The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1894-08-23
DO THYSELF NO HARM.
Rsv. DR.. TalmaRe DIscourses Upon tho
Evils OF Suicide.

Raw. DR.. TalmsEe DIsoourses Upon tho
Evil, OF Suicide.
BROOKLYN, Aug. l2.-Rev. DIR. TIL"
mage, who is now abroad, has selected
as the subject for today's sermon through
the press the word "Suicide," the text
being Acts. 27, %: "He drew out his
sword and would have killed himself,
supposing that tho prisoners had beon
fed. But Paul cried with loud voice,
saying, Do Myself no HARM"
Hero is would be suclde arrested in
his deadly attempt. He was sheriff,
and according to the Roman law a bailifr
himself must suffer tho punishment due
an escaped prisoner, and if tho prioner
breaking Jail was sentenced to be endun-
geoned for three or four years then the
sheriff must be ondungooned tor throe
or four years, and if the priooner break.
ing Jail was to have suffered capital pun
ishment then tho sheriff must sufor capi-
tai punishment.
The sheriff had received especial
charge TO keep a sharp lookout for Paul
and Silas. The government had Iot had
confidence in bolts and bars to keep safe
these two clorgymen, about whom there
seemed 10 be something strange and
supernatural.
Sure enough, by miraculous power
they are free, and tho sheriff, waking out
OF sound sleep, and supposing these
ministers have run away, and knowing
that they were to die tor preaching Christ
and realizing that he must therefore die,
rather than 20 under The executioner's
ak on tho morrow and suffer public dis.
grace resolves to precipltate his own de.
cease. But before the sharp, keen, gilt
terlng dagger Of the sheriff could strike
hs heart one OF the unloosened prison
ers arrests the blade by the command,
"Do thyself no HARM"
In olden time and whore Christianity
had not interfereu with it suicide was
considered honorable and q sign of cour.
age. DemOsthenes poisoned himself
when told that Alexarder's enlbaBsador
had demanded the surrender of the
Athenian orators. IsOcrates killed him
self rather than surrender to Philip ol
Macedon. Cato, rather than submit tc
Julius Cesar, took his own life, and at;
ter threo times his wounds had been
dressed tore them open and perislled
Mithridates killed himself rather than
submit to PompeY, the conqueror.
Hannibal destroyed his lite by poison
from his ring, considering life unbRrable.
Lycurgus suicide, Brutus suicide.
After the disaster of Moscow, Napoleon
always carried with him preparation
of opium, and ono night his servant heard
the exemperor 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 wss resuscitatcd from tho stupor Of
the opiate.
Times have changed, and yet the
American conscience needs to DO toned
up to the subject of suicide. Have you
seen paper in the last month that did
not announce tho passage out of life by
ones own bohest? Defaulters, alarmed at
tho idea of exposure, quit lite precipltate.
ly.Men losing large fortunes 60 out of the
world because they cannot endure earth.
ly existence. Frustrated Affection, do
mestic infelicity, dyspeptic anger, re-
morse, envy, jealousy, destitution mis-
anthropy, are considered sufficient causes
for atsconding from this life by paris
green, by laudanum, by belladonna, by
Othello's dagger, by halter, by leap from
the abutment of q bridge, by firearms.
More cases of "felo do 80" in the last
two years of the worlds existence. The
evil Is moro and moro spreading.
A pulpit not long ago expressed some
doubt as to whether there was really
anything wrong about quitting this life
when 1t became disagreeable, there are
found in respectable circles people apollo.
getic 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 over lived
have committed self destruction. but
always in dementia and not responsible.
I have no moro doubt about their eter-
nal felicity than I have OF the Christian
who dies in his bed In tho delirium Of tya.
phoid fever. While the shock of the cat.
Mstrophe is very great charge all those
who have had Christian friends under
cerebral alteration step of the boun.
daries of this life TO have no doubt about
their happiness. The dear Lord took
them right out of their dazsd and frenzied
state into perfect safety. How Christ
feels toward the insane you may know
from the kind way he treated the demo.
MAC of Gadara and the child lunatic and
the potency with which he hushed the
tempests either OF sea or brain.
Scotland, the land prolific OF intollec-
tual giants, had none grander than Hugh
Miller, great for science and great for
God. He came OF tho best highland
BLOOD and he was descendant of Don
aid Roy man eminent for his piety and
the rare gift Of second sight. His attain
ments, climbing up as he did from the
quarry and the wall Of the stonemeson
drew forth tho astonished admiration of
Buckland and Murchison, the scientists,
and DIR. Chalmers, the theologian, and
hold universities spellbound while he
told them the story Of what he had seen
Of God in tho old red sandstone.
That man did moro than any being
that ever lived to show that the God Of
the hllls is the God of the Bible, and he
struck his tuning fork on tho rocks of
.Cromarty until he brought geology aud
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