I could NEVER countenance (approve of, consent to) my son's decision to take his own life.
The determination as to when our earthly sojourn should end belongs to God, our Maker, and to Him, ALONE.
But I believe the following piece, written in 1660, aptly describes Levi's ATTITUDE towards death as a Bible-believing Christian, and THAT I not only approve, but admire.
Levi's thoughts, and resultant act, were terribly, tragically, misguided.
But I believe his faith was only the very purest.
"But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, WHO HATH ABOLISHED DEATH, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." (II Timothy 1:10).
"It hath been an ancient proverb, when a man had done some great matter, he was said to have "plucked a lion by the beard."
When a lion is dead, even to little children it hath been an easy matter.
As boys, when they see a bear, a lion, or a wolf dead in the streets, they will pluck out their hair, insult over them, and deal with them as they please. They will trample upon their bodies, and do that unto them being DEAD, which they durst not in the least measure venture upon whilst the beasts are ALIVE.
Such a thing is DEATH: a furious beast, a ramping lion, a devouring wolf, the helluo generis humani (Latin: the eater up of mankind)!
Yet Christ hath laid him at his length; hath been THE DEATH OF DEATH (I Corinthians 15:20-55), so that GOD'S CHILDREN triumph over him, such as those saints who were refined in the ore of the church; those martyrs of primitive times, who cheerfully offered themselves to the flames, and to the sword, and to all the violence of this hungry beast; and have played upon Him, scorned and derided him, by the faith that they had in the LIFE OF CHRIST, who hath subdued him to Himself."
-- written in the year 1660 by Martin Day; his commentary on I Corinthians 15
May ALL God's blood-bought saints, BY FAITH, make HIS absolute victory OUR VERY OWN, and GLORY in consummate TRIUMPH over this, "the last enemy;" rejoicing brashly as "victors valiant" over DEATH's limp, mangy carcass.
May we toss back our heads, puff out our chests and loudly crow to the skies our song of victory, while reverently leaving the time, the place, and the means SOLELY in the hands of the One who rightfully owns "the KEYS of hell and of death" (Rev. 1:18); the very One who has, once and for all, CONQUERED and ABOLISHED death!
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the SHADOW OF DEATH, I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me." (Psalm 23:4)