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Divine providence is ftill inviolate, and placed far beyond the reach of human injuries. 'Tis impious, fays the old Roman fuperftition*, to divert rivers from their courfe, or invade the prerogatives of nature: 'Tis impious, fays the French fuperitition, to inoculate for the small-pox, or ufurp the bufinefs of providence by voluntary producing diftempers and maladies: 'Tis impious, fays the modern European fuperftition, to put a period to our own life, and thereby rebel against our Creator; and why not impious, fay I, to build houfes, cultivate the ground, or fail upon the ocean? In all these actions we employ our powers of mind and body, to produce fome innovation in the courfe of nature; and in none of them do we any more. They are all of them therefore equally innocent, or equally criminal, But you are placed by Providence, like a fentinel, in a particular flation, and when you defert it without being recalled, you are equally guilty of rebellion against your Almighty Sovereign, and have incurred his difpleafure.I afk, why do you conclude that providence has placed me in this ftation? For my part I find that I owe my birth to a long chain of caufes, of which many depended upon voluntary actions of men. But providence guided all thefe caufes, and nothing happens in the universe without its confent and co-operation. If so, then neither does my death, however voluntary, happen without its confent; and whenever pain or

*Tacit. An. lib. i.

forrow fo far overcomes my patience as to make me tired of life, I may conclude that I am recalled from my station in the clearest and most expressed terms. 'Tis providence furely that has placed me at this present in this chamber: But may I not leave it when I think proper, without being liable to the imputation of having deferted my post or station? When I fhall be dead, the principles of which I am compofed will ftill perform their part in the universe, and will be equally ufeful in the grand fabric, as when they compofed this individual creature. The difference to the whole will be no greater than betwixt my being in a chamber and in the open air. The one change is of more importance to me than the other; but not more fo to the universe.

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'Tis a kind of blafphemy to imagine that any created being can difturb the order of the world, or invade the business of Providence! it fuppofes, that that being poffeffes powers and faculties, which it received not from its Creator, and which are not fubordinate to his government and authority. A man may disturb fociety no doubt, and thereby incur the displeasure of the Almighty: But the government of the world is placed far be yond his reach and violence. And how does it appear that the Almighty is difpleased with those actions that difturb fociety? By the principles which he has implanted in human nature, and which infpire us with a fentiment of remorse if we ourselves have been guilty of fuch actions, and with that of blame and disapprobation, if we

ever obferve them in others:

Let us now examine, according to the method propofed, whether Suicide be of this kind of actions, and be a breach of our duty to our neighbour and to fociety.

A man who retires from life does no harm to fociety: He only ceases to do good; which, if it is an injury, is of the lowest kind.-All our obligations to do good to fociety feem to imply something reciprocal. I receive the benefits of society, and therefore ought to promote its interefts; but when I withdraw myself altogether from fociety, can I be bound any longer? But allowing that our obligations to do good were perpetual, they have certainly fome bounds; I am not obliged to do a fmall good to fociety at the expense of a great harm to myself; why then should I prolong a miferable existence, because of fome frivolous advantage which the public may perhaps receive from me? If upon account of age and infirmities, I may lawfully refign any office, and employ my time altogether in fencing against these calamities, and alleviating, as much as poffible, the miseries of my future life: Why may I not cut short these miseries at once by an action which is no more prejudicial to fociety? But fuppofe that it is no longer in my power to promote the intereft of fociety; fuppofe that I am a burden to it; fuppofe that my life hinders fome perfon from being much more useful to fociety. In fuch cafes, my refignation of life must not only be innocent, but laudable. And most people who lie under any temptation to abandon existence, are in some

fuch fituation: those who have health, or power, or authority, have commonly better reason to be in humor with the world. ( 4 )

A man is engaged in a confpiracy for the public intereft, is feized upon suspicion; is threaterfed with the rack; and knows from his own weakness that the fecret will be extorted from him: Could fuch a one confult the public intereft better than by putting a quick period to a miserable life? This was the cafe of the famous and brave Strozi of Florence.-Again, fuppofe a malefactor is juftly condemned to a fhameful death, can any reafon be imagined, why he may not anticipate his punishment, and fave himself all the anguish of thinking on its dreadful approaches? He invades the business of providence, no more than the magiftrate did, who ordered his execution; and his voluntary death is equally advantageous to fociety, by ridding it of a pernicious member.

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That Suicide may often be confiftent with intereft and with our duty to ourselves, no one can queftion, who allows that age, sickness, or misfortune, may render life a burden, and make it worse even than annihilation. I believe that no man ever threw away life, while it was worth keeping. For fuch is our natural horror of death, that small motives will never be able to reconcile us to it; and though perhaps the fituation of a man's health or fortune did not feem to require this remedy, we may at leaft be affured that any one who, without apparent reafon, has had recourfe to it, was curft with fuch an incurable depravity or gloominess of temper as must poison

all enjoyment, and render him equally miserable as if he had been loaded with the moft grievous misfortunes. If Suicide be fuppofed a crime, 'tis only cowardice can impel us to it. If it be no crime, both prudence and courage fhould engage us to rid ourselves at once of existence, when it becomes a burden. 'Tis the only way that we can then be useful to fociety, by fetting an example, which if imitated, would preferve to every one his chance for happiness in life, and would effectually free him from all danger of misery *.

It would be eafy to prove that Suicide is as lawful under the Chriftian difpenfation as it was to the Heathens. There is not a fingle text of fcripture which prohibits it. That great and infallible rule of faith and practice which muft control all philofophy and human reasoning, has left us in this particular to our natural liberty. Refignation to Providence is indeed recommended in fcripture; but that implies only fubmiffion to ills that are unavoidable, not to fuch as may be remedied by prudence or courage. Thou shalt not kill, is evidently meant to exclude only the killing of others, over whofe life we have no authority. That this precept, like most of the scripture precepts, must be modified by reason and common fenfe is plain from the practice of magiftrates, who punish criminals capitally, notwithftanding the letter of the law. But were this commandment ever fo express against Suicide, it would now have no authority, for all the law of Mofes is abolished, except fo far as it is ef lablished by the law of nature. And we have already endeavoured to prove that Suicide is not prohibited by that law. all cafes, Chriftians and Heathens are precifely upon the famefooting; Cato and Brutus, Arrea and Portia acted heroically; thofe who now imitate their example ought to receive the fame praifes from pofterity. The power of committing Suicide is regarded by Pliny as an advantage which men poffefs even above the Deity himself. "Deus non fibi poteft mortem confcifcere, fi velit, quod homini dedit optimum in tantis vitæ pœnis." Lib. II. cap. 7. (5)

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