SECTION I. 511 tor, who counselled Absalom to rebel against his father David. Saul, a bloody man, who forsook God arid was forsaken of God. Ziairi, a most wicked king of Israel, and Judas, who betrayed our blessed Saviour, &c. Good men may he tempted sorely in this matter, but we do not find that they have been given up to comply with the temptation. You will readily reply, " but what was Samson? Is he not numbered among the ancient and sacred heroes who lived and died in faith ; Iieb. xi. 22. And did he not destroy himself together with the Philistines when he pulled down the house upon their heads ? And was not this done also with design and resolution, when lie said, " let me die with the Philistines ?" Answer I. It is evident the apostle in that chapter is reckon- ing up all the glorious effects of faith, whether it be faith of miracles which may be found with sinners, or faith which accom- panies salvation and belongs only to the saints. Now there is very little of the character of a saint that belongs to Samson either in his life or in his death. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, indeed, as a spirit of miracles, for the deliverance of Israel from oppression, but his life seemsto be stained with many crimes ; and in the momentof his death he desired to be avenged of the Philistines for his two eyes : So that we find little or nothing of the fruits of the Spirit in him, which the apostle describes ; Gal. v. 22. " Gentleness, goodness, meekness, tem- perance," &c. 2. If it should be granted that Samson had religion and virtue enough in him to be called a good man, yet as the other exercises of his miraculous strength were performed under the influence of the spirit, or by inspiration, so we may suppose that at his death he had a divine call, or inspiration, as he had cer- tainly miraculous aid, to destroy the Philistines, though he him- self fell with them ; and though it must he confessed there was a mixture of his own sinful revenge in his heart, yet the Spirit of God might dictate that action in general, though not as mingled with his own revenge. Now since.thiswas done by a special divine commission, it cannot be drawn by us into an ex- ample for our imitation. Well, if suicide cannot be justifiedby the examples of scrip- ture, you will try what the Roman and Greek historians can do towards it. Perhaps, you will say, " Surely had it been so criminal an action, the great and wise men of antiquity would not have indulged thepractice of it, nor would their names have been enrolled among the sonsof honour. But we find Curtius and Cato, Brutus and Otho, and others who destroyed them- selves, celebrated as men of virtue, as noble patriots, and great heroes, even on theaccount of their death as well as their life." Answer, Alas, to what purpose should a christian cite the
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=