The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1894-08-17

Ter after his hot brain had ceased throb-
bing that inter night in his study at
Poltobello? Among the mightiest OF
earth, among the mightiest Of heaven
No one ever doubted the piety of Will
liam Cowper, the author of those three
great hymns, ooh, For a Closer Walk
With Godp' "What Various Hin
ORANGES We Meetp' ''There Is Foun-
tain Filled With Blood" William
Cowper, who shares with Isaac Watts
and Charles Wesley the chief honors OF
Christian hymnology. In hypochondria
he resolved to take his own life and
rode to the river Thames, but found
man seated on some goods at the very
point from which he expected 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 delivered him from that
awful dqmentia he sat down and wrote
that other hymn just as memorable:
God moves in mysterious way
His wonders TO perform.
He plants his footsteps IN the sea
And rides upon the storm.
Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan his work in vain.
God is his own interpreter,
And he will make it plain.
Treason to God.
While we make this merciful and
righteous allowance in regard to those
who were plunged into mental incoher-
ence, 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 straight into perdition. Shall
prove it? Revelation xxi, s, Murder
ers shall have their part in the lake
which burneth with fire and birthstone;
Revelation xxi, 10, without are dogs
and sorcerers and whoremongers and
murderers - You do not believe the
New Testament? Then perhaps you be-
lieve the Ten Commandments, 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 responsible for
your own life as for the life of others!
God gave you special trust in your
life. He made you the custodian OF
your life as he made you the custodian
of no other life. He gave you as weap-
ons with which to defend it two arms
to strike back assailants two eyes tc
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 assassination
| of yourself, because in the latter case il
is treachery to an especial trust, it is the
surrender of castle you were especially
appointed to keep, it is treason to nat
ural law, and it is treason to God add
ed to ordinary murder.
To show how God in the Bible looked
upon this crime l point you to the rogues
picture gallery in some parts of the Bl
BILE, the pictures of the people who have
committed this unnatural crime. Here
| is the headless trunk of Saul on the
walls of Bathshan. Here is the mar
who chased little David-10 feet IL
stature chasing 4. Here is the mar
who consulted clairvoyant, witch Of
Endor. Here is a man who, whipped il
battle, instead of surrendering his
sword with dignity, as many man has
done, asks his servant to Stay him, ano
when the servant declines then the giant
plants the hilt of the sword in the earth,
the sharp point sticking upward, and he
throws his body ON it and expires, the
coward, the suicidel Here is Ahitho
phel, the Machiavelli of olden times,
betraying his best friend, David, in or
der that he may become prime minister
of Absalom and joining that fellow il
his attempt at parricide. Not getting
what he wanted by change of politics,
he takes short cut out of disgraced
life into the suicides eternity. There he
is, the migrated
Two Cases In Point.
Here is Abimelech practically sui.
eide He is with an army bombardine
a tower, when woman in the tower
takes a grindstone from its place and
drops it upon his head, and with what
life he has left in a cracked skull he
commands his armor bearer, DRAW thy
sword and slay me, lest men say WON
an slew me. " There is his post morten
photograph in the book of Samuel. But
| bu6 uerO VI tule group 10 - uudo loOoAi Oo'
Dr. Dome says he was martyr, and
we have in our day apologists for him.
And what wonder in this day when we
have book revealing Aaron Burr as 8
pattern of virtue, and in this day when
we uncover a statue to George Sand as
the benefactress of literature, and in
this day when there are betrayals Of
Christ on the part of some of his pre-
tended apostles-a betrayal so black il
makes the infamy of Judas Iscariot
whitel Yet this man by his own hand
hung up for the execration Of all the
ages, Judas Iscariot.
All the good men and women OF the
Bible left to God the decision Of theil
earthly terminus, and they could have
laid with Job, who had right to com
NIT suicide if any man ever had-whai
with his destroyed property, and his
bodyall aflamewith insufferable carbun'
oles, and everything gone from his home
except the chief curse of it-a pestifer-
GUS wife-and four garrulous people
pelting him with comfortless talk while
he sits on heap of ashes scratching his
scabs with piece of broken pottery,