Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-07-14
do THYSELF NO HARM
SUICIDE THE SUBJECT OF REV. DR.
TALMAGE'5 SERMON.

nifty Through Gods Command.
tCopyright. 1885, by American Press Assoc
Ciation.l
WASHINGTON, July 10.-This sermon of
DR.. Talrnugo which wa send out today
seems startlingly appropriate to this theme
when so many are leaving this llfo by
their own hand, an evil about which all
Reasonable people are agreed; text, Acts
xvi, rs, "Do thysclf no harm"
Here is % would DO suicide drrcstcd in
his deadly attempt. lie was % sheriff, and,
according to tho Roman law, bailiff
himself must suffer the punishment due
Nh escaped prisoner and II tho prisoner
breaking jail was sentenced to be endun-
gooncd for three or four years then the
sheriff must be cndungconcd for thrco or
four years, and If the prlsonoT Breaking
Jail was TO have suffered capital punish
mcnt then the sheriff must suffer capital
punishment. The sheriff had received
especial charge to keep n sharp lookout for
Paul and Silas. The government had not
much confidence in bolts and bars to keep
safe these two clcrgymcn, about whom
there seemed to be something strange and
supernatural Sure enough, by miracu-
lous power. they arc free, and the sheriff,
waking out of Il sound sleep and suppos-
knowing that thoy were TO die for preach
ing Christ md realizing that he must
therefore die, rather than go under the
eraCutioncr's TX on the morrow and suffer
public disgrace resolves to prccipituto his
own dcccasc But before the sharp, keen,
glittoring dagger of tho sheriff could
strike his heart one of the unlooscned pris-
onerS arrests the blade by the command,
"Do thysclf no harm"
Suicide Among the Ancients.
In oldcn times and where Christianity
had not iutcrforod with it suicide was con-
sidercd honorable and % sign Of courage
Demosthencs poisoned himself when told
that AlcxHnder's ambassador had demand
cd the surrender of tho Athcuian orators.
Isocrntes killed himself rather than sur
render to Philip of Maccdon. Cato, rather
than submit to Julius Caesar, took his
own life, and three times after his wounds
had been dressed tore them open and per.
ished. Nlithrdatcs killed himself rather
than submit to Pompcy, the conqucror.
Hannibal destroyed his life by poison from
his ring considering life unbearablc. Ly
cirgus suicide Brutus u suicide. After
the disaster OF Moscow Napoleon always
carried with him preparation of poison,
and ono night his servant heard the OK
emperor arise put something In u glass
and drink 1t, aud soon after tho groans
aroused all the attendants, and it was
only through utmost medical skill that he
was rCsuscitatcd. Times have changed,
and yet the American conscience needs to
be toned up on the subject Of suicide.
Have you seen paper in the last month
that did not announce the passage out of
lifc by onos own behestg Deiaultcrs
alarmed at the idea of exposure, quit life
prccipitatoly. Men losing large f-gs,ii;cl
70 out of the 16rid because they cannot
endure earthly existence. Frustrated af-
lection, domestic infelicity, dyspcptic i'm
patience, anger, rcmorse, envy, jealousy
restitution, misGathropy, are considered
sufficient causes for absconding from this
life by paris green, by laudanum, by bel
ladonna, by Othello's dagger, by halter,
by leap from the abutment Of bridge, by
firearms. More cases of fClo dc Sc in tho
last two years than any two years Of the
worlds existence, and moro in the last
month than in any - months. The evil
Is more and more spreading.
y pulpit not long ago expressed some
doubt as 70 whether there was really any
thing wrong about quitting this life when
it became disagrccable and there are found
the crime which Paul in the text arrested.
shall show you before get through that
suicide Is the worst of all crimes, and
shall lift warning unmistakabc. But
IN the carly part Of this sermon | wish to
admit thot some Of the best Christians
that have ever lived have committed self
destruction, but always in dementia and
not responsible | have no more doubt
about their eternal felicity than have of
the Christian who dies in his bed in tho
dclrum OF typhoid fever While tho
Shock of the catastrophe Is very great, |
charge all those who have had Christian
friends under cerebral alteration stop off
the boundaries of this life to have no
doubt about their happiness. The dear
Lord took them right ont of their dazed
and frcu2icd state into perfect safety.
How Christ feels toward the insane you
may know from the way he treated the de-
moniac Of Gadara and the child lunatic,
end the potency with which he hushcd
tempests either Of sea or brain.
Merciful Allowance.
Scotland, the land prolific Of intellectual
giants, had mono grander than Hugh Mil
Ter, great for science and great for God.
He was an elder in St. Johns Prosbyte.
rian church. He camo of the best highland
blood and was a descendant of Donald
Roy, man eminent for piety and the rare
gift OF second sight. His attachments,
climbing up as he did from the quarry
and tho wall OF the stonomason, drew
forth the astonished admiration of Buck.
land and Murchison, the scientists and
DIR. Chalmers, tho theologian, and held
universities spelbound while he told them
the story OF what he had seen Of God in
The Old Red Sandstone. That man did
more than any other being that ever lived
to show that the God of the hills is the
God OF the Bible, and he struck his tuning
fork on the rocks Of Cromarty until h.
brought geology and theology aGcordGnt
In divine worship His two books, onti
tied Footprints of the Creator" and
The Testimony Of the Rocks, - proclaim
ed tho banns Of an everlasting marriage
between genuine science and revelation
On this latter book he tOilcd day aud
night through love Of nature and love Of
God, until he could not sleep ana hii
brain gave way, and ho was found demo
with revolver by his side, the cruel in
strumcnt having had two bullcts--one fol
him and the other for the gunsmith who
NJ the coronor's inquest was examining il
and fell dead, Have you any doubt of the
Identification of Hugh Miller after his hot
brain had ceased throbbing that white,
night in his study at Portobclo? Among
the mightiest ot Garth, among the might
est OF heaven.
No one doubted tho piety OF william
COwper tho author of those three grca
hymns, 80 For Closer Walk With
God" "Nhat Various IIndranccs W,
Meet, " "'rhere Is a Fountain Filled witt