Lifes Preservative Against Self-Killing, Tract · Chapter 3
CHAP. 3. Of naturall life in generall.
§. 1. of divers ſorts of life.
Kindes of naturall life.FOr our better underſtanding of naturall life, wee are generally to conſider that, according to the diſtinction of earthly living creatures, there be three kindes of naturall lives.
1. Of vegetation.Firſt, that which is called the life of vegetation; which is the life of trees, plants, corne, and the like; whereby they grow and encreaſe, both in their ſeverall kindes, and in their individuals.
2. Life of ſenſe.Secondly, the life of ſenſe, whereby irrationall and ſenſitive creatures do, beſides their life of vegetation common with plants, live inlived with ſenſe and motion.
Now theſe two kindes of lives, conſidered ſpecifically in the aforeſaid ſeverall kindes of creatures, fall not under the conſideration of, nor are ſubject to ſelf-murder; becauſe the law againſt murder is not given to them, who are not properly capable of the ſame, by meanes of their want of reaſon: neither are they ſubject to this fact and ſin of ſelf-murder, which by inſtinct of nature they abhorre, and doe alwaies naturally indeavour their owne preſervation.
3. Rationall life.The third kinde of naturall life is that which is called rationall, or of reaſonable creatures; which is proper to men; whereby they live, (beſides the life of vegetation and ſenſe, common with other earthly living creatures,) according to reaſon, or in a rationall manner; both for the eſſentiall forme of their natures, whereby they are called rationall creatures; and alſo for their thoughts and actions; which for their originall principle, whence they flow, and for the rule whereby they are ordered, are reaſonable, morall, and more divine in all their motions, than are other earthly creatures; if the ſame be not perverted by ſome other exorbitant principles, or accidents.
In and under this rationall life of man, both the other lives are comprehended; as things inferior and ſubordinate are contained in their ſuperiour and ſummary head. Note. Mans perfection.The perfections of all other earthly creatures are in man, together with, or comprehended in that which is proper to himſelfe, whereby he tranſcends them all.
§. 2. Man only is ſubject to ſelf-murder.
Notwithſtanding that man indowed with underſtanding hath the greateſt helps againſt ſelf-murder, and hath the greateſt reaſon of all worldly creatures to preſerve his life, it being ſo excellent above theirs, yet he onelyonly of them all is ſubject to this fault and miſchiefe of ſelf-murder.
The greatneſſe of the ſin of ſelf-murder.And as all the aforeſaid three kinds of lives are comprehended, for faculty and vertue, in mans reaſonable life, flowing from his reaſonable ſoule, as we ſee in the ceaſing of them all in man at once, upon the departure of his ſoule from the body; Note.ſo the killing & deſtroying of mans life, is abſolutely farre greater than the deſtroying of the lives of all other earthly creatures; becauſe, both the lives of them all for kinds, and alſo mans own proper life, that farre excells them all, in the deſtruction of mans life are deſtroyed: and alſo, all other creatures were made for man, for the comfort of whoſe life all their lives do ſerve.
§. 3. How naturall life is knowne by man in whom it is.
Touching the knowledge of the naturall life of man, a reaſonable living creature apprehends the ſame, both by ſenſe and underſtanding: This life is knowne 1. by ſenſe.by ſenſe, a reaſonable creature not onelyonly deſcernes that it lives; but alſo feeles this life by the effects of it, to be a quickning power of inlivening the body inwardly, and diſpoſing and inabling it to action outwardly.
2. By underſtanding.By underſtanding, a man knowes that this life is an act of the ſpirit, or ſoule in the body of man; or a quickning vertue of it, in a continued fluxe, by the perſonall union of the ſoule and body together.
§. 4. The ſoules double act of life in man.
The ſoules act of life in man.This act of the ſoule in its union with the body, is twofold. 1. Making the ſubiect to live.Firſt, that which reſpects the bodie it ſelf; or rather mans perſon, in that worke, or lively energie, which we may, in ſome reſpect, call opus ad intra, or a reflexe worke of man upon himſelfe; upon the perſonall union of the ſoule and bodie, whereby he becomes a living ſoule, Gen. 2.7. for extenſion, in all his parts; and for intenſiox, in fulneſſe of lively power; for his ſubſiſting and growth to his appointed period; and for uſe of all his organs and faculties, for their proper function; being thereby alſo able to diſcerne, take notice and judge of himſelfe, his ſtate and actions: For, not the ſoule only, nor the body onelyonly is to be properly ſaid to live, after their union together; but the perſon, conſiſting both of ſoule and body, doth live this life; which is not the life of either of the natures, or parts of man by themſelves conſidered;Man lives or dies perſonally conſidered. but the life of the perſon of man conſiſting of both natures perſonally united. And therefore, when one kills a man, we ſay not properly that he hath onelyonly killed an earthly body; but we ſay properly that he hath killed ſuch a perſon, as conſiſts of a ſoule and a body: and therefore, it is ſaid in Scripture, that there were ſo many ſoules ſlaine aJoſhua 10.28.; not that the immortall ſpirit is in it ſelfe ſubject to ſuch a death, or can be ſlaine; but in regard of its Acting and working in its perſonall union with the bodie; whereby both of them live perſonally together, that life which is the life of the perſon; which is deſtroyed, and ceaſes upon death, which is further apparent by this, Reaſon.becauſe, the murder of a man is ſo hainous a crime, in regard of the deſtruction of the Image of God in man; which is not onelyonly in the body, or onelyonly in the ſoule, but is in the whole perſon of man, ſo long as the ſame lives.
2 Making the ſubject to worke.The ſecond lively act of the ſoule in this union with the body perſonally conſidered; is that whereby it makes the body organically fitly diſpoſed and active to thoſe duties, which we call opera ad extra, works about objects, not it ſelfe: which works are the common outward workes of the perſon conſiſting of thoſe two natures, and not of either of them apart.
Obſerve. Upon life depends the ſubſiſting and working of the perſon.Whereupon wee may obſerve, that upon this life depends, both the ſubſiſting of the perſon of man in its being; and alſo all its actions naturall, civill and morall: ſo that, he that kills a man deſtroyes his perſon, and aboliſhes all his perſonall actions and activity, whereby he might be ſerviceable and uſefull to God, to himſelfe, to the Church, or Commonwealth. And yet we ſee no thing more paſſionately and raſhly enterpriſed than killing of men, than the which nothing ſhould be more deliberately and upon weightier cauſes done, it being no leſſer matter than to diſſolve heaven and earth, by deſtruction of a perſon conſiſting of an heavenly ſpirit, and of an earthly body, to deſtroy the nobleſt naturall life; and to deprive God, and the world of the moſt glorious and profitable workes. Such a thing is this naturall life of man generally conſidered.