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of the punishments of futurity. By these means the foul is gradually " prepared" for any act of rebellion against its Maker, which any worldly pursuit or difpofition of mind may lead it to commit. The occafion, indeed, may not yet be ripened, which impels to immediate fuicide: but where the habit of fenfual indulgence has been ftrong and uniform, that of enduring pain or trouble is weakened in proportion. The mind also, by having thrown aside all influence of religious fear, is unhinged to every thing ferious, as well as unable to bear any thing grievous; and is therefore ready to receive and cherish fuch murderous suggestions, whenever the moment of disappointment, anguish and defpair arrives.

Thus a light and frivolous education leads (as has been seen) to a vacuity of ferious thoughts and folid principles of conduct. The want of these neceffarily introduces a love of trivial pursuits, an habit of diffipation, and luxurious modes of living. Thefe, in their turn, inflame the paffions, weaken the powers of the understanding, deprave the morals, and corrupt the heart. Hence follows an unbounded fway of the fenfual appetites, which naturally exclude whatever would refift their own lawless dominion. Patience, therefore, and fubmiffion and felf-denial, together with all virtuous and religious impreffions both in principle and practice, are quickly stifled. Works of seriousness and improvement are thrown afide, while the writings of minute philofophers, of sceptics and infidels, are read with avidity and implicit credit. Their flimfy method of arguing, their abfurd and dangerous conceits, and falfe conclufions, are adapted to the weakness of their readers' judgments. They humour their depraved inclinations, and flatter the wild tyranny of their paffions; to which what can be more agreeable and convincing than the infinuations, that nothing is to be feared hereafter, that foul and body probably perifh together, that man dies like a dog, and therefore may live like one! Hence the wretched remnants of reason, in fuch devoted victims to pleasure, are eafily induced to argue in behalf of infidelity, and against a future day of account: and when the fear of God is thus caft off, the mind is duly prepared and qualified" for the outrage of felf-murder, whenever the burden of life fits heavy upon it, and the moment of defpair arrives. Thus

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"A fenfual unreflecting life is big

"With monftrous births and fuicide to crown

"The black, infernal brood."YOUNG, Night V.

CHAP.

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Many circumftances contribute to check the career of fenfual pursuits; briefly defcribed; are followed by all the phrenfy of disappointed and unfubdued paffions.-As foon as there is neither comfort in the past, nor happiness in profpect, fuicide is fled to, as a refource from immediate pain and trouble.-General caufes of "immediate" fuicide muft exift either in bodily or mental fufferings, or in a combination of both.— Mere bodily pain, where the mind is unconscious of guilt or uneasiness, feldom produces fuicide in the prefent times, though it often did among the ancients: reafon of this difference.-Mental pain of two forts; either that unavoidably fuffered through the conduct of others, or brought on ourselves through our own mifbehaviour: the former fometimes leads to a disgust of the world and to fuicide, where the mind is not fortified by the strength of religious principles: fuch fuicide has not to answer for the "producing cause" of it, (which was wholly external and unavoidable) but only for the effect the fufferer permitted it to have on himself.Mental perturbations from confcious guilt, pride, &c. when it urges to immediate fuicide (as it often does) has to anfwer both for " cause and effect;" and is therefore justly liable to our utmost abhorrence.-Defpair its immediate harbinger.-Meanness and danger of this principle influencing human actions.

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N the last chapter the distant preparations of the mind for the accomplishment of felf-murder in due time were traced; and it was found to be rally preceded by a life of diffipated luxury, and by a total want of all religious principle. But though it may be fafely affirmed, that such a debauched and sceptical state of mind is the most frequent forerunner of the irrevocable blow, yet it would be the height of injustice to affirm, that it was always so: fince there may be other caufes tending to fuicide, totally unconnected with vice or fcepticism. A melancholic and desponding state of mind may be the parent of a thousand imaginary diftreffes, harder to be cured than real evils. Thefe will infufferably torment and distract the human frame; so that reason shall be impaired and judgment weakened; the value of our exiftence be leffened in our own estimation, and a weariness of life fucceed, with a fixed determination to

get rid of it. It was not, however, neceffary in the last chapter to trace out thefe preparatory causes of fuicide, fince the defign was chiefly to point out the ftock from which it fprang, when furrounded with its most blackening and guilty horrors: which idea fhall be principally, though not entirely, followed alfo in this chapter, wherein the incitements to "immediate" fuicide are to be disclosed.

But is there no fatiety in a life of gaiety and pleasure, or is he in a surer road even to the undisturbed enjoyment of worldly happiness, and confequently to a defire of life's continuance, who has ftifled his reason, and quieted the folicitations of his inward monitor? His diffolute manners, his gratifications of fenfe, his boundless ambition, his views of avarice, may, indeed, be pursued for a while with more confidence and fuccefs, but many circumstances will quickly confpire to give a check to the carcer and tyranny of his paffions. His enfeebled appetites will at length become his tormentors; his body will be full of disease and pain and torture, and his fellow-creatures will, in marinftances, be ready to cenfure that conduct, and to inflict that punishment on him here, from which he has in a manner perfuaded himself he shall be free hereafter. Such will be the commencement of his difficulties and troubles, which will be marked in their progrefs by all the phrenfy of unfubdued paffions; fuch as envy, rage, jealousy, difappointed luft, and mortified ambition. The fear of contempt and fhame also, when unlawful and wicked practices are on the eve of discovery, will work more powerfully on the human breaft than ever the fenfe of guilt did, and will raise a greater perturbation and torment in the mind than the fear of death itself. Such a wretched being, finding at length neither comfort in the past nor happiness in profpect, flies to fuicide in relief of prefent mifery; and there are not many commiffions of self-murder, which may not be traced to the receffes of pride, impatience, fhame, disappointment, and defpair, as the immediate and effective fources from whence they flow.

But to come clofer to the point. The general caufes (infanity excepted) which lead immediately to "fuicide's foul [s] birth," take their rife either from acute sufferings of body or mind, or from a mixture and combination of both. Inftances of its commiffion from acute pain of body alone, where the mind is undisturbed by remorse and the confcience clear, are neither numerous nor

[s] Young.

important

important enough in these days to merit much attention. Examples [T], indeed, are not wanting in ancient history of those, who terminated a life of acute pain and bodily diforder by the stroke of fuicide, and who poffeffed at the same time amiable and innocent manners, with minds pure from all stain of evil. But then it must be remembered, that these did but follow fuch opinions and fentiments of the times, as led them to deem fuicide, on certain occafions, both innocent and laudable, as well as perfectly confiftent with "their" notions of futurity. No wonder, then, that with fuch ideas about them, they faw little reason to bear excruciating and irremediable pain of body without delivering themselves from it; and (as it will appear hereafter) they were chiefly innocent characters, who did apply to this remedy from bodily pain. But the man of principle and character in modern times, thinking more justly of the matter from his better information, calls in the aid of religion to fupport him under the most excruciating tortures of body. Indeed, where the body has been emaciated by long pain and suffering, there is feldom vigour enough left in the mind even to fummon up that fort of resolution, which is requifite to strike the deadly blow; and if that mind befides is at ease with respect to all conscious feelings, the defire and hopes of life, even to the laft, are oftentimes ftrong; or if otherwise, the natural approaches of death are welcomed with a composure and resignation that bespeaks a far more rational and laudable and lasting fortitude than theirs can be deemed, who merely poffefs the momentary courage of plunging a dagger into their own breasts.

*

But immediate fuicide is much oftener the refource of mental inquietude and distraction than of mere bodily pain. Now the troubles of the mind are evidently of two forts; either fuch as are unavoidably endured through the behaviour of others, or fuch as men bring on themselves by their own misconduct. With regard to the former;-fharp is the pain and piercing the forrow, which the pride, envy, treachery, cruelty, neglect or wickedness of others may have the power of inflicting on the most innocent and virtuous character. How often are the exertions of benevolence abufed by crafty objects, and made fubfervient to vile and wicked purposes! The frank and open temper becomes a prey to the diffimulations of knavery, and many an innocent victim is led to the altar of poverty and ruin by the infinuations of pretended friendship, by an ingenuous, [T] See in particular the inftance of Corellius Rufus, Part IV. chap. iv.

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but fatal, reliance on the honefty of others. The plain and upright dealer seeks to improve his fortune in the strait paths of industry and moral integrity; but injustice, chicanery and fraud, travelling through fecret and crooked ways, arrive at the goal of riches and advancement before .him. The retired and virtuous character feeks to merit the jewel of domestic happiness by every exertion of conjugal and parental affection, by an intercourfe of attentive and watchful love;-but the child of his hopes becomes a libertine and spendthrift, and the wife of his bosom rends his heart in twain. Sharp is the edge of such forrow, and bitter this potion of grief to thofe, who are 'compelled to swallow it; fince there is no disappointment or vexation in life equal to that which is felt by a mind fraught with keen perceptions, and refined fenfibility, when all its kind and meritorious conduct towards others meets with nothing but flight, contempt, and perfidy. These are afflictions grievous to be borne; they undermine the health, ftrength, and fpirits; they are arduous trials even to the most patient temper; they create fufpicions of all mankind, caufe the fufferer to be out of humour with the world and all its concerns, to be weary of himself and of life, and (unless he be fupported by a strong fenfe of religion) often throw him into the arms of defpondency and fuicide. But confcious innocence, when fortified by religious truft, will carry one through arduous and astonishing trials. The good man must be ever exposed to injury and injuftice from the wicked; but he will not thence conclude, that this world is only a prifon and a place of torment, from which he may release himself at pleasure. He will rather confider it as a place of trial, wherein he is to approve his own integrity. and uprightness, his patience and perfeverance in well-doing, amid the folly and wickedness of those around him; and that the reward of all his fufferings awaits him hereafter. However, where fuch a divine truft and confidence is wanting, where fuch awful impreffions of futurity, as would check all voluntary haftening into it, have not been cultivated, and where fuicide, in confequence," has been embraced, as a refuge from unmerited fufferings, there it cannot be blameable as to its " producing caufe," (viz. the base conduct of others) fince that was external and unavoidable by himself. Yet fuch trouble befals not a man to good purpose, when he suffers himself to be thus overcome by it, when it drags him to fuch a dreadful conclufion of his worldly forrows.

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