The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1890-08-22
THE POWER OF KINDNESS
SERMON DELIVERED SUNDAY, AUG.
81, BY Or. TALMAGE.


ingly and Concisely Enforced.
CINCINNATI, Aug. A.-Dr. Talmage
who is in this city, today discoursed OF
apower which, if it had been used a
extensively as Christ intended it to b.
used, would have saved the church ant
the world from infinite discord and sor
row-the power Of kindness. His tex
was, "A soft tongue breaketh tn,
bone" prov. XIV. 49,. Following Il
his sermon:
When Solomon said this he drove 6
whole volume into one phrase. YOU
of course will not be SO silly as to take
the words of the text in a literal sense
They simply mean to SGT forth the fact
that there is tremendous power in a
kind word. Although it may seem to
be very insignificant, it's force is indie.
scribable and illimitable. Pungent and
all conquering utterance, "a soft tongue
breaketh the bone"
If the weather were not so hot, and
had time, | would show you kind
ness as a means of defense; kindness
as a means of usefulness; kindness as a
means of domestic harmony; kindness
as best employed by governments for
the tanning and curing of criminals,
and kindness as best adapted for the
settling and adjusting of international
quarrels. But shall call your atten-
ton only to two of these thoughts
KINDNESS AS A MEANS OF DEFENsE.
And first l speak to you of kindness
as means of defense. Almost every
man, in the course of his life, is set
upon and assaulted. Your motives are
misinterpreted or your religious or
political principles are bombarded.
What to do under such circumstances
Is the question. The first impulse of
the natural heart says: "Strike back.
Give as much as he sent. Trip him
into the ditch which he dug for your
feet. Cash him with as severe a wound
as that which he inflicted on your soul.
Shot for shot. Sarcasm for sarcasm.
An eye for an eye. A tooth for a
tooth" But the better spirit in the
mans soul rises up and says: "You
ought to reconsider that matter" You
look up into the filce of Christ and say:
MY Master, how ought to act under
these difficult circumstancesY' And
Christ instantly answers: "Bless them
that curse you, and pray for them
which despitefully use YOU"
Then the old nature rises up again
and says: "You had better not forgive
him until first you have chastised him.
You will never get him in so tight a
corner again. You will never have
such an opportunity of inficting the
right kind of punishment upon him
again. First chastise him and then let
him go. mo, says the better nature;
hush, thou foul heart. Try the soft :
Ongue that breaketh the bOne.' Have
,ou ever in all your life known acer-
,ity and acrimonious dispute to settle
quarrel7 Did they not always make
matters worse, and worse, and worse?
Many years ago there was great
quarrel in the Presbyterian family.
Ministers of Christ were thought ortho-
lox in proportion as they had meas
lred lances with other clergymen OF
the same denomination. The most out
rageous personalities were abroad. AS
in the autumn a hunter comes home
with string of game, cartridges and
wild ducks slung over his shoulder.
SO there were many ministers who came
back from the ecclesiastical courts with
long strings of doctors OF divinity
whom they had shot with their own
rife. The division became wider. the
luminosity greater, until after awhile
some good men resolved upon another
tack They began to explain away the
difficulties; they began to forgive each
others fault, and 10! the great church
quarrel was settled, and the new school
Presbyterian church and the old school
Presbyterian church became one-the
different parts of the Presbyterian or
der welded by a hammer, little ham
mer. a Christian hammer, that the
Scripture calls "a soft tongue. ;"
You have dispute with your neigh
Dor. You say to him, II despise you.
He replies. II can't bear the sight OF
you." You say to him, Never enter
my house again" He says, If you
come on my door sill I'll kick you of.
You say to him, 'I'n put you down.
He says to you, 'You are mistaken.
I'll put you down." And SO the con
test RACES and year after year you act
the un-Christian part, and he acts the
n-Christian part. After a while the
better spirit seizes yon, and one day
you go over to the neighbor and say;
s.Give me your hand. We have fought
long enough. Time is so short and
eternity is so near that we cannot at
ford any longer to quarrel. | feel you
have wronged me very much; but let
us settle all now in one great hand
shaking, and be good friends for all the
rest of our lives" You have risen to a
higher platform than that on which be-
- -, c<r<>1 Vr,,, win his Qdmfra-