Connecticut western news., 1894-08-16
SELF DESTRUCTION.
"DO HIMSELF NO HARM" SAYS THE GREAT TABERNACLE PREACHER.


 tempted Self Destruction. but Always In Dementia = Forceful Words Against . Spreading Evil-A Christians Death.
 BRooKLYN, Aug. 12.-Rev. Dr. Tal- mage, who is now abroad, has selected as the subject for today's sermon through the press the word Suicide, the text being Acts xvi 27, 2S: ''He drew out his sword and would have killed himself, supposing that the pris- oners had been fed But Paul cried with loud voice, saying, Do myself no harm.
 Here is would be suicide arrested in his deadly attempt He was a sheriff, and according to the Roman law a bail if himself must suffer the punishment due an escaped prisoner, and if the pris- oner breaking jail was sentenced to be endungeoned for three or fouryears then the sheriff must be endungeoned for three or four years, and if the prisoner breaking jail was to have suffered capi tai punishment then the sheriff must suffer capital punishment
 
 charge to keep a sharp lookout for Paul and Silas. The government had not had confidence in bolts and bars to keep safe these two clergymen, about whom there seemed to be something strange and supernatural.
 In Olden Times.
 Sure enough, by miraculous power they are free, and the sheriff, waking out of a sound sleep and supposing these ministers have run away, and knowing that they were to die for preaching Christ, and realizing that he must there fore die, rather than go under the exc cutioner's ax on the morrow and suffer public disgrace resolves to precipitate his own decease. But before the. sharp, keen, glittering dagger of the sheriff could strike his heart one of the un- loosened prisoners arrests the blade by the command, Do thyse..5no harm. y
 In olden time, and where Christianity had not interfered with it, suicide was considered honorable and Q sign of cour- age. Demosthenes poisoned himself when told that Alexander ambassador had demanded the surrender of the Athenian orators. Isocrates killed him. self rather than surrender to Philip of Macedon. Cato, rather than submit to Julius Cesar, took his own life, and after three times his wounds had been dressed tore them open and perished. Mithridates killed himself rather than submit to Pompey, the conqueror. Han- nibal destroyed his life by poison from his ring, considering life unbearable Lycurgus a suicide, Brutus a suicide After the disaster of Moscow Napoleon always carried with him preparation of opium, and one night his servant heard the ex-elnperor arise, put some thing in a glass and drink it, and soon after the eroans arouse all the attend ants. and it was only through utmost the stupor of the opiate.
 The Crime Spreads.
 Times have changed, and yet the American conscience needs to be toned upon the subject of suicide. Have you seen 8 paper in the last month that did not announce the passage out of life by one's own behest? Defaulters, alarmed at the idea of exposure, quit life pre- cipitately. Men losing large fortunes go out of the world because they cannot endure earthly existence. Frustrated af- lection, domestic infelicity, dyspeptic impatience, anger, remorse, envy, jeal- ousy, destitution, misanthropy, are con sidered sufficient causes for absconding from this life by paris green, by lauda- mum, by belladonna, by Othello's dag ger, by halter, by leap from the abut- ment of bridge, by firearms. More cases of 'felo de se'' in the last two years of the worlds existence. The evil is more 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, and there are found in respectable circles people apologetic for the crime which Paul in the text arrested 1 shall show you be- fore get through that suicide is the worse of all crimes, and I shall lift a warning unmistakable. But in the early part of this sermon Iwish to admit that some of the best Christians that have ever lived have committed self destrue- tion, but always in dementia and not responsible. Ihave no moro doubt about their eternal felicity than have of the Christian who dies in his bed in the de- lirium of typhoid fever. While the shock of the catastrophe is very great, charge all those who have had Chris tian friends under cerebral alteration step of the boundaries of this life to have no doubt about their happiness. The dear Lord took them right out ot their dazed and frenzied state into per feet safety. How Christ feels toward the insane you may know from the kind way he treated the demoniac of Gadara and the child lunatic. and the potency with which he hushed the tempests either of sea or brain.
 Hugh Miller and Cowper.
 Scotland. the land prolific of intel lectual giants, had none grander thar Hugh Miller. great for science ano great for God He came of the best high. land blood. and he was descendant oi Donald Roy, man eminent for his piety and the rare gift of second sight His attachments. climbing up as he di6 from the quarry and the wall of ths stonemason, drew forth the astonisheC admiration of Buckland and Murchison the scientists, and Dr. Chalmers, tn, theologian, and held universities spell bound while he told them the story O what he had seen of God in the old rex . sandstone.
 That man did more than any being that ever lived to show that the God O. the hills is the God of the Bible, ant he struck his tuning fork on the rock, of Cromarty until he brought geology and theology accordant in divine wor ship. His two books, entitled Foot prints of the Creator" and the ''Testi mony of the Rocks" proclaimed thu banns of an everlasting marriage be tween genuine science and revelation On tlis latter book he toiled day ant night. through love of nature and low of God, until he could not sleep, and hi brain gave way, and he was found dea' with . reyelyer by his side the crue