An Expojition upon the Woman tha~ tb.e ~le, though it w~s not intended by them; yet Life f'hall go fOr Life, becaufe the\[ Smfe and Contention between themfelv ~::s is an unlawtul Aaion. There oughr alfo to be a due Care taken to avoid any Mifchief that may b•ppen upon dp\'ng of a lawful Aaion, by giving notice to thofe wbo come in the Way of Dang~r, ' and forbearing to do it whil!l they are there. But io all Cafes where the Death of another is intended, ( let it be upon never fuch violent and fud.. den a Patflpn,) although there were no prepenfed and rancouripg Malic~ borne toWards them before , howfocver our Laws may be too favoura'ble w it) and c~ll it Man·flaughrer, ,yet doubrlefs it is in Confcicnce, and in the Sight of God, w!lf1o1l Muh~er. For the Man·flayer, whom the Scripture mentions diftinU from the Murtherer! is only he who flays his .Neighbour accidentally, not deficning nor iort:nding him any Harm: This is the only Man-fiaughter, which our Law is plea fed to call Chance-Medley ;1 and whatfoever is not this is Murther, and ougbt as fuch to be punifh'd, Now Murther may he either of a Man's felf, or of another. Both of rhein are moll black and heino•l Crimes, 1 Firjf, As for Sdf.murther, many of the Anciem-ijeathens thought it the moft1 Heroick and Gallant Way ofDying, and wou ld have Recourfe unto i upon very tligbt Occafions ; accounting h an Univerfal Remedy that Nature had put into tbeir Hands to rid tbemfdves of any Trouble wbich they were loth to bear. Yet fome, even among the Hcatheni, have very fharply, as well as jufrly, taxed this wicked Cuftom; • T~/1' J-amotlg whom that Saying of * .JJ.riflotle in his Ethuks is very confidcrahle: For a "Jro~n~xM, .Man to die onlY, that he may avoidPoverty, or Crojfu, is not Gallantry, bJJt meer ~e_v'rDYT~;; OWQtdice; Qnd1 dec!arts that be wants Courage to encounter them. In which Pdrticu· ir:1:'Hular _ttiis Heathen h:td a better Illumination than the Author of the Buok of J11accabeu, ;...v.,..ne}v, who very unworthily commends one Razis, a Jew, for cbufing rarhcr to ddlwy him· -¥,K..t~:1ei111 felf than yield to his ·Enemy. ' Which Paffige, befidts divtrs 01qers, do ~vidcmly ::;-;~~:-prove thofe Books not to belong to the Canon ofSc~ipmres, but dt:lt~ve;: to .~e call.ed, Azift. Eth. as they ate, Apoaypbal. And ,tfuly Selfmunher, next to the unpardonable ~m agamft J.;, c. 7· the Holy Gho(l, is; f 1hink, the mo(l dangerous and mo(l defperate that can be corn· An~ this mitred ; and becaufe it leives fo little room foi Repentance, it leaves bu t very lit· ~;·~ _de for Hope and Charity. Th.Ofe wretched Creatures whom God bath fo far abJn- -xi1:u~~x.doned as to permit them to fall into this horrid Crime, had. they bUt any rhe leaft 7W'C'il1· De Care of their Eternal Salvation they woul4 certainly tremble when they are offering Mor~e.Pe- Violence to rhemfelves; confider)ng that they muft inftant!}' appear bef~re G.od, and regruu. lift up thofe Hahds at his great Tribunal which rhey1 but a Minute befou: 1mhrued in their own Blood: lr is a Sin, which when the Devil tempts Men unto be c~nnot make ufe ofhis mofi pre\'ailing Wile and Straragem.Eor when he tempts to other" Sins, he ftill drills dtt the Sinner with hope5 ofliving to repent and reform,,. and promif~th him Mercy and ·Forgivenefs: But this ofSelf-murtber precludes all fuch Hopes and Expeftations; for they die in their Sins; yea, their Dearh is their Sin ; and wha~ a forlorn Ella<e are they in who refolve that their la[! At\ !hall be a D~mnable Sip, 1 Thefe are Self.mu'ttherers to purpofe, and defiroy nor only thetr Bodtcs, but tbel[ Souls too. ' Confider again, ~hat it is • Siri committed again(! the very Standard and Rule of of out Love to others: For God bath commanded us to lov~ others as our felves; and therefore as we tmay not murther ·ano ther, fp much lefs may we murrhef Our felves, And tbofe who ate hurried ro this impious A<l, as they do atlually de!lroy themfelves, fo they do virtually ·and imerpretatively murther and de!lroy the whole Wofld ; I and are as guilty before'God, as if, rogetber with themfelves, they had mu(, thcred·their Parents, their Children, their neatefi Relations, and all Mankind befides; and that becaufe they detlroy that Fundamental L.aw which lltould reguht' ttieir Love ro their Neighbours 1 and which is tho(lared Rule, according to whtch. theY fbould endeavour after their JNelfare and Prefervation, And therefore if ever the Devil work upon thy Melancholy and ~ifcomented Pride, to tempt thee to this damn~?!• and almo(l unpardonable Sin, be fure to colle£\ all thy Strength unto thee; and, wuh infinite abhorrence of it, command him to avoid: Let not any Shame, or Povcr.~y, or Horrors of Confcience, faften this Hellifh Tempra1ion upon thee ; for know affuredly', that if thoU hearkcneft Unto them, and putteil then: in Ex.ecutioo, there is no probability but that ·rbou muft ·pafs from Temporal Suffermgs 10 Eternal Torme~rs; wlaich,
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