Year: 1878

be unclothed" There was no attraction


in that, in itself considered, even to him


1t needed all the revelation which had


been made to him by the Lord Jesus in


his death and resurrection to evoke in


him the longing to depart which he has
| so touchingly expressed And, if that


were SO with him, we are not surprised


to see in others, not animated by his


faith, a passionate clinging to this earthly


life. The poor woman who had spent all


her living upon physicians is only type


of many who have impoverished them.


selves in seeking to prolong their days


while multitudes of the wealthy journey


from place to place, consult every emf.


nent practitioner, drink of every medi-


cinal spring, and try the effect of every


genial cline, if by any means they may


lengthen out the short span of their


lives. Nor must we forget that this love
| of life is not only an instructive principle;


but also, within certain limits which we


shall presently describe, positive duty.


The precept thou shalt not kill refers


to me, as well as to my neghbor, and in


wolves in it an obligation to use all lawful


endeavors for the preservation of my own
life, as well as of the lives of others


Hence, contempt for the laws of health,


a needless exposure of ourselves to dan


ger, and neglect to employ means for


the prolongation of life are sins, not only


against our physical constitution, but al,


so against the moral law. So much ap-


parent foundation there is for the asser-
tion in the text We instinctively cling


to life, and it is our duty to use all proper


means for the preservation of our lives.


But still, in spite of this appearance of


truth in it, the affirmation as it stands is


false. 1t is not true to the history even


OF unregenerate human nature far less


is it true to that of those who have been


born again.


l. 1t is not true to the history even of
unregenerate human nature. Even in the
unconverted soul there are principles,
some evil and some good, which, becom-
ing dominant, subordinate to themselves
the love of life. The passions of hatred
and revenge have stirred men up to deeds
which, even at the moment of their COM
mission, they knew would make their
lives a forfeiture to the law; and yet,
with the certainty of a felon's death be-
fore them, they have deliberately braved
it. But there are other illustrations of a
nobler sort The love of adventure has
drawn many from the comforts and secu-
rity of home, and led them to risk their
lives in its qualification and the poet
has immortalized the soldier, seeking
the bubble reputation even at the cam
mons mouth" Nay, even in the estima-
ton of the men of the world, there is
something that is admittedly more i'm
portant than life. The student of an
cient history cannot read without emo
ton of the Roman matron, Lucretia, who,
exclaimed: "Of what use is life, now that
my honor's gomez And at the founda-
ton of that cruel code in which dueling
held place there lay this principle, that
truth and integrity and purity of charac-
ter ought to be dearer to man than his
life. Observe, am not now vindicating
any suoh modes of asserting that princi-
pie. l am only illustrating the fact that
even among unconverted men life is not
always deemed the chief consideration,
AS further proof, | may instance how,
in not few, the love of knowledge has
predominated over the fear of DEATH
Science has had its martyrs, as well as
religion and from the day when the
elder Pliny perished in the first eruption
of Vesuvius down to the era of Arctic
ex exploration there have been some who
have been willing to brave hardship, and
to risk even life itself, if only they might
add to human knowledge and have their
clI OldAOuSu luOSc w WlO nave
discovered the most cherished secrets of
Nature And in another department
many, under the impulse of merely com
mon humanity, have not paused in sell
fshness to think of personal danger in
their anxiety to do good to their fellow
men. When has the life-b boat, which has
been put out in the raging storm to take
off the weary sailorg from their sinking
craft, lacked volunteers to nan her?-
And when the fire has gained the mas
terry over the burning dwelling and flame
and smoke are issuing in mingled volume
from door and window, have we not
known some gallant one rush in, and
bring back in his arms fellow mortal,
as brand pluoked out of the burning
Or, to take an illustration of another sort,
when fever is doing its deadly work in
the streets and crowded courts of the
city, and the hospitals are allied to over
flowing with It's victims, so that the con-
efntrated poison has rendered it danger
Gus for one to come within their wards,
have you ever known the medical men to
quail or the nurses to flee from the post
Of duty? One after another May fall
down and die; but brave ones still pass
on to fll their places. There are no men
at arms who fight more truly and heroic
ally the battles of their country than the
hard pressed medical officers, who in a
time of epidemic, whom pine-tenths of
the world have been three o" f1our hours
asleep, pass through .ine PROSTATE ranks
OF the fn,Ter smitten, before retiring to
lie short and often broken rest that must
refresh them for another day of battle
with the grim destroyer. | may not say
that in every instance this is done from
consciously Christian motives. In many
know that it is so; but in others | have
not the same assurance, and SO put 1t to
the credit even of the natural benevo-
lence of the unrenewed heart. Now,
with such cases in mind | think | am
warranted, in the name of humanity, not
to speak at present of Christianity, to re-
pudiate the assertion that, as a universal
thing, men will do anything to save their
lives. For the honor of the race, let it
be said that there are still emitted by
the human heart some sparkles of that
old God-like love which is willing to
sacrifice self for the good of others.


II. But, if this be true even of unregen-
crate men, how much more is it of the
renewed heart? Let US, therefore, turn
now, and see whether the child of God is
so utterly selfish as Satan here insinuates
that Job was That which is the ruling
passion in man rules over the love of
life, as well as other things in him. Now,
in the truly godly one the ruling passion
is love to God and love to his neighbor
for Gods sake; and that dominates over
all things else. In proof of this point
you first of all to the patriarch of Uz him
self For all so sanguine as the adversary
is here, he did not succeed, even when
j OBJ was in the crucible, in prevailing up
on him to renounce his allegiance to God.
With great adroitness and cunning, Sa-
tan enlisted the patriarchs wife and his
three friends on his side, and many ag-
nrnratinn thin os which they said fell like