The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1894-08-23
DO THYSELE NO Harm.
Rsv. DIR. Talmage DIscourseB Upon tho
Evils OF Suicide.

Raw. DIR. TalmsGe Dsoourses Upon tho
Evil, OF Suicide.
BROOKLYN, Aug. l2.-Rev. DR.. Tai
mage, who is now abroad, has selected
as the subject for today's sermon through
the press the word "Sulcide," the text
being Acts, 27, %: "IIe drew out his
sword and would have killed himself,
supposing that the prisoners had been
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 bailiil
himself must suffer tho punishment due
an escaped prisoner, and If the prloner
breaking Jail was sentenced to be endun-
geoned for three or four years then the
sheriff must be ondungooned for throe
or four years, and if the priSoner break
ing Jail was to have suffered capital pun
ishment then tho sheriff must suAor capi-
tai punishment.
Tho sheriff had received especial
charge to keep sharp lookout for Paul
and Silas. The government had rot had
confidence in bolts and bars to keep safe
the SO two clergymen, about whom there
seemed TO be something strange and
supernatural.
Sure enough, by miraculous power
they are FREQ, 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 90 uuder the eXecuJioner's
AK on the morrow and suGer public dis.
grace resolves TO precipltate his own de.
cease. But before the sharp, keen, gilt
terlng dagger of the sheriff could strike
his heart one OF the unloosened prison.
ora 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 sign Of cour
age. Demosthenes poisoned hlmseli
when told that Alexander's embasaado,
had demanded the surrender Of the
Athenian orators. Isocrates killed him
selt rather than surrender TO Philip o
Macedon. Cato, rather than submit t.
Julius Cesar, took his own life, and at
ter three times his wounds had beer
dressed tore them open and perished
Mithridates killed himself rather than
submit to PompeY, the conqueror
Hannibal destroyed his lite by poiaon
from his ring, considering life unbarable
Lycurgus suicide, Brutus suicide
After the disaster of Moscow, Napoleon
always carried with him preparation
of opium, and one night his servant heard
tho eXemperor arise, put something in q
glass and drink it. and soon after the
groans aroused all the attendants, and
it was only through utmost medical skill
he was resuscitated from tho stupor of
the opiate.
Times have changed, and yet the
American conscience needs to be 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
one's own behest? 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 bridge, by firearms.
More cases of "lelo do so" in the last
two years of the worlds existence. The
evil Is moro and moro spreading.
Il pulpit not long ago expressed some
doubt as to whether there was really
anything wrong about quitting this life
when 1t became disagreeable, there arc
found in respectable circles people apollo
getic for the crime which Paul IN The
text arrested. 1 shall show you before
act through that suicide is tho wors
of all crimes, and 7 shall lift O warning
unmistakable. But in the early part o.
this sermon wish to admit that some
of the best Christians that over lived
have committed self destruction, but
always in demontia 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 delirlum Of tya.
phoid fever. While the shock of the cat.
Nstrophe is very great charge all those
who have had Christian friends under
cerebral alteration step Off the boun.
daries of this life TO have no doubt about
their happiness. The dear Lord took
them right out of their daZsd and frenzed
state into perfect safety. How Christ
feels toward the insane you may know
from tho kind way he treated the demo.
MAC of Gadara and the child lllnatic and
the potency with which he hushed the
tempests either OF sea or brain.
Scotland, the land prolific OF intellec-
tual 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 Don
aid Roy man eminent for his piety and
the rare gift of second sight. His attain
ments, climbing up as he did from tho
quarry and the wall of the stonom eson
drew forth the astonished admiration of
Buckland and Murchison, the scientists.
: and DIR. Chalmers, the theo]ogian, and
hold universities spellbound while he
told them the story Of what he had seen
Of God in the old red sandstone.
That man did moro than any being
that ever lived to show that tho God OF
/ tho hills is the God of the Bible, and he
( struck his tuning fork on tho rocks of
Cromarty until he brought geology aud