inconfiftent with the opinion, that we are at liberty to determine the duration of our lives for ourselves. If this were the cafe, with what propriety could life be called a race, that is set before us, or which is the fame thing, "our course;" that is, the course set out, or appointed to us? The remaining quotation is equally ftrong: " that after ye have done the will " of God, ye might receive the promises." The moft natural meaning that can be given to the words," after ye have done the will of God," is, after ye have difcharged the duties of life fo long as God is pleased to continue you in it. According to this interpretation, the text militates strongly against fuicide; and they who reject this paraphrafe, will please to propose a better.

2. There is not one quality, which Chrift and his Apoftles inculcate upon their followers fo often, or fo earnefly, às that of patience under affliction. Now this virtue would have been in a great measure fuperfeded, and the exhortations to it might have been fpared, if the difciples of his religion had been at liberty to quit the world, as foon as they grew weary of the ill ufage which they received in it. When the evils of life preffed fore, they were to look forward to a "far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;" they were to receive them as the chaftening of the Lord," as intimations of his care and love: by thefe and the like reflections, they were to fupport and improve themfelves under their fufferings, but not a hint has any where efcaped of feeking relief in a voluntary death. The following text, in particular, ftrong combats all impa

es

tience