Self-Homicide is Not So Naturally Sin that it may Never be Otherwise, Conclusion
Conclusion.
ANd this is as farre as I allowed my discourse to progesse in this way: forbidding 1. Why I refraind discours of destinie herein.it earnestly all darke and dangerous Secessions and divertings into points of our Freewill, and of Gods Destiny: though allowing many ordinary contingencies, to be under our Election, it may yet seem reasonable, that our maine periods, of Birth, of Death, and of chief alterations in this life be more immediately wrought upon by Gods determination. It is usefully said, and appliable to good purpose (though aAlcor. A20. 65.by a wicked man, and with intention to crosse Moses,) [That man was made of shaddow, and the Devil of fire.] For as shaddow is not darknes, but grosser light, so is mans understanding in those mysteries, not blind but clouded. And as fire doth not always give light 2. Man made of shadow and the devill of fire by the Alcoran.(for that is accidentall, and it must have ai…e to work upon,) but it burneth naturally, so that desire of knowledge which the Devill kindles in us, (as he doth as willingly bring bellows to inflame a heart curious of knowledge, as he doth more ashes to stupifie and bury deeper, a slumbering understanding) doth not alwaies give 3. Our adversaries reasons contradict one another.us light, but it always burnes us, and imprints upon our judgment stigmaticall marks, and at last seares up our conscience.
If then reasons which differ from me, and my reasons be otherwise equall, yet theirs have this disadvantage, that they fight with themselves and suffer a Civill Warre of contradiction. For many of their reasons incline us to a love of this life, and a ho…or of death, and yet they say often, that wee are too much addicted to that naturally. But it is well noted by bAlcuin. Ep. 23.Al…s, (and I thinke from Saint A…stine) [That 4 No praecept given to love our selves.though there bee foure things which wee must love, yet there is no precept given upon any more then two, God and our neighbour. So that the other which concerne our selves, may be pretermitted in some occasions.
But because of the benefits of death, enough hath beene occasionally intersertted before, having 5 Encouragements to contempt of deathpresented cCypr. Serm. de mortalitate.Cyprians encouragement to it, who out of a contemplation that the whole frame of the world decayed and languished, cries to us, [Nutant parietes, The walls and the roofe shake, and would'st not thou goe out? Thou art tyred in a pilgrimage, and wouldst thou not goe home?] I will end with applying dGratiar. act. de cons.Ausonius thanks to the Emperour, to death, which deserveth it better, [Thou providest that thy benefits, and the good which thou bringest shall not be transitory; and that the ills from which thou deliverest us, shall never returne.] Since therefore because death hath a little bitternes, but medicinall, and a little allay, but to make it of more use, they would utterly recline & avert our nature from it, (as eChyrurgia mag. de ulcer.Paracelsus says, of that foule contagious disease which then had invaded mankind in a few places, and since overflown in all, that for punishment of generall licentiousnes, God first inflicted that disease, and when the disease would not reduce us, he sent a second worse affliction, which was ignorant, and torturing Physitians.
So I may say of this case, that in punishment of Adams sinne, God cast upon us an infectious death, and since hath sent us a worse plague of men, which accompanie it with so much horrour and affrightment, that it can scarce be made wholsome and agreeable to us. That which fAphor. l. 2. 38.Hippocrates admitted in cases of much profit, and small danger, they teach with too much liberty, [That worse meat may be given to a patient, so it be pleasanter, and worse drink, so it be more acceptable.] But though I thought it therefore needfull, to oppose this …efensative, as well to reencourage 6. Why I abstaine from particular directions.men to a just contempt of this life, and to restore them to their nature, which is a desire of supreame happines in the next life by the losse of this, as also to rectify, and wash again their fame, who religiously assuring themselves that in some cases, when wee were destitute of other meanes, we might be to our selves the stewards of Gods benefits, and the Ministers of his mercifull Iustice, had yet, being, gEnnodius ad Celul.as Ennodius says) Innocent within themselves, incurred damnum opinionis, yet (as I said before) I abstained purposely from extending this discourse to particular 7. Laws forbid ordinarie men to cure by extraordiry meanes, yet the Kings of England, and France, & Spaine cure so.rules, or instances, both because I dare not professe my self a Maister in so curious a science, and because the limits are obscure, and steepy, and slippery, and narrow, and every errour deadly, except where a competent dilligence being fore-used, a mistaking in our conscience may provide an excuse.
As to cure diseases by touch, or by charme, (both which one hParacelsus Chyrurg. Mag. tract. 2. cap. 8. et de trans. cap. 10.excellent Chirurgian, and one iPet. Pomp. de incant. c. 4.excellent philosopher, are of opinion may be done, because what vertue soever the heavens infuse into anycreature, man, who is Al, is capable of, and being borne when that vertue is, may receive a like impression, or may give it to a word, or character made at that instant, if he can understand the time) though these, I say be forbidden by divers Lawes, out of a Just prejudice that vulgar owners of such a vertue, would mis-imploy, it, yet none mislikes that the Kings of England & France, should cure one sicknesse by such meanes, nor kCassanaeus catal. glo. mun. par. 5. consider. 1.that the Kings of Spaine, should dispossess Daemoniaque persons so, because Kings are justly presumed to use all their power to the glory, of God; So is it fit, that this priviledge of which we speak should be contracted and restrained.
For, that is certainly true of this, which lCassian. l. 17 cap. 17. ad 25. As Hier. Orig. Chrysost. and Cassianus are excusd for following Plato in the toleration of a ly, because the church had not then pronounced, so may it be in this.Cassianus saith of a ly, [That it hath the nature of Ellebore, wholsome in desperate diseases, but otherwise poyson.] though I dare not averre with him, [That we are in desperate diseases, whensoever we are in ingenti …ucro, aut damno, et in humilitate, ad evitandam gloriam.] Howsoeveri i… Cassianus mistake that, and we this, yet mObservat. in Cassian. in fine l. fo. 740.as he, and Origen, and Chrysostome, and Hierome, are excused for following Platoes opinion, that a ly might have the nature of medicine, and be admitted in many cases, because in their time the church had not declared herself in that point, nor pronounced that a ly was naturally ill, by the same reason am I excusable in this Paradox. Against the reasons whereof, and against charity, if prejudice, or contempt of my weaknes, or mis-devotion have so precluded any, that they have not beene pleased to tast and digest them, I must leave them to their drowsines still, and bid them injoy the favour of that indulgent Physitian, Cornelius Celsus sent. 15.Qui non concoxit, dormiat.
FINIS.
20. Sept. 1644.
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End of the text · John Donne, Self-Homicide is Not So Naturally Sin that it may Never be Otherwise (1644)