SECTION VI. 575 and whoprofess to be followers of the meek and holy Jesus, to challengeone another to give or receive present death for a little common affront, and to resolve to kill or be killed for a trifling pique of honour ? If professed gamesters will quarrel about the cast of a dye, or if two known adulterers will contend about the possession or the reputation of one shameless woman, and resolve to decide their quarrels by thesword or pistol, let them go on to die like atheists as they live ; let them be convinced of their mad- ness at the great tribunal of God, who would hearken to no conviction from men ; they deserve to feel the terrors of that awful being in the other world, whom they renounced in this. But let not a man pretend to the name of a disciple of Christ; and run so directly counter to the pattern and the laws of his holy Lord and Master. IIow is it possible these combatants can excuse themselves from the guilt of wilful murder in the sight of God ? Do they not go into the field to meet a wilful death, or to give it ? Do they not freely expose their breasts to each others murdering weapons, and mutually yield up their lives either to the more happy or the more skilful push of the sword ? Doth not one of them frequently fall and die on the bloody spot of ground ? And sometimes both of them are wounded mortally. Is it not the real language of their fury, "I will send him to the devil, or he shall send me thither ?" And which soever of them is slain, I think it is evident, that eachof them, in the sightof God is guilty, at least intentionally, of a double murder. Each duelist offers up his own life to the others weapon of destruction, and invites his neighbour to slay him, while each endeavours to slay his neighbour. Here is intended murder en both sides ; this is guilt of a dye, and the " Lord will bring upon them both the day of vengeance and destroy them with a double destruction," as the prophet Jeremy expresses it, chapter xvii. verse I8. "Their own and their brother's blood shall be dreadfully required at the hand of both of them, by that God who is the avenger of murder :" For I fear there are but few of these criminals that practise sin-. cere repentance, even if timeand space he allowed for it. But you will say, "Must a man bear all affronts and have. no reparation ? Must he have the lie given him and take it tamely ? Must he be called a fool or a sot without any satisfac- tion ? Our laws have made no provision for the injuriesdone to a man's honour, therefore I will revenge the injury myself." Answer I. For any important injuries done to a man's honour, credit and reputation in the world, whereby he sustains real damage, there are some provisions in the law ; but for giving the lie, or calling a man's understanding in question, these are supposed to be such common inconsiderable things, that it was not worth while to make laws about them. Let a
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