Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1898-07-13

that very point from which he expect
ed 10 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 broke. No
wonder that when God mercifullv de-
livered him from that awful dementia
ne sat down and wrote that other HYMN
just rs memorable:
God moves in a mysterious was.
His wonders 20 perform.
He plants His otsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.
Blind unbelief l. sure to err
And sean His work in vain;
God il His own Interpreter
Aud He viii make IL plain.
While we make this merciful and
righteous allowance in regard TO those
who were plunged into mental in
conference, l declare that the man who.
IN the use OF his reason, by his own
act, snaps the bonds between his body
and his soul, goes straight into perdi-
ton. Shall l prove il? Revelations
Xxi, s-"MurdererS shall have their
part in the lake which burneth with
fire and birthstone" Revelations
xii. l5-"Without are dogs and sor-
cerers and whoremongers and murder
ers." You do not believe the New
Testament? Then, perhaps. you believe
the Ten Commandments; Thou shalt
not kill" Doyou say that all these pas
sages refer TO the taking of the life OF
others? Then l ask you if you are not
as responsible for your own life as for
the life of others? God gave you n
special trust in life, and made you the.
custodian of your life. and he made
you custodian of no other life. He
gave you as weapons with which to
defend II two arms TO strike back as
sailants, two eyes TO watch for in
vasion, and a natural love of life
which ought ever to be on the alert.
Assassination of others is a mild crime
compared with the assassination of
yourself, because in the latter case il
is treachery 10 an especial trust; il is
the surrender of castle you were
especially appointed to keep; it is
treason TO a natural law, and il is
treason TO God, added TO ordinary
murder.
To show how God in the Bible
looked upon this crime. point YOU
to the rogues' picture gallery in some
parts OF the Bible, the pictures of the
people who have committed this un-
natural crime. Here is the headless
trunk of Saul on the walls of Bath
shan. Here is the man who chased
little David-ten feet in stature
chasing four. Here is the man
who consulted clairvoyant Witch
of Endor. Here is man who.
whipped in battle. instead of surren-
dering his sword with dignity. as
many man has done. asks his serv-
ant to Stay him, and when that servant
declined, then the giant plants the hilt
OF his sword in the earth, the sharp
point sticking upward, and he throws
his body on IL and expires-the cow
ard, the suicide. Here is AhitopheI
the Machiavelli of olden times. betray-
ing his best friend, David, in order
that he may become prime minister of
Aosalom, and joining that fellow in
his attempt at patricide. Not getting
what he wanted by change of politics,
he takes short cut out of a disgrace
ful life into the suicides eternity.
There he is. the migrate!
Here is Abimelech. practically a
suicide. He is with an army. bonn
harding a tower when n woman in the
tower takes n grindstone from its
place and drops it upon his head. aud
with what life he has left in his crack
ed skull he commands his armor-
bearer: Draw thy sword and slav
me. lest men say a woman slew me -
There Is his post-mortem Photograph
in the Book of samuel
But the hero of this group is Judas
lscariot DIR. Donnc SAYS he was a
martyr, and we have in our apologists
for him. And what wonder, in this
day when we have a book revealing
Aaron BUR- as pattern of virtue, and
this day when we uncover a statue Of
George sand as the benefactress Of
literature. and in this day when there
are 0etravals Of Christ on the part Of
some of His pretended apostL.s-a be-
trayal so black that it makes the in
fanny of Judas Iscariot wbitel Yet
this man by his own hand hung up
for the eNccration for all ages. Judas
Iscariot
All the good men and women OF the
Bible left TO God the decision of their
earthly terminus. and they could have
said with JOB. who had right TO com
init suicide IL any man ever had. what
with his destroyed property and his
BODY all atiame with insufTerable car.
buncles. and everything gone from his
home except the chief curse OF IT, n
pestifcrous wife and four garrulous
people pelting him with comfortless
talk. while he sits on heap OF ashes
scratching his scabs with a piece Of
broken pottery. vet crying out in
triumph. AN the days Of my ap-
pointed time viii wait till my change
comes
Notwithstanding the Bible is against
this evil and tine aversion
which it creates by tn. loath.
some and ghastly spectacle Of
those who have hurled themselves
ont OF life. and Notwithstanding Chris.
tianity s. against 30 and the argument.
and the useful live, and the illu-trious
deaths OF 30, disciples. 60 is fact
alarmuglv patent that suicide is ON
the increase What is the cause2
charge uuou inddelity and arnosticisrn
this whole thing DO there oe no here.
after. OF tnat hereafter h. bIissful
without reference TO- hogy yye
Ire and how tgc die tvnv
not move back thc folding doors
between this world and tine next9
And "ncn our existence here becomes
troublesome wins not pass right over
into Eirsum' Put this down among
your most solemn reflections There
haa never been 70 case of -u eide whcr,.