DISSERTATIONS: The FIRST on the supposed SUICIDE of SAMSON; WHEREIN The Part he bore in his own Death is vindi- The SECOND on JEPHTHA's VOW; WHEREIN Is proved, that his Vow was fulfilled, and his LONDON: Printed for W. INNYS and J. RICHARDSON, The Death of Sampfon (Judg. xvi.) is a Paffage in the Old Teftament, urged by the Deifts, as favouring Suicide, à Practice which Chriftians affirm to be immoral: Nevertheless, he is placed in the Catalogue of the eminently Faithful, in Heb. xi. F we are to judge of the System of our modern Deifts, by the Writings of their favourite Au thors; they not only account Suicide lawful in many Cafes; but also efteem it laudable and glorious, or heroic : And none of their Authors have ever difowned it, or cenfured and condemned the Practice as immoral and criminal. And therefore the Objection they raife from the Manner of Samfon's tragical Death, is only urged by them, as an Argument Ad hominem, i. e. home upon Chriftians, who own the Divine Revelation; and account Suicide a Murder of the highest Aggravation Telling them; if this is an immoral Wickedness, your Bible which makes an eminent Saint of Sampfon, cannot be of Divine Revelation. The infinite Wisdom and Goodnefs of the great Creator hath fo conftituted the Nature of Things; that felf-prefervation, as it fignifies an Endeavour to preserve and prolong Life, and the avoiding what tends to destroy it; is a natural inftinet, common to all living Creatures in their respective, various Capacities; and no Philofophy can account for this; otherwife than as it is an Effect of the Author of Nature, who has endued all his Creatures, with their effential and infeparable Properties; which in a larger Senfe are called, the Laws of Nature. And that this natural Propenfity to preferve Life, is in all Animals (confidered merely as fuch) an infeparable Property, none have ever denied; it is fo manifeft, by univerfal Obfervation and Experience. But Man, as a rational Creature, is not only prompted to the Care of his own mortal Life, by the natural Instinct that is common to all Animals; but being endued with greater Capacities to cultivate this natural Inftinct, i. e. with a Sagacity to foresee the Dangers of his Life at a greater Distance ; and Wifdom to contrive and purfue the Means Means to preferve Life, and avoid the Dangers, both imminent and future, to which it is liable: And more efpecially as he is endued both with Understanding and a free Will, capable of chufing or refufing, and governing his own Actions; and thereby accountable to his Maker, for the right or wrong Ufe, and the due Cultivation of all his Talents, whereof his Life is the principal, the firft and fundamental, of all that relates to his Body, or mortal Nature: Therefore, that which in all other Animals is only a natural Inftinet; or a Law of their Nature, in a larger Sense; be comes thereby to him, in the stricteft Senfe, a Law of his human Nature. And the Obligation of this Law is exceedingly encreafed, as his Life is entrusted to his Care, to be imployed in the Service of his Creator; and not only for his own private Benefit; but alfo as a focial Creature, for the good of Mankind; and more particularly for the Benefit of the fpecial Society in which Providence has stated him a Member. But at the fame Time, as a free Agent, to whom the Rule and Government of his mortal Life is committed, he can by an intelligent Power, fuperior to the merely animal a 2 |