The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1894-08-22
90 1HYSElf NO HARM.

90 THYSELF NO HARM.
Rev. DR.. Tslmsge Discourses Upon the
Evils OF Suicide.
BROOKLYN, AUG. 12.-Rsv. DR.. Tai
mage, who is now abroad, has selected
as the subject for today's sermon through
the press the word Suicide" the tex
being Acts, 27, %: He drew cut biz
sword and would have killed himself
supposing that the prisoners he'd beer
fed. But Paul cried with 8 loud voice
saying, Do thysslf no harm"
Here is would be suede arrested II
his deadly attempt. He WIS sher:h,
and according to the Roman law oa!i!ll
himself must suffer the punishment cue
an escaped prisoner, and i the prloner
breaking isil was sentenced to be enoun'
eeoneG for three or four years then Inc
sher:f must be enduugeoned Tor three
or four wears, and if the prisoner break.
ING iail was to have suffered capital pun
ishment then the sheriff, must sufer capt.
tai punishment.
The sheriff had received especial
charge to keep a sharp lookout for Pau!
and Silas. The government had Lot had
confidence in bolts and bars to keep safe
these two clersymen, about whom there
seemed to be something Strange and
supernatural.
Sure enough, by miraculous power
they are free, and the sheriff, wsk!ng out
of sound sleep, and supposiag these
ministers have run away, and knowing
that they were to die tor preaching Christ
and realizing that be must therefore die,
rather than GO under the executioner's
ak on the morrow and suTer public ols-
grace resolves to precipltate his own de-
cease. But before the sharp, keen, gilt
terlns dagger Of the sheriff could strike
his heart oae OF the unloosened prison.
ers arrests the blade by the command,
s'Do thyself no harm."
In olden time and where Christianity
had not interfereo with it suicide was
considered honorable and sign OF cour'
age. Dsmosthenes poisoned himself
when told that Alexander's enloassaoor
had demanded the surrender Of the
Athenian orators. Isocrates killed him
self rather than surrender to Philip Of
Macsdon. Cato, rather than submit to
Julius Cesar, took his own life, and af-
ter three times his wounds had been
dressed tore them open and perlshed.
Mithridates killed himself rather than
submit to PompeY, the coDqueror.
Hannibal destroyed his life BY poison
from his ring, considering life unbarable.
Lxcsfgus suicide, Brutus suicide.
After the disaster of Moscow, Napoleon
always carried with him preparation
of opium, and one night his servant heard
the exemperor arise, put something N
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 the 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 q paper in the last month that did
not announce the passage cut Of life by
ones own behest? Defaulters, alarmed at
the idea of exposure, quit lie preclpltate'
ly.Men losing large fortunes 60 out OF the
world because they cannot endure earth.
ly existence. Frustrated affection, do
mestic infelicity, dyspeptlc anger, re.
morse, envy, jealousy, destitution mis-
anthropy, are considered sufficient causes
for stsconding from this life by paris
green. by laudanum, by belladonna, by
O.aello's dagger, by halter, by leap from
the abutment of bridge, by firearms.
More cases of s'felo do SOP in the last
two years of the worlds existence. The
evil Is mora and more spreading.
A pulpit not long ago expressed some
doubt as to whether there was really
anything wrong about quitting this life
when it became disagreeable, there are
foundin respectable circles people apollo.
getic for the crime which Paul n the
text arrested. shall show you before
I get through that suicide is the worst
of all crlnes, and I shall lift warning
unmistakable. But IN the early part Of
this sermon I wish to admit that some
ST the best Christians that ever lived
have committed self obstruction, but
always in dementia and not responsible.
have no more doubt about their eter.
nal felicity than I have OF the Christian
who dies in his bed In the dslirium of tYa.
phoid fever. While the shock Of the cat.
astrophe is very great I charge all those
who have had Christian friends under
Cerebral alteration step off the boun-
6sries of this life TO have no doubt about
their happiness. The dear Lord took
them right out of their dszad and trenzied
state into perfect safety. How Christ
feels toward the insane you may know
from the kind way be treated the demo.
MAC of Gadsra and the child lu1atic 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 8 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 stonem sson
drew forth the astonished admiration Of
Bucklsnd and Murchison, the scientists,
and DR.. Chalmers, the theo]ogisil, and
held universities spellbound while he
tolG them the story of what he had seen
of God in the old red sandstone.
That man dld more than any being
that ever lived to show that the God of
the hills is the GOO Of the Bible, and he
struck his tuning fork on the rocks of
Cromarty until he brought geology aud |
theology accordant IN divine worship.
His Swo books, entitled Footprints Of
the Creator" and the Testimony Of the |
Rocks" proclaimed the hanns of an
everlasting marriage between genuine
science and revelation. On this letter
book he toiled day and Dight through
love of nature and love OF God until he
could aot sleep, and his brain grave
way and he was found dead with re
ynlyer by his side. the cruel instrument