Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1894-08-29
REV DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN.
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "Suicide."

Subject: "Suicide.D
TEIri "He drew out his sword and would
have killed himself, supposing that the pr.s.
oners had been fed. But Paul cried with Q
loud voice. saying, Do thyself no harm.
Acts xvi, 27, 2S.
Here IS a would be suicide arrested In his
deadly attempt. He was n sheriff, and ac.
cording TO the Roman law bailin himself
must suffer the punishment due an escaped
prisoner. and II the prisoner breaking jail
was sentenced to be endungeoned for three
or four years then the sheriff must be en-.
dungeoned for three or four years, and II
the prisoner breaking Jail was to have sufs
fered capital punishment then the sheriff
must suffer capital punishment.
The sheriff had received especial charge
to keep a sharp lookout for Paul and Silas i.
The government had not had confidence in
bolts and bars TO keep safe these two clergy
men, about whom there seemed to bsSome.
thing strange and supernatural.
Sure enough, by miraculous po 1Axbs.
are free, and the sheriff, waking 80 " q
sound sleep and supposing these minister's
have run away. and knowing they were to
die for preaching Christ. and realixing that
he must therefore die, rather than go under
the executioners Ak on the morrow and
suffer public disgrace resolves to precpitate
his own decease. But before the sharp.
keen, glittering dagger OF the sherva could
strike his heart one of the unlooeenai
prisoners arrests the blade By the conrisn.S>
"Do thySeli no harm"
In olden time, and where Christianity
had not interfered with it. suicide was con.
sidered honorable and sign OF courage.
Demosthenes poisoned himself when told
that Alexander'5 ambassador had demanded
tho surrender of the Athenian orators.
Isocrates killed himself rather than sur
render TO Philip OF Macedon. Cato, rather
than submit TO Julius Caesar, took his own
life, and arter three times his wounds had
been dressed tore them open and perished.
Mithridates killed himself rather than sub
nit &c Pompey. tho conqueror. Hannibal
destroyed his life by poison from his ring,
considering life unbearable. Lycurgus q
suicide, Brptus suicide. After the disaster
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 1t, and soon
after the groanS arouse all the attendants,
and 1t WAS only through utmost medical
skill he was resuscitated from the stupor Of
the opiate.
Eimes have changed, and yet the Ameri-
GA. conscience needs to be toned upon the
s1bject OF suicide. Have you seen a paper
in the last month that did not announce the
passage out of life by ones own behest2
Defaultsrs, alarmed at tho idea OF exposure,
quit life precipitately. Men losing large
fortunes go out OF the world because they
cannot endure earthly existence. Frustrat-
ed affection, domestic infelcity. dyspectic
tmpatience, anger, remorse, envy, Jealousy,
restitution, misanthropy, are considered
sufficient causes for absconding from this
life by Paris green, by laudanum, by BELLA
donna, BY Othello's dagger, by halter, by
leap from the abutment of bridge, by fire
arms. More cases of"felo de SO" in the last
two years of the worlds existence. The evil
Is more and more spreading.
pulpit not long ago expressed some
doubt as to whetheS there was really any
thing wrong about quitting this life when it
became disagreeable, and there are found In
respectable circles people apologetic for the
crime which Paul in the text arrested. I
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 1 wish to admit
that some OF the best Christians that have
Sver lived have committed self destruction,
but always in denentia 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 had
Christian friends under cerebral alteration
step of the b b0undaries OF this life 20 have
no doubt their happiness. Th, deAs Lord
took them right out of their daZed aD fren-
Lied state into perfect safety. Hoy Christ
=
the kind way he treated the demoniac e
Gardara and the child Iunatic, and the po-
tency with which he hushed the 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 he was
descendant of Donald Roy, u man eminent
for his 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 ad
mlration of Buckland and Murch;son, the
scientists, and DIR. Chalmers, the theolo2ian
and held universities spellboLnd while he
told them the story OF what he had seen o.
God in the old red sandstone.
That man did more than any being that
ever lived 10 show that the God OF the hill:
IS the God OF the Bible, and he struck hi:
tuning fork on the rocks of Cromarty unit
he brought geology ant theology accordan
in divine worship. His two books, entitled
Footprints OF the Creator" aad the "Testt
nony Of the Rocks" proclaimed the banni
OF an everlasting marriage between genuine
science and revelation. On this latter booI
he toiied day and night. through love q
nature AMI love OF God. until he could moi
sleep, and his brain gave way, and he wa
found dead with IA revolver by his side, the
cruel instrument having had two bullets
ono for him and the other for the gunsmitf
"lO. III tut COIOutI was
ing It and fell dead. Have you any doubt o
the beatiflcation of Hugh Miller after his ho
brain had ceased throbbing that winter nigh
in his study at Portobello? Among tn
mighti-st OF earth, among the mightest o
heaven.
No one ever doubted the picty of William
Cowper, the author of those three Crea
hymns "Oh. FOR Closer Walk With Col J
"what Various Hindrances We Meet '
"There Is Fountain Filled With Blood
William Cowper, who shares with Isaa'
Watts and Charles Wesley the chief honor
of Christian hymnoloSy. In hypochondri
he resolved to take bis own life and rode t
the river Thames, but found n man seated ol
some goods at the very point from which h.
expected to spring and rode back to M
home and that night threw himself upon hi
own knife. but the blade broke, and then n
hanged himself to the ceiling, but the rop
parted. Nc wonder that when God merci
fully delivered him from that awful demen
tia he sat down and wrote that other hyml
Just as memorable:
Col moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform.
he plants His foot steps in the
And rides upon the storm
Blind unbelIef Is sure to
And scan His work In vain
God Is His own Interpreter
And He viii make It plain
While we make this merciful and righteou
allowance in regard to those who wer
pIunged into mental iAcoherencest declar
that the man W no in the use OF his reason