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"the innocent partners of my fortunes. They would profper better without

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me. I only live to be the fquanderer of their income, the deftroyer of their

peace, the imbitterer of all their happiness. How can I appear again in the prefence of those whom I have fo much injured? Their affiduities and "attentions fting me to the heart, and are worse to bear than their severest upbraidings would be; their filent endearments are the keeneft reproaches, they fpeak bitterness to my foul, and I must instantly relieve myself and "them from future mifery." But is it from future mifery they "will" be relieved by fuch an action of defpair? No furely; but rather plunged deeper in affliction. It is holding forth an apparent, but deceitful, remedy, by which he proposes to do good to others, but is in reality only relieving himself from the pangs of present difquietude : he cannot bear reflexion, and he flies from future exertion. But if one, who argues thus on the propriety of his own murder, would but pause a moment, and confider, what might be the probable result of a contrary determination; would he but refolve from henceforward to be the murderer of his vices rather than of himself, what comfort, joy, and happiness might it yet be in his power to receive from his innocent family, as well as to confer upon them!

But fuppofing it not from the effects and confequences of vice and depravity, but from trouble and affliction, from unmerited poverty, from loss of friends, from ungrateful and base conduct of relatives, that any one feeks relief in suicide, yet still he deferts his own duties in life, and instead of exercising that patience and exerting that activity which would become his fituation, he gives way to a lethargic defpondency, which at length puts an end to every good as well as disagreeable prospect of his life. Why fhould he look on the dark fide only, and yield to every gloomy and melancholic impreffion? His affairs, his thoughts, may take a different and a better turn, if he strive for the mastery; and the good fortune and happiness of the fucceeding year may compensate for the evils and wretchednefs of the prefent. But fuppofing the worst, yet reflection, benevolence, and fenfibility for others, should prevail over mere selfsufferings. If, then, there be a friend to lament his wretched fall, a father

family-concerns, they ought never to lead us to neglect any duties we owe to fociety at large. We are to be honest and just in all our dealings with others; but how is that man fo, who would defraud his creditors to enrich his family?

commiffion of the felf-murder; when it is done within the hearing, or in the prefence of, or fo as to be firft difcovered by, that very perfon, whom it is sure toaffect most deeply: this shocks humanity, but is not unfrequently practifed.

The remembrance of virtue is ever precious. It is a confolation in grief, and brings us fooner than any thing to a complacency under trouble. It is a delight to dwell on the praises of the friend we have loft. The found of his good name is grateful in our ears; we feel a fecret fatisfaction, a conscious pride in our having lived in intimacy and clofe union with fuch a praife-worthy character. But what comfort can be found to footh the forrows of the fatherlefs and widow in the reflection on what brought them into that wretched condition! or where is there room for confolation, when the felf-murderer fhowed by his fhameful desertion of their cause, how little he cared for them, for his own fame, his fortunes, or his life! that he lived for himself alone, and to follow his own purposes; and when he found that these failed of fuccefs, fo that he could no longer be what he had been,-in the rage of disappointment, the forebodings of fear, and timid workings of despair, he determined no longer to be at all. Though a liberal and generous mind, when fpotlefs itself, cannot partake of the "guilt," yet it may be very fenfibly affected in its niceft feelings by the "fhame" of an evil action committed by one in a near degree of connexion. The crime of fuicide is therefore highly aggravated, whenever it brings distress on the undeferving, and pierces the heart of innocence with affliction and mifery.

But it may be urged, that forrow and fhame for having brought diftress, poverty, and ruin on an affectionate and worthy family, is the very cause that fometimes [T] produces fuicide." I have brought indigence and diftrefs on "the

[T] A queftion has been put-" I am involved in debt, and under the perfecution of creditors. "I tenderly love my wife and family. Her jointure is confiderable, but whilft I live, its annual "produce is subject to my incumbrances. She deferves not to fuffer for my extravagance. She is "now fubject to penury, from which I can inftantly relieve her, and place my family again in cafe. "and affluence :-if I put an end to my life, fhe will then immediately be miftrefs of her own fortune. "Am I not then bound in tenderness to her and my family to kill myself?" As this perfon only proposes the happiness of another, whom he has injured, as the ground of his fuicide, he deferves an answer. In the firft place, that wife muft little deferve his love, who "could" be restored to any peace and happiness by fuch a facrifice:-in the next however we may be wrapped up in our own

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"the innocent partners of my fortunes. They would profper better without I only live to be the fquanderer of their income, the deftroyer of their <c peace, the imbitterer of all their happiness. How can I appear again in the "presence of those whom I have fo much injured? Their affiduities and "attentions fting me to the heart, and are worfe to bear than their severest "upbraidings would be; their filent endearments are the keeneft reproaches, "they fpeak bitterness to my foul, and I must inftantly relieve myself and "them from future mifery." But is it from future mifery they "will" be relieved by fuch an action of despair? No furely; but rather plunged deeper in affliction. It is holding forth an apparent, but deceitful, remedy, by which he proposes to do good to others, but is in reality only relieving himself from the pangs of present difquietude : he cannot bear reflexion, and he flies from future exertion. But if one, who argues thus on the propriety of his own murder, would but paufe a moment, and confider, what might be the probable result of a contrary determination; would he but refolve from henceforward to be the murderer of his vices rather than of himself, what comfort, joy, and happiness might it yet be in his power to receive from his innocent family, as well as to confer upon them!

But fuppofing it not from the effects and confequences of vice and depravity, but from trouble and affliction, from unmerited poverty, from lots of friends, from ungrateful and base conduct of relatives, that any one feeks relief in suicide, yet still he deserts his own duties in life, and instead of exercising that patience and exerting that activity which would become his fituation, he gives way to a lethargic defpondency, which at length puts an end to every good as well as difagrecable profpect of his life. Why should he look on the dark fide only, and yield to every gloomy and melancholic impreffion? His affairs, his thoughts, may take a different and a better turn, if he strive for the mastery; and the good fortune and happiness of the fucceeding year may compensate for the evils and wretchedness of the prefent. But fuppofing the worst, yet reflection, benevolence, and fenfibility for others, fhould prevail over mere felffufferings. If, then, there be a friend to lament his wretched fall, a father

family-concerns, they ought never to lead us to neglect any duties we owe to fociety at large. We are to be honest and just in all our dealings with others; but how is that man fo, who would defraud his creditors to enrich his family?

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to weep over his untimely grave, a mother, whofe life may depend on his for fupport, a child to be made fatherless, or a wife a widow; in fhort, if there be one person in the world, whofe property, interefts, feelings, he knows will be hurt by his depriving himself of life, he ought not to cut that person off from the fruits of that industry, the benefit of that advice, the foothings of that friendship, the endearments of that affection, the tenderness of that love, the advantages of that protection, and the exertions of that benevolence, which may be justly claimed at his hands.

CHAP. V.

The question to be refolved is, whether, all rights of fociety and individuals apart, a folitary being, who is full of wretchedness and mifery, may not deftroy himself? — He cannot fet afide the claim of the Almighty over his life; nor does he even confult bis own intereft by his fuicide.—It would feem abfurd to caution any one to preferve his life" for his own fake,” did not experience juftify the necessity.— An action which refpects felf alone generally to be suspected; degrading energy of the word "Selfish.”—Suicide always committed on felfifh principles; but if it does not promote, but burt, felf-intereft, it is not only ignoble, but weak, treacherous, and ineffectual.—A man's interefts can be but of two forts, either in this world or the next.-Interest in this world not promoted, but terminated, by fuicide; the best expected from it is a total infenfibility to this world's pleasures or pains. The fuicide can never feel the good effects of his being freed from pain; but knows not of how much future pleasure in life he may deprive himself.—The final effects of worldly wishes or actions too deep to be explored by human penetration.-No man's life ought to be pronounced miferable before he is arrived at the “natural” end of his days.—Suicide, therefore, as it cannot promote, fo it may materially injure, felf-intereft in this world.—But the fuicide is willing to refign all future` profpects of happiness in this life, and to plunge into annihilation to get rid of prefent mifery.—Annihilation is a gloomy and preposterous idea, but feems the best the fuicide can reft his action upon.—An awe of Futurity the only powerful argu

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ment against fuicide.—Where this is wanting, there is an end of patience, refignation, &c.-The suicide apt to think, that he gets rid of his " Existence" because he gets rid of his mortal life; but the idea abfurd.—The question, " how does fuicide affect felf-interest in another world?" feems already answered, by its having been proved to be an offence against God, as our Creator and moral Governor; and will be further answered in the next chapter, concerning its peculiar offence against Chriftian Doctrines.-The fuicide hurts his future interefts by the manner" of his death. However innocent before, we make ourselves guilty aggreffors, when, to avoid temporal affliction, we plunge into the hazard of eternal mifery.— Suicide confults no interest of man.-Its Special guilt accumulated on account of the " many duties" against which it offends.-The defenders of fuicide apt to confider it in one light only, and in that which best fuits their own purpose: argue too generally from a few pitiable inftances to an extenfive warrant of its practice-Suicide (like other crimes) admits of extenuation or aggravation; we must be acquainted with all circumftances, before its proportion of guilt in any particular individual can be ascertained.—No general conclufions to be drawn in its favour from a few particular inftances: every one would be ready to claim the exception in his own cafe.—Any toleration of it would reach to almost every inftance of its danger; fince no one could difpute another's feelings.-No action whofe bad confequences should be more generally infifted on than fuicide, because any partial allowance would be univerfally extended.—This affords an answer to that specious argument, "When ufeless to fociety, burdenfome to friends, and wretched in myself, is it not lawful to quit life?"-If this be answered in the affirmative, many an one might be easily led to conceive himself to be in this fituation; but if in the negative, and it should be replied, "How then am I to fupport fuch a load of trouble?" the means and the comforts are to be drawn: from Religion.

W

WHEN all the ties of fentiment and affection, which attach the heart to this world, are, by a variety of untoward circumstances, diffolved "or torn afunder; when I am a forlorn and folitary being, whom wretchedness "alone accompanies, and to whom life is become a burden,-why should I not "deliver myself from so much misery, by putting an immediate end to my "existence?" This is the queftion now to be refolved;—whether, the rights of society apart, the claims of confanguinity, affinity, or friendship, none;

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