A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

viiiINTRODUCTION.writer that ever advocated suicide as allowable, whenconsidered in itself ?These, then, and similar cases fail, when urged asobjections against the doctrine, that conscience is anoriginal principle, because they do not result from thesimple action of our emotions, but from them whenperturbed and biassed by adequate causes.The consideration of these perturbing causes hasgiven rise however to another objection, urged by noless an authority than Mr. Locke. The substance of itis, that it is highly unreasonable to suppose that anylaw of nature, for such this representation of consciencewould render it, should thus become liable tointerruption.It is replied, that this objection does not includesufficient regard to the nature of man as a moral agent.The laws which relate to the moral part of man'snature are different from those by which the materialworld is governed. The latter are probably no lessefficient now than at the creation, but the characterof man as a free agent renders it likely that his powersboth of body and of mind should be liable to be affectedby his own voluntary conduct. It is further urged,that the objection overlooks the fact, that other unquestionableinstincts of our nature may be similarly affected.Self-preservation will surely be ranked amongthem ; and yet it is evident that it is liable to becomealtogether counteracted, " Whatever cheapens lifeabates the fear of death*." Unhappy persons underthe consciousness of sin, and ignorant of the characterof God as a Father, Redeemer, and Sanctifier, evi-* Dr. Youug'.