A Tortured Conscience Worse than Death

At times sin rages and raves in the heart to such a degree that poor, miserable people put themselves to death because of it, in an effort soon to get rid of this torture of conscience. And such tragedies are a sure indication that although the death of the body is violently resisted by our nature, this suffering in conscience is far more burdensome and unbearable because these poor people consider death a means whereby they may be relieved of such anguish. But it is a wretched means, for it is contrary to the command of God. He says: "Thou shalt not kill." Therefore such people only plunge themselves deeper into God's wrath and damnation.

Source: Quoted in Ewald M. Plass, What Luther Says, A Practical In-home Theology for the Active Christian. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House. 1959 Edition, 10th Printing (1994), p. 336.