Lifes Preservative Against Self-Killing, Tract · Chapter 2 · Section 25 – Section 28
§. 25. Of adventuring about ſaving of ſoules.
The third point, ſaving of ſoules.The third point concerning the ſecond caſe, about preſent urgent neceſſity, wherein a man may adventure the loſſe of his life for a greater good, without any danger of ſelf-murder; is, when the neceſſity, and opportunity of ſaving mens ſoules requires the adventuring of the loſſe of a mans naturall life to doe it; which may fall out in two Caſes.
Caſe 1. Of adventuring to infectious perſons.Firſt, if a man be ſick of ſome peſtilent infectious mortall diſeaſe; and labours not only under the feare, and pangs of death; But alſo lyes oppreſſed with the horror of a troubled conſcience, like to be ſwallowed up in utter deſpaire; languiſhing and longing for meanes and comfort of ſalvation; then may the Miniſter, within whoſe charge ſuch a one is; or, in his default ſome other, either Miniſter, or private Chriſtian; upon outward calling from the party, or by Gods providence inviting him; finding withall an inward motion and inclination of the ſpirit to take the opportunity to ſave a ſoule; then (I ſay) may one of theſe adventure into ſuch infectious places, and to ſuch infected perſons, out of love and zeale to ſave a ſoul in danger of periſhing: ſo they indanger no other lives than their owne, by ſo adventuring.
1. Grounds of adventuring.The grounds of which adventure are; firſt, confidence of Gods protection in that warrantable pious imployment, ſo farre as God ſees good.
2.Secondly, comfort, that (if in that ſervice a man doe die) he had a lawfull calling; and his adventure was for ſaving that which is better than many lives, & for which the deare Son of God did die upon the croſſe.
A Caveat.Yet, men are herein to be obſervant, that they tempt not God by their raſh preſumption, or ſelf-confidence, needleſly, or beyond their due bounds, thruſting themſelves into ſuch dangers; but that they doe uſe as great caution, and as good preſervatives as they can; with carneſt prayer to God, to give him ſucceſſe and ſafety; that if they doe die by meanes of ſuch dangerous enterpriſes, their conſcience may not juſtly accuſe them, that they were wilfully negligent of their own lives; and ſo thereby acceſſary to their owne deaths.
Caſe 2. Of adventuring among heathens to preach the Goſpell.Secondly, in ſuch times, and places where the publike preaching of the truth neceſſary to ſalvation is wholly wanting; or powerfully ſuppreſſed; and groſſe ignorance, or damnable error, and hereſies prevailes; as among the heathens, and groſſe Idolaters; then, and there is any Chriſtian man, that hath a warrantable calling and opportunity to teach others the truth, and to warne them of errors, although they cannot doe the ſame without danger of perſecution and death; this courſe we finde warranted not onelyonly by the practiſe of the Apoſtles; who ceaſed not to preach Chriſt, both publikely, and from houſe to houſe, although they were otherwiſe charged, and therefore threatned and perſecuted to death:aActs 20.20. But even others more private Chriſtians did ſo, as Aquila and Priſcilla, and thoſe that were ſcattered from Ieruſalem: bActs 5.28, 29. Acts 18.16. Acts 8.4.whoſe labours God greatly bleſſed, to the advancement of the Church: Of ſuch examples Eccleſiaſticall hiſtories are full, in times of the primitive perſecutions; as Theodoret reports hiſt. lib. 1. cap. 23. of two yong men called Aedeſius and Frumentius, who while they were lay men did teach among the Indians.aQuoniam in vero Dei cultu educatierant mercatores, qui eò commeabant, cohortati ſunt, ut in unum congregati divina miniſteria obirent.
And of Chriſtian Merchants Socrates affirmes, that they did inſtruct ſome of the Indians in the principles of religion; bChriſtiani illi quoſdam ex Indis fidei principiis inſtituentes.alſo Theodoret makes mention hiſt. l. 1. c. 24. of a certaine captive Chriſtian woman, who did convert the nation of the Iberians to the Faith: cMulier quaedam capta in bello, Iberes ad veritatem traduxit.with whoſe report conſents Sozomen, lib. 2. cap. 6. ſpeaking of the converſion of the Iberians, he ſayes, that the fame was, that that Nation did leave their ancient religion, upon the perſwaſion of a captive woman.dFama eſt hanc Iberiam, ſuaſu mulicris Chriſtianae captivae patriam & avitam religionem deſeruiſe.
And Socrates ſpeaking of the King and Queene of Iberia converted by the woman, hee ſayes that both the King and Queene did preach Chriſt; He to the men, and Shee to the women:cƲtri que Chriſtū praedicant: Rex viris: Regina mulieribus. Deut. 6.7. Coloſ. 3.16. Extraordinary things and accidents, are not bounded and regulated by ordinary rules: and ſo much doth God himſelfe require us to doe in many places, that the ſoules of our brethren may not periſh for lack of his ſaving truth, which all are bound to maintaine.
§. 26. Of adventuring for ſalvation and religion.
The third generall caſe. About religionThe third generall caſe, wherein men may expoſe their lives to death without any danger of indirect ſelf-murder, is in the cauſe of religion; for maintenance of the truth; for advancing of Gods glory; and for the converſion, and confirmation of others, both in profeſſion and practiſe; although the ſame ſhould coſt us our lives: as we ſee was done by Daniel and his three companions. aDaniel 6.10. and 3.17.Whereunto wee are bound by that love, that we owe both to God, and our Neighbour. According to which, David à Mauden ſayes well,David à Maupraecept. 6. diſcurſ. 10. that Ex charitate tenetur quis fidem profiteri cum periculo vitae, quando honor Dei id exigit, aut externa confeſſio neceſſaria eſt ad aliquorum converſionem ad fidem, vel in eadem vacillantium confirmationem; ſeu quando credit minus firmos in fide, eam facilè vel bonorum temporalium amore, vel vitae conſervandae cauſae negaturos: that is, A man is bound by charity to profeſſe his faith with danger of his life, when the glory of God requires the ſame, or when our outward confeſſion is neceſſary, for the converſion of ſome to the faith; or to confirme thoſe that waver in it, or when a man beleeves that the weake in faith will eaſily out of love of temporall goods, or to preſerve their lives, deny the faith. This adventuring of our lives for religion, conſiſts of foure points or members.
§. 27. Of the firſt caſe or point, which is about defence of religion.
Members of it. 1.Firſt, in the defence of the truth and religion, both by ſpeaking and writing for it; when the ſame is reproached, impugned,Defence of the truth. and ſlandered, with endeavouring to overthrow it; although that ſuch a courſe of patrociny were capitall to the undertakers: for which, we have a luculent warrant and example, in the practiſe of Heſter in the like caſe;bHeſt. 4.14, 16. and in the practiſe of Iuſtin Martyr againſt the Heathen, upon no leſſe danger; yet, herein it were to be wiſhed, that men would rather content themſelves to prove and commend what they hold to bee the truth, and fit for godly edifying, than for to multiply unprofitable controverſies, and to alienate affections; by bitter diſgracefull imputations, and railing confutations of the errors of others.
And alſo we are to defend the truth and religion, by objecting our ſelves with perill of our lives, to reſiſt by force & armes, the unjuſt invaſion of hoſtility; endeavouring to roote out the profeſſors of the ſame, only for the truths ſake, when the enemies doe endeavour quite to extirpate the truth of God: Note.Although that force and armes, in hoſtile invaſion, is not to bee uſed to propagate and ſpread the truth, and to reforme errours and abuſes in religion; which is to be done by teaching and perſwaſions, to draw, and not to force the conſcience about divine things.
Moderation of warre for religion.Yet, in juſt defence a man may oppoſe himſelfe with force and armes againſt forraigne, or uſurping, unjuſt invaders, that violently would thruſt him out of his poſſeſſion of the truth; becauſe the courſe taken againſt him is moſt tyrannically unjuſt, in uſurping to domineere over mens conſciences, which are ſubject onelyonly to God: and if for ſpreading of religion, and rooting out of errors, it were lawfull to make hoſtile invaſion; then might the whole world be in a flaming fire of warre; every nation and people one againſt another; according as they differ in opinions and cuſtomes about religion; ſeeing that every one thinkes his owne religion beſt, and condemnes, and diſlikes all others. And againe, of all the goods a man hath, true religion is the chiefe, and doth moſt neerely concerne him, to keepe it above his life; and it is the choiſeſt and moſt neceſſary thing that he can provide, preſerve, and commend to his poſterity: So that, if there be any thing of worth in this world, for which he ought to contend to death,aJud. 3. it muſt be the true religion; that, through his neglect or fearefulneſſe, he ſuffer it not violently by force of forraigne armes to be oppreſt, and himſelfe and his to be tyrannically thruſt out of his juſt poſſeſſion of it; without which to be, were better not to bee; when, therefore, he ſhall bee forcibly inthralled and ſubjected to that, which he is perſwaded is erroneous and hereticall, and the bane of his ſoule.
§. 28. About the publike confeſsion, or profeſſion of the truth.
The ſecond member about confeſſion of the truth. 1.The ſecond member of the caſe, wherein a man ought to expoſe his life to death, in cauſe of religion; is in point of confeſſion of the Goſpell and true religion, with danger of our lives for the ſame: which is to bee done, both when wee are called to declare our faith and opinion about the truth; ſo that then we are neither to diſſemble nor deny it; but are commanded to make profeſſion of it. 1 Pet. 3.15. as was practiſed by Iohn the Baptiſt, Iohn 1.20. and ſo by all the bleſſed Martyrs.
2.And alſo, when we doe ſee that our concealement of our profeſſion may prejudice the truth, diſhonour God, ſtrengthen and confirme the adverſaries; or may diſcourage and offend the weake Chriſtians, whereby they may droope, or fall; then, no feare of death ſhould cauſe a man to forbeare to declare himſelfe in point of religion; leſt that of our Saviour Chriſt be verified upon him, He that loveth his life ſholl loſe it. aJohn 12.25.Whereas contrariwiſe, He that hateth his life in this world, (or as it is in Matthew, Ioſeth it for Chriſts ſake bMat. 10.39.) ſhall keep it unto life eternall.
By failing in this point, many a man ſtanders himſelfe, cauſing the people of God to thinke worſe of him than he is indeed; and deprives himſelfe of much honour, and comfort that he might have, by expoſing himſelfe to all hazzards, for Gods cauſe; to whom, that in the fifth of the Iudges, concerning Ruben, may be applyed; that for the diviſions of Reuben there were great thoughts of heart: why abodeſt thou among the ſheepfolds, to heare the bleatings of the flocks? cJudges 5.15, 16.23.18.And againe, that concerning Meroz; Curſe ye Meroz, ſaith the Angel of the Lord, curſe yee bitterly the inhabitants thereof, becauſe they came not to the help of the Lord againſt the mighty. Whereas contrariwiſe, in the ſame cauſe, it is ſaid with commendation, Zebulon and Napthalie were a people that jeoparded their lives unto death.