Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1888-11-03
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE's SUNDAY
SERMON

TEXT: "He drcto out his sUord, and ,coiild
hare Killed himself. surprising that me
prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried
tcith a loud roice, sdyiny: DO thyseD no
hdTni.'" Acts xvi, 1928.
Here is would-be suicide arrested in his
deadly attempt. He was sheriff. and &C.
cording TO the Roman law, bailiR himself
must suffer the punishment due an escaped
prisoner; and il the prisoner breaking Jail
was sentenced to be endungeoned for three
or four years, then the sheriff must be
endungeoned for three or four years; and if
the prisoner breaking Jail was to have
suffered capital punishment, then the sheriff
must suffer capital punishment. The sheriff
had received especial charge to keep a sharp
lookout for Paul and Silas. The govern
Inent had not had confidence in bolts and
bars to keep safe these two clergymen, about
whom there seemed to be something strange
and supernatural.
Sure enough, by miraculous power, they
are free and the sheriff, waking out of a
sound sleep and surprising these ministers
have run away, and knowing that they were
to die for preaching Christ, and realizing
that he must therefore die, rather than go
under the executioner's axe on the morrow.
and suffer public disgrace, resolves to pre-
cipitate his own decease. But before the
sharp, keen, glittering dagger of the sheriff
could strike his heart one OF the unloosened
prisoners arrests the blade by the command:
''Do thyself no harm.n
In olden time, and where Christianity had
not interfered with it, suicide was considered
honorable and a sign of courage Demos
themes poisoned himself wheE told that Alex
ander's ambassador had demanded the sur
render of the Athenan orators lsocrates
killed himself rather than surrender to
Philip of Macedon. Cato rather than sub
nit to Julius Caesar, took his own life,
and after three times his wounds had
been dressed tore them open and per-
ished. Mithridates killed himself rather
than submit TO Pompey, the conqueror. Han
nibal destroyed his life by poison from his
ring. considering life unbearable Lycurgus
suicide, Brutus a suicide. After the disas-
ter OF MOSCOW, Napoleon always carried with
him preparation Of opium, and one night
his servant heard the ex- Emperor arise, put
something in a glass and drink it, and soon
after the groans aroused all the attendants,
and it was only through utmost medical
skill he was resuscitated from the stupor of
the opiate.
Times have changed and yet the American
conscience needs to be toned up on the sub
ject of suicide. Have you seen paper in the
last month that did not announce the passage
out of life by ones own behest! Defaulters,
alarmed at the idea of exposure, quit life
precipitately. Men losing large fortunes go
out Of the world because they cannot endure
earthly existence Frustrated affection,
domestic infelcity, domestic impatence,
anger, remorse, envy, Jealousy, restitution,
misanthropy are considered sufficient causes
for absconding from this life by Paris green,
by laudanum, by belladonna, by Othellos
dagger, by halter, by leap from the abut-
ment Of bridge by firearms. More cases
OF felo de Sc in the last two years than any
two years of the worlds existence, and more
in the last month than in any twelve months
The evil is more and more spreading.
A pulpit not long ago expressed some doubt
as to whether there was really anything
wrong about quitting this life when it became
d1sagreeabe, and there are found in respect
able circles people apologize for the crime
which Paul in the text arrested. | shall
show you before get through that suicide
is the worst of all crimes, and shall lift
warning unmistakable. But in the early part
OF this sermon | wish TO admit that some
Of the best Christians that have ever lived
have committed self-destuction but always
in dementia, and not responsible. have no
more doubt about their eternal felicity than
have Of the Christian who dies in his bed
in the delirium of typhoid fever. While
the shock of tho catastrophe is very great,
charge all those who have had Christ
ian friends under cerebal alteration step
off the boundaries of this life, to have no
doubt about their happiness. The dear Lord
took them right out of their dazed and fren-
zied state into perfect safety. How Christ
feels toward the insane you may know from
the kind way He treated the demoniac of Ga
with which he hushed tempests either of sea
or brain.
Scotland, the land prolific of intellectual
giants, had none grander than Hugh Miller.
Great for science and great for God. He
came of the best Highland blood and was
descendant of Donald Roy, man eminent
for piety and the rare gift of second-sight.
His attachments. climbing up as he did from
the quarry and the wall of the stonemason,
drew forth the astonished admiration Of Buck
land and Murchison, the scientists and DIR.
Chalmers the theologian, and held universe
ties spellbound while he told them the story
of what he had seen of God in the old red
sandstone.
That man did more than any being that
ever lived to show that the God of the hills is
the God of the Bible, and he struck his tun-
ing fork on the rocks of Cromarty until he
brought geology and theology accordant in
divine worship His two books entitled
Footprints of the CREATOR and the '.Testi-
mony of the Rocks, proclaimed the banns of
an everlasting marriage between genu-
inc science and revelation. On this
latter book he toiled day and night
through love OF nature and love of God,
until he could not sleep. and his brain gave
way. and lie was found dead with a revolver
by his side, the cruel instrument having had
two bullets-one for him and the other for
the gunsmith who at the coroner's inquest
was examining il and fell dead. Have you
any doubt of the Qualification OF Hugh Miller,
after his hot brain bad ceased throbbing that
winter night in his study at Portobello!
Among the mightiest Of earth, among the
mightiest of heaven.
No one doubted the piety of William Cow
per. the author Of those three great hymns,
''Oh, for closer walk with God" "What
various hindrances we meet" ''There is q
fountain filed with blood:n William CowDer.
Who shares with Isaac Watts and Charles
Wesley the chief honors Of Christian hymn.
ology. In hypochrondria he resolved to
take his own life, and rode TO the river
Thames, but found n man seated on some
goods at the very point from which he ex,
pected TO sprinZ, and rode back TO his home,
and that nilhs threw himself upon his own
knife, but the blade broke; and then he hanged
himself TO the ceiling, but the rope parted.
No wonder that when God mercifulIy de-
livered him from that awful dementia he sat
down and wrote that other hymn just as
memorable:
"God moves In mysterious way
Ills wonders 10 perform;
lie plants Ills footsteps in the see
And rides upon the storm.
"Hlind unbelicf ia sure to err
And scan His work in vain;
God Is His own Interpreter.
And be will make 4 plain.
While we make this merciful and righteous
Ill