Search -
A Full Inquiry Into the Subject of Suicide
A Full Inquiry Into the Subject of Suicide Author:Charles Moore General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1790 Original Publisher: Printed for J.F. and C. Rivington Subjects: Suicide Dueling Gambling Games / Gambling / General Psychology / Suicide Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text.... more » When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: In fome of the early ages of Chriftianity, when a degree of enthufiafm had been grafted on the purity and fimplicity of the Chriftian Faith, there want not example? of many pious perfons, who became fuicides under a notion of doing honour to God, by fbowing this particular zeal for his fervice; and there were cafes in which fome of the ancient [i] Fathers thought it was not only a juftifiable, but a meritorious action: as for inftance, when a man doubted his own refolution to abide cruel tortures, and was therefore afraid of being compelled to deny the Faith, or commit an act of idolatry; and alfo in the cafe of virgins, who, having devoted themfelves to unblemifhed chaftity in honour of the Gofpel, were in danger of violation. Some were likewife tempted to commit fuicide through a miftaken notion of the nature and excellence of martyrdom. There were many, who carried their ideas of the glory of martyrdom to that height, that they determined to die, whether called to it or not, in behalf of the Chriftian Faith. Thefe thought it lawful in the paroxyfms of their ill-judged zeal, to put themfelves to death, if they could not find others ready to do it for them. But fuch was the effe6l of an heated imagination, being in no fhape connected with the credit of religion, or that crown of true martyrdom, which they were coveting [k] by thefe unnecefiary facrifices. But as to the firft cafe (want of refolution), who knows his own ftrength or weaknefs, till put to the tria...« less