SECTION 1II. 555 a lingering death of greater pain and torment unless I anticipate the hour, and put an end to my life at once, in an easier and shorter way : I am in captivity or in prison, and sentenced to a dreadful execution ; or I am languishing out my life in extremd torments of body, the gout or the stone ; or my limbs are broken and I have no hope of ease or healing, why should'not I then cut short my life and my anguish together r' ainswer. Think what instances of the same kind may be found in scripture, what their various characters were, and what their practice. Bloody Saul will die by his own hand rather than that the Philistines should slay him ; 1 Sam. xxxi. 4. Ahithophel was afraid ofbeing taken and executed forhis treason, and therefore he hanged himself. 2 Sam. xvii.23. When Zimri, a wicked king, saw that the city was taken, and that he must fall into the hands of his enemies, he burned the king's house over him and died ; 1 Kings xvi. 18. The heathen jailor fearing his prisoners had escaped, drew his sword and would have killed himself, lest he should be put to death in the room ofhis prisoners ; Acts xvi. 27. These are the men that have chosen sin rather than affliction : They would destroy themselves rather than stay for other men to do it.. Are these fit precedents for a christian to follow ? Art thou fond of. imitating these examples, whosenames and characters are loaded with divine contempt in the book of God, except only the jailor, who was prevented by divine mercy from the bloody fact, and became afterwards a penitent and a convert to the christian faith. On the other hand think of the holy prophets and martyrs, who had the most dreadful sufferings in view, and rather trusted to divine grace for their support under them, than they would indulge such a guilty method of escape ; and their names are crowned with honour on earth and in heaven. Job was a very monument of-misery, had lost his estate and his children and all his comforts, he was smitten with sore boils from bead to foot, 'so that " his soul, that is, his natural inclination chose strang- ling and death rather than life ;" Job vii. 15. and his ivife be- came an instrument of Satan, and bid him "curse God and die ;" Job. ii. 9. yet he resisted all these temptations through the victo- rious grace of God, he survived all his sorrows, he became a most honourable monument of divine mercy, and a glorious example of patience. Whatsoever thy condition be, it is better to trust thyself in the hands of divine mercy in a way of duty here on earth, than to rush into the hands of God's avenging justice inhell, in order to escapeany of the terrors of this life ; Mat. x. 28. " Fear not them who can kill the body and can do no more; but fear hint who can destroy both body and soul in hell fire." Besides, though thou se2Rt no way open for thyrelief, yet the infinite wisdom of God, may open a door of escape. 11e
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