The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1888-10-25
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Self-Destruction, the Worst of All
Crimes. Reviewed.
The Causes which Lead to n The Crime
on the Increase some of the Not
able Instances In Past
History.

IhDcfFa'I", 'lhe crime OF Sc'T- PesWn"'
tion.' III, tex. was:
He drew ont hi sword ana woGId have killed
Huns H. sa7rnspr hat the prisoners had been
n"d. BUtTau! C.jri, with a loud voice, saying.
DO thvs,!l no harm Acts XVI. %1-gS.
Here is a woull-be suicide arrested in
his deadly attempt H. was a sheriff,
aud, according - the Roman Law. a
bailili h1"srlf mast suffer the punish
mcpE due IN esclprI prisoner, and if the
prisoner b"ca%iny illl was sentenced 20
be cndungeuned for three a. r0ur years,
then tho sheriff mast i.e tndungeOnel for
three or four y""cs. and If the prisoner
breaking n WAS to have suffered CAPITAL
punishment. then the sheriff must suffer
capital Punishment mo shcrif had re.
ceiycd csp"cia! ,.aavre to keep shnrf
lookout foE f'aal and Silas. arc Scrern-
mcrt lad not had "oHad5prc in bolts and
YRS 20 keep sAsa .ne-e two clergymCn,
I about when; .hcre seemed to he sore'
thing iran, - and supernatural.
Suye enough by "!raculou3 power,
they are frc", and tho sheriff, waking ont
OF = sotnd sleep, and suppasng these
ministers have run away, and knowing
that th"y were 10 die for preaching
Christ, and realizing that IL iAust there
fore die, rather than So under the eveou-
lie disgrace. re.olscs I" trccipitate his
own dcraaee. nut before the sharp, keen,
glitttrirc Nagcer OF the sheriff could
st"iHa his heart, one of the uuloOsened
prisoners arrests the blade by the com.
mand. DO thysclf no harm"
In oldeu time. and where Christianity
Lad not iuter(crcd with L. s1icIHe W.,
considered honorable Nr6 . aitu OF cOur-
age. Be;ncsta,crsA uIsoned himself
when 'ol% the A!cXand"T's ambassador
had dcGhnded IT." surrender OF the A;he-
nlEn orator, fsoCrates killed himself
rather than surrender to Philip OF Mace
don. Cato ra:har than submit to julius
Cesar. took his own life, and after three
times his wounds mad been dressed tore
them opcI and persisted Mthrtates
killed himsel: rather then submit to
fompcy, the couqCcTer. Hannibal Ge-
stroyed kis life by poison from his ring,
CONSIDERING life unbearable. I.vC.;Tgus a
suicide, Bgutus suicide After the dis
aster ot Moscow. N*puleOn always carried
wtn him / preparation of opium, aud
J., one n.ght his servant heard the ey-Em-
peror arise, put something III glass and
drink it, and soon after the groans
| reused ali the attendants, aud il was
only through utmost medical skin he
opiate.
Times have changed and yetthe Amer
lean conscience needs to be toned up on
the subject of suicide. Have You seen
paper tu the last month that did not an
nuuuce the passage out Of life by ones
own bchest: Dofaulters, alarmed at the
idea of exposure, quit life pTccipit"tely.
Men losing large fortunes go out Of the
world because they can not endure earth
ly existence. Frustrated affection, do
mes!tc iufelicity, dyspeptic impatienco,
anger, remOr-e, envy jealousy, destitu.
ton, misanthropy, are considered sullt-
ciPut causes for ubScouGinG from this
life by Paris green. by laudanum. by
bclladonna, by Otnellc's dagger, by hal
ter, by leap from the aOutment OF
bridge, by firearms. More cases of folo
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 ia moro and more
spreading,
\ pulpit not long ago, expressed some
dOuht us to whether there was really any
thing wrong about quitting this II e when
it became disa%reeable, and IN 10 are
.ouud in respactf bic circles people apol-
ogetic for the Slime which Paul in the
text arrested. l shall show you before
| get through that sui eide is the worst OF
all crimes. and | shall lift a warning un-
mistakable. But in the early part of this
sermon | wish to admit that some of the
best Christians that have ever lived have
committed self destruction, but always in
a dementia and not responsible. l 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 the catastrophe iS very
great, ! charge all those who have lad
Christian friends under cerebral abcrra-
ton step off the boundaries of this life to
have no doubt about their happiness.
The dear Lord took them right out OF
their dazad and franZied state into perfect
safety. How Christ feels toward the in
sane you may know from the kind way lie
treated the dem )niac OF Gadara and the
child lunatic, and the potency with which
He hushed tempests either or seaor brain
Scotland, the land prolific OF intellectu-
al giants, had none Grander than Hugh
Miller. Great for science and great for
God. He came Of the best Highland
blood, and was a descendant OF Donald
Roy; man eminent for piety and the
rare gift OF second sight. His attain
ments, climbing up as he did from the
quarry ana the wall Oi INC Stohe- lloo'h,
drew forth the astonished admiration OF
Buckland and Murchison, the scientists,
and DIR. Chalmers, the theologian, anu
held universities spellbOund while lie
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 strHck
his tun1ng-fork on the rocks of Cromarty
until he brought geology and theology
accordant in Divine worship. HIS two
books, entitled "Footprints of the Gre
ator' and Testimony of the Rocks"
proclaimed the banns of an everlasting
marriage between genuine 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, ana
his brain gave way, and he was found
dead. with q revolver by his side, the
cruel instrument having had two bullets
-oue for him and the other for the gum
smith, who, at the coroner's inquest, was
examining it and fell dead. Have you
any doubt of the beatification OF Hugh
Miller, after his hot brain had ceased
throbbing that winter night in his studs
at Portobello? Among the miShtiest OF
earth, among the mightiest OF Heaven.
No one doubted the piety OF william
Cowper, the author of those three greai
bvmns; "Oh, for Closer Walk With
God" "What Various Hindranoes We
Meet sThere Is a Fountain Filled With
LIoo1 - William Cowper who shares