N02155:36
A call to the tempted. A sermon on the horrid crime of self-murder, preached…
A call to the tempted. A sermon on the horrid crime of self-murder, preached on a remarkable occasion, / by the memorable Dr. Increase Mather. ; And now published from his notes, for a charitable stop to suicides. ; [Five lines of quotation in Latin]
Boston: printed by B. Green, 1723
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
USE 1. WE may here take notice of the Folly & Unreasonableness of those Temptations, whereby Sinful Creatures are sometimes put upon Self-Destruction. — As particularly, — That Fear of Disgrace in the World; — For any man to do himself Harm for fear of That, is marvellous Folly! A man cannot more Disgrace himself than by Committing such a Sin. He leaves an Everlasting Blot upon his Name, as long as he shall be spoken of in the world. And there is besides, an Everlasting Contempt, which such persons Dying Impenitently, must at the Last Day be exposed unto: when, besides all their other Sins, there shall be This alleged against them, That they were guilty of the most Unnatural Wickedness in the World. Is it not Folly for men to bring upon themselves an Eternal Shame and Confusion world without end, that they may escape a Temporal!
USE 1. WE may here take notice of the Folly & Unreasonableness of those Temptations, whereby Sinful Creatures are sometimes put upon Self-Destruction. — As particularly, — That Fear of Disgrace in the World; — For any man to do himself Harm for fear of That, is marvellous Folly! A man cannot more Disgrace himself than by Committing such a Sin. He leaves an Everlasting Blot upon his Name, as long as he shall be spoken of in the world. And there is besides, an Everlasting Contempt, which such persons Dying Impaenitently, must at the Last Day be exposed unto: when, besides all their other Sins, there shall be This alledged against them, That they were guilty of the most Unnatural Wickedness in the World. Is it not Folly for men to bring upon themselves an Eternal Shame and Confusion world without end, that they may escape a Temporal!
THUS, when Men shall do Harm unto themselves for the Fear of Want: It is unspeakable Folly and Madness in the Children of Men to do so: Because they do by That Act, [without Repentance!] throw themselves into that place, where they shall want every good Thing; and, Psal. XLIX.19. They shall never see Light. In Hell there is the Want of every Thing. No Spiritual Blessings are there; No Sabbaths, nor any means of Grace, are there. No, nor any Earthly Comforts neither: Not so much as a Drop of Water, to relieve a Tongue in Torments there!