The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-08-13

drances we meet" There is a foun-
tain filled with blood" William
Cowper. who shares with Isaac Watts
and Charles Wesley the chief honors
Of Christian hymnoloRy- In hypochon-
dria he resolved TO take his own life
and rode TO the river Thames but
found a man seated on some goods
n the very point from which he ex-
pc cted 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 mercifully de-
livered him from that awful dement,
he sat down and wrote that other
hymn just as memorable:
God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
he pls nts his fcoistep in the sea-
And rides upon the storm.
Blind unbeiet il sure to err
And scan his work in vain;
God is his own interpr eter,
Aud he will make 1t plain
While we make this merciful and
righteous allowance III regard to those
who were plunged into mental inco-
herence, ! declare that the man who
in the use Of his reason. by his own
act. snaps the bond between his body
and his soul, goes staight into per-
ditiOn. Shall prove it? Revelation
81: viii: '-Nlurderers shall have their
part in the lake which burneth with
IRE and birthstone" Revelation %:
XIV: Without are dogs. and sorcerers.
and whoremongers. and murderers-"
y on do not believe the New Testament?
Then. perhaps. you believe the Ten
cOrnmandm ents: Thou shalt not
kill" Do you say all these passages
refer to the taking Of the life OF
others' Then ! ask yOu if you are
not as sponsible for your own life
as for the life of others? God gave
you 4 special trust in your life He
made you the custodian Ct your life as
he made you the custodian of no
other life. lie gave you as weapons
with which 10 defend it two arms. 10
strike back assailants. two eyes to
watch for invasion, and natural love
of life which ought ever to be on the
alert Assassination Of others is
mild crime compared with the agsassi-
nation of yourself. because in the lat
ter case it is treachery to an especial
trust, it is the surrender of a castle
you were especially appointed 10 keep.
1t is treason TO a natural law and it is
treason TO God added to ordinary
murder.
Notwithstanding the Bible is against
this evil, and the aversion which it
creates by the loathsome and ghastly
spe ctacle of those who have hurled
themselves out of life, and notwith-
standing Christianity is against it
and the arguments and the useful
lives and the illustrious deaths of its
di. ciples. it is a fact alarmingly patent
that suicide is on the increase.
infdelitv and agnOsticism this whole
thing If there be no here after, or if
that hereafter be blissful with
ont reference to how we live
and how we die. why not move
back the folding doors between this
world and the next2 And when our
existence here becomes Troublesome.
why not pass right over into Ely slump
Put this down among yOrr most
solemn reflection ana consider it
after you go to your hoi"es; there has
never been a case Of suicide where he
operator was not either demented and
the. efOre irresponsible. or an infdeL
I challenge all the ages and cha1-
fenge the whole universe. There
never has been a case Of self-destruc-
ton while in full appreciation Of his
immort atty and of the fact that that
immortality would be glorious or
wretched according as he accepted
Jesus Christ or rejected him
You say it is business trou BILE or
ron say it is electrical currents. or it
is this, or it is that or it is the other
thing Why not go clear back. my
friend. and acknowledge that IN every
case it is the a bdication of reason or
the teaching of infdelity which prac-
tically says, If you don't like this
life. get out of it. and you will land
either in aunihilation, where there
are no notes to pay, no prosecutions
10 suffer. no govt to torment, or you
will land where there will be every
thing glorious and nothing to pay for
it, In6delity always has beer. polo
getic for self immolation. After Tom
Paine's Age Of Reason" was pub
lished and widely read there was q
marked increase of self slaughter.
Would God that the corOners would
be brave in rendering the right YER
dict. and when in the case Of ire
spOnsibility they say, While this
man was demented he took his life -
in the other case say, Having read
infdel books and attended infideI
lectures, which obliterated from this
mans mind all appreciation Of any
thing like future leLributiOn, be ccm-
mitted seIf->laughterl''
Ali Infdelity. stand up and take
thy SENTENCED In the presence of God
and angels and men. stand up, thou
monster, thy lip blasted v 18th bias
phemy. thy cheek SCARED with lust
thy brea tn foul with the CORFU ption
OF the agesi Stand up Sa1Yr. 6I-