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and probably shorten our days, is this; that in the former, our whole aim and defign is immediately and actually to compafs our own death; in the latter, we have fome other end in view, for the accomplishment of which it may be neceffary to put our lives into fome hazard, though far from certain of lofing them in the event. In the one case we directly lay violent hands on ourselves, in the other we only submit (if neceffary) to the natural course of events arising from a certain cause. The only inquiry then is, whether the end we are pursuing be in itself laudable? This must be determined by the moral precepts of Christianity; which require us in general to contribute to the comfort and happiness of one another. The religion of Chrift is focial; if therefore fociety itself cannot be maintained, or the good of the whole community pursued without fome individuals undergoing fome inconvenience, fome danger of life itself, then it cannot be finful, according to the law of God, to hazard our lives for the benefit of the community, or in pursuit of our own immediate intereft, provided that interest be important and in no degree forbidden by the laws of Christianity [q]."

It is now necessary to pause a while and review the progrefs, which has been made. The "general" guilt of fuicide has been fufficiently proved,-from searching into the distant preparations of the mind towards its accomplishment;— from an enumeration of its immediate incitements;-from its mean and daftardly harbinger Despair;-and also from fome of the principles leading to it, in defiance of our own hearty defires of life. Its " fpecial" guilt was found,in its being contrary to every impulfe of nature;-in its being an offence against God, as our natural and moral governor ;—against the good order of fociety in general, and of individuals and families in particular;—and also against every interest of self both here and hereafter;—and lastly, to ftrengthen the above deductions from natural and moral obligation, in its being against every principle of the Christian law. Having likewife noticed and answered the chief objections that occurred under each head, the evidence might here be closed, and judgment pronounced in utter condemnation of fuicide. Yet ftill as it is wifhed to

[Q] The lawfulness of hazarding our lives (though not of committing fuicide) is also confidered in Part II. c. i. and in Part VI. Chapters on Donne and Hume.

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render the confideration of the fubject as complete as poffible, it may not be unentertaining at least, if not profitable and inftructive, to inquire into the remains of Antiquity on the subject, and into many other historical and critical points connected with it, both of ancient and modern date. These may be confidered as auxiliaries [R] and illuftrations, which, though not at all times directly argumentative, yet, when concentrated in one point of union, contribute no small weight of additional proof, to establish the great finfulness of felf-murder.

[R] See a paffage in the Strictures on Donne, Part VI. c. i. relative to the proper ufe of examples, customs and opinions in aid of argument.

END OF THE THIRD PART.

PART

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PART IV.

HISTORICAL INQUIRY INTO THE OPINIONS AND PRACTICES, THE LAWS
AND CUSTOMS OF THE HEATHEN WORLD RELATIVE TO SUICIDE.

CHA P. I.

"

Vague notions of a future ftate prevented the Heathens from reasoning closely on this fubject. Such philofophers as entertained the most rational ideas of the nature of God and man, proportionably condemned the practice of fuicide.-Religious fuicide among Afiatic nations.—Character and tenets of the priests and followers of Bramah.-Great antiquity of the Gentoos, and purity of their original religion.— Men of all nations travelled into the Eaft to learn wisdom of the Bramans.— Corruption of the Bramanic faith and worship long before the age of Chriftianity.-Two fects of ancient Bramans, the " auftere" and the “ focial."Enthufiafm of the auftere fect, who were also called by the Greeks, Gymnofophifts.-Their felf-devotions or religious fuicide: burning alive.—Calanus's voluntary burning in the camp of Alexander.-The focial fect of Bramans, not fuch general favourers of fuicide, but only in particular cafes.-The burning of wives on their husband's funeral pile approved by them all.—This custom prevails at this day, as well as formerly.-Contest between the wives of Ceteus, an Indian officer, about 2000 years ago, which should burn; how decided; the burning and intrepidity of the younger wife.-Burning of the wife of Rhaam Chund in the year 1743 at Caffimbuzaar.-Opinions on the origin of this extraordinary facrifice.-Attempts to afcertain its antiquity unfatisfactory.—Only general ideas to be formed concerning its origin; from the notion, which obtained among all favage nations, that what was dear or useful to the deceafed in this world, would be equally

equally fo in the next: hence an immolation of wives, friends, flaves, &c. at the burial of a chief prevailed in many countries.-The custom of one wife burning in India too ancient to have its origin ascertained.—Account of code of Gentoo-laws, and what refpects burning of wives.-Neither compulfatory nor totally optional, fince conditions are annexed to a refufal-inviolable chastity.-Variety of circumstances ingrafted on the original fimplicity of the law.-Women worked up by the household Braman (or Bramin, as called in modern times) to undergo this death as moft honourable.-Not baftily to condemn the conduct of these women, who thus endeavour to make their " practice" coincide with their “ principles.”

TH

HOUGH the merits of the question before us do not materially depend on any opinions and customs of the Heathens concerning it, yet an investigation of them may be attended with utility, if it be only to give the reader a just notion of what "were" the fentiments of the ancients refpecting fuicide, which are often mifreprefented by modern writers in its favour, who adapt them to their own purposes. The experience of intervening ages, the progreffive ftate of knowledge and its eafy method of communication; but above all, the Light of Revelation," which has illumined the obscurity of human wisdom, and opened a clear prospect of futurity, has alfo taught “us” in these later ages to argue on a much furer and firmer ground than the Heathens could do, with respect to the true nature of felf-murder. This confideration renders the prefent writer very easy with regard to the event of this part of his inquiry, even though it fhould prove to a certain degree in favour of suicide; fince its perpetration can receive no just establishment in modern approbation from ancient opinions or practice. But if it. fhould be found, that fuch philofophers as argued moft rationally concerning the Deity, the state of man here and his profpects in futurity, condemned in the same proportion the practice of fuicide, this will be an additional point gained towards a conviction of its unlawfulness. Thus much premised, let us begin our

researches among the Afiatics.

There seems to have exifted through all ages in thofe vaft regions of the Eaft, which have followed the doctrines of Bramah, a ftrong propensity towards a religious or enthufiaftic kind of fuicide. The Bramans (or Bramins, as they are now called) have ever been the priests and philofophers of the great Gentoo

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Gentoo or Hindoo [s] nation. Their character has been at all times held facred; and they poffefs at this day an unlimited fway over the minds of the people, through the great empire of Indoftan. Great pains have been taken of late years to dive into the prefent myfterious jargon of Afiatic idolatry; and great discoveries have been made relative to a native purity in the religion [T] ascribed

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[s] The Gentoos feem to have been the aborigines or proper natives of all India, both within and beyond the Ganges, if not of a much larger extent of country. The name of Hindoos feems partial, and only to belong properly to thofe Gentoos, who inhabit Indoftan (or Hindoftan). But the Gentoos of the Peninfula extra Gangem have undergone fo much alteration within themfelves, and have been fo fubdivided into different kingdoms and ftates, which have each formed a religion, as well as laws of their own, that the general name Gentoo, as well as Braman or Bramin, feems loft among them; having given way to others of more modern diftinction. Yet it is very evident, amid all their variety > of idolatrous corruption, that the religions of Siam, of Tonquin, of Thibet and other places, as far as they are known to Europeans, derive their origin from that of Bramah. In the preface to the Dialogues of Kreefhna (or fuppofed incarnation of the Deity) and his favourite Arjoon, tranflated from the Sanskreet or facred language of the Gentoos, by Wilkins, and published in 1785, Arjoon is called one of the fons of Pandoo, who is faid to have reigned, about 5000 years ago, over the empire of Bharetvarfh; which included all the country between Perfia and China, and from the fnowy mountain to the fouthern promontory.

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The following extract is from the "Hiftory of the Military Tranfactions of the British Nation in "Indoftan from the year 1745." Published 1763. Quarto, Anon, but given to Mr. Orme.-(In the previous differtation on the eflablishments made by Mahomedan conquerors in India.)—" Indostan has been "inhabited, from the earliest antiquity, by a people, who have no iefemblance either in their figures or manners with any of the nations, which are contiguous to them. Although these nations have at diffe"rent times fent conquerors among them, who have eftablished themfelves in different parts of the country; although the Mogui Tartars under Tamerlane and his fucceffors have at laft rendered themfelves "lords of almost the whole of it; yet the original inhabitants have loft very little of their original cha"racter by the cftablishment of thefe ftrangers among them.--Befides the particular denominations "which they receive from the cafts and countries in which they are born, there is one more general, "which is applied indifcriminately to diftinguifh the original natives from all, who have intruded "themfelves among them;-" Hendoo," from whence Indian.-The Indians have loft all memory of "the ages in which they began to believe in Viftnou, Efwara, Brama, and an hundred thousand divi- "nities fubordinate to thefe. Here and there a moral or metaphyfical allegory, and fometimes atrace "of the history of a first legiflator, is difcernible in their abfurd ftories of their gods; but in general they are so very extravagant and incoherent, that we fhould be left to wonder, how a people fo "reasonable in other refpects fhould have adopted fuch a code of nonfenfe, as a creed of religion, did we not find the fame credulity in the hiflories of nations much more enlightened." (N. B. This refers only to the "prefent" ftate of their religion.)

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[T] "Bramah is a title appropriated in the Shanfcrit-language, to the Promulger of the Shaftah (or "Gentoo-fcriptures as they are called). He is faid to have been a being of the firft rank of angels, « deftined

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