The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-10-31
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: THE Present Epidemic Of
Suicide"

Suicide"
TEXT: "He drev out his s,vord, and ,could
hure killed himself, surprising that the
prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried
soith a loud uoice, suyiny: DO thyseJ no
harm.'" Acts xvi, 27-2S.
Here is would-be suicide arrested in his
deadly attempt He WAS sheriff, and ac-
cording to the Roman ]aw, a bailff himself
| must suffer the punishment due an escape
prisoner: and il the prisoner breaking Jail
was sentenced to he 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
Elust suffer capital punishment The sheriff
| had received especial charge to keep sharp
lookout for Paul and Silas. The govern
ment had not had confidence in bolts and
bars to keep safe these two cergymen, about
| whom there seemed to be something strange
and supernatural.
Sure enough, by miraculous power, they
are free, and the shei:iff, waking out of a
| sound sleep. and suppoSing 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-
sharp, keen, glittering dagger of the sheriff
could strike his heart, one OF the unloosened
| p: iSoners arrests the blade by the command:
do thyself no harm"
In olden time, and where Christianity had
not interfered with it, suicide was con Sidered
honorable and sign of courage. Demos
themes poisoned himself when told that Alex
|. ander's ambassador had demanded the sur
render of the Athenian orators lsocrates
killed himself rather than surrender to
Philip of Macedon. Cato rather than sub
NIT to Julius Ceasar, 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
ring. considering life unbearable. Lycurgus
suicide, Brutus 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 glass and drink it, and soon
after the groans aroused all the attendants,
end 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 apaper 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 infelicity, domestic impatience,
anger, remorse, envy, jealousy, destitution,
misanthropy, are considered sufficient causes
for absconding from this life by Paris green,
by ?audanum, by belladonna, by Othello's
dagger, by halter, by leap from the abut-
ment of a 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.
pulpit not long ago expressed some doubt
as to whether there was really anything
wrong about quitting this life when it became
diSagreeable, and there are found in respect
able circles people apologetic for the crime
which Paul in the text arrested. l shall
show you before get through that suicide
is the worst Of all crimes, and shall lift a
warning unmistakabie. But IN the earlyp 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. l have no
more doubt about their eternal felicity than
have Of the Christian who dies in his bed
in the delirium of typhoid Iever. While
the shock of the catastrophe is very great,
I 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
dara and the child lunatic, and the potency
with " hich 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 attainments. 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 DR..
Chalmers, the theolcgian, and held universi-
ties spslibound 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 scifnce and revelation. On this
latter book he toied day end night
through love Of nature and love of Cod,
until he could not sleap- and his hrain gave
way. and he was found dead with revolver
by his side, the cruel instrument having had
two bul.ets-one for him and the other for
the gunsmith who at the coroner's inquest
was examining it and fell dead. Have you
any doubt of the beatifi:ation o. Hugh Miller,
after his hot brain had ased throbb:ng that
winter night in his study at Portobello:
Among the mightiest of earth among the
inhtiest of heaven.
No one doubted the piety Of William Cow
per. the author Of those three great hymns,
''Oh, for closer walk with God" "Whas
various hindrances We meet" 'There is
fountain filled with Blood" William Cowper,
who shares with Isaac Watts and Charles
Wesley the chief honors of Christian hymn
ology. In hyrochroadra he resolved to
take his own life, AMI rode to the river
Thames, but found man seated on some
goods at the very point from which he ex-
pected to spring, and rode back to his home,
and that night 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 merc!fully de-
livered him from that awful dsmentia he sat
down and wrote that other hymn just IS
memoraule:
"God moves In mysterious way
His wonders 10 perform;
He plants Ills footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.
"Bnd unbecr is surc to CIR
And scan Ills WORK IN vain;
God is Ills own interpreter,
And he will make il plain.
While we make this Eerciful and righteous
allowance in regard to those who were
..I,,,oo3 into nantol inpoharanra I fla lara