578 THE UNLAWFULNESS OF SELF-MURDER. wilfully out of the hope of the favour of God, when we wilfully violate his laws, and especially in such awful and important in- stances as relate to life and blood. When we read therefore the histories of such tragical occur- rences, let us endeavour to make a wise and pious improvement of those mischiefs which we cannot prevent. When we hear fresh tidings weekly of such unhappy creatures as lay violent hands on themselves ; such as lavish away their lives by riotous extravagances, or thoughtless intemperance ; such as run along on the precipices of death, and the very edge of destruction, being hurried on by vain glory or wild wagering; such as ex-. pose their blood, their souls, and their eternal hopes, in foolish contests of honour, and upon trifling quarrels ; I say, when-we hear of these things, let us lift up our eyes and our hearts to heaven, and give thanks to the distinguishing mercy of God, which bath preserved us from these guilty and fatal mischiefs. Blessed be the Lord, that our names are not written in those dreadful stories ! That we have been secured by his grace from those temptations, and have been kept thus far walking in the paths of life and peace ! and at the same time let us, by a devout wish, entrust our lives and souls to his keeping. Then let us pity poor mankind who are subject to the rage of such criminal and destructive passions, and who feel the dreadful effects of them '. And with a spirit of sacred compassion, let us offer up an humble complaint and prayer to our God, and say, " How long, O Lord, how long shall Satan reign and triumph among the children of men ? How long shall the adversary of God and souls, make use of the weakness, the folly, and the madness of mankind to hurry them off from the stage of life, and to drag them down to his own dark dominions? O send forth thy light and thy truth, and the power of divine love, to rescue and heal a sinful world, and to save souls from perishing !" Amen. END OF THE EIGHTH VOLUM. nu,ara bale,, Clint,,. kneus.
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