The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1890-09-18
THBPOVBR Of KINDNESS.
Rev. DR.. Talmage breaches a Sermon
in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Kind Words arc so Cheap, 1t is n Wonder
We do not Use Them Oftcner.

TEXT: n sor tongue breaketh the
bone."-Proy. XIV, Is.
When Solomon said this he drove wholC
volume into one phrase. You, Of course
will not boso silly rs to take tho words oil
the text in literal sense. Thoy simply
mean to set forth tho fact that there is II
tremendous power in 4 kind word. AL
though it may seem to be very insignificant,
its force is indescribable and illimitabic.
Pungent and all conqucriug uttcrance: "A
soft tongue breaketh the bone"
II the weather werc not so hot and had
time would show you kindness as means
of defense; kindness as means of useful
ness; kindness ms meanS of domestic har-
mony; kindness rs best employed by govern
ments for tho tanning and curing of crimi-
mails, and kindness rs best adapted for the
settling and adjusting Of international quar-.
rels; but shall call your attention only TO
two of these thoughts.
And first speak 10 you Of Kindness rs q
means OF defense. Almost ovcry man in tho
course of his life is set upon and assaulted.
religious or political principals are bonl-
barded. What to do under such circum-
stances is the question. The first impulse OF
the natural heart says: "Strike back. Give
as much Us he sent. Trip him into the ditch
which he dug for your feet. Cash him with
ms severe q wound rs that which no
inflicted on your soul. Shot for shot.
Sarcasm for sarcasm. An eye for an
eye. A tooth for n TOOTH" But the
better spirit in the mans soul rises up and
says: "You ought to reconsider that mat
say: "My Master; how ought to act urder
these difficult circumstaTccsW And Christ
instantly answers: "BleSS them that curse
you, and pray for them which despiterully
use you"
Then the old naturcrises up again and says:
"You had better not forgive him until first
you have chastiSed him. You will never get
him in so tight corner again. You will
never have such ON opportunity Of inaicting
the right kind OF punishment upon him
again. First chastiso him and thon let him
60" NO" says the better nature; "hush,
thou foul heart. Try tho soft tongue that
breaketh the bone" Havo you ever in all
your life known accrbity md acrimonious
dispute to settle quarrel? Did they not al
ways make matters worse and worse and
worses
Many years ago there was q great quarrel
in the Presbyterian family. Ministers of
Christ were thought orthodox in proportion
as they had measured lanccs with other
clergymen Of the same denomination. The
most outrageous personalities were abroad.
AS in the autumn hunter comes home with
a string of game, partridges and wild ducks
slung over his shoulder, so herc were many
ministers who came back from the ecclesiaS.
teal courts with long strings Of doctors Of
divinity whom they had shot with their own
rifle. The division became wider, the ami
mostly greater, until after while some COOL
men resolved upon another tack. They be-
gan to explain away the difficulties; they be-
fn 9TH LII
the great church quarrel was settled, and
the new school PreSby yterian church and the
old school Presbyterian church became one
the different parts Of the Presbyterian
order welded by hammer, little hammer,
O Christian hammer, that tho Scripture calls
"a soft tongue"
You have q dispute with your neighbor.
You say to him, II despise you" He re-
plies, II can't bear the sight of YOU" You
say to him, "Never enter my house
again" He says. ',If you come OH my door
sill I'll kick you ol." You say to him, "rll
put you down." He says to you, "You arc
mistaken, PHI put you down." And so the
contest RACES, and year after year you act
the un-ChriStian part. After while the
better spirit seizes you, and one day you go
over to the neighbor and say: ''Givo me
your hand; we have fought long enough.
we cannot afford any longer to quarrel.
feel you have wronged ME very much, but
let us settle all now in one great hand shak-
ing, and be good friends for all the rest of
our lives" You have risen to higher plat.
form than that on which before you stood.
You win his admiration, and you get his
apology. But if you have not conquered
him In that way, at any rate you have won
the applause OF your own conscience, the
high estimation OF good men, and the honor
OF your Lord, who died for His armed enc
mics.
But" you say, "what are we to do when
SANDERS assault US and there come acrimoa-
lous sayings all around about lis, and we are
abused and spat upon?' My advice is: Do
not go and attempt to chase down the SLAM
ders. Lies are prolific, and while you are
killing one fifty are born. All your demon
stratlons of indignation only exhaust your
self. You might as well on some summer
night, when the swarms of insects are comm !,
up from the meadows and disturbing you and
disturbing your family, bring UP some great
''swamp angel" like that which thundered
over Charleston, and try to shoot them
down. The game is too small for the gun.
But what, then, are you to do with the
abuses that come upon you In life. You
are to live them down. saw farmer go
out to get back swarm of bees that had
wandered off from the hive. AS he moved
amid them they buzzed around his head,
and buzzed around his hands, and buzzed
around his feet. If he had killed one Of
Them they would have stung him to death
But he moved in their midst with perfect
placs:iity until he had captured the swarm
OF wandering bees. And so | hayo seen
men moving amid the annoyances, and
the Vexatlons, and the assaults Of life in
such calm, Christian deliberation that all
the buZzing around about their soul
amounted to nothing. They conquered
them, and above all they conquered them
selves. "Oh, you say, 'thats n very goo
theory to preach on hot day, but it won't
work" 1t will work. 1t has worked. l
believe 1t is the last Christian grace we
WIN. You know there are fruits which we
gather in Jnne, and Others in July, and
others In August, and others in September,
and still Others in October; aui have to
admit that this grace of Christian for
givenessis about the last fruit Of the Chris
tian soul
We hear a great deal about the bitter
tongue, and the sarcastic tongue, and the
quick tongue, and the stinging tongue, but we
know very little about "the soft tongue that
breaketh the bone.n We read Hudibras, and
Sterne Dean Swift and other apostles of
acrimony, but give little time to studying
the example of Him who wasrevilel, and yet
revilei not again. o that the Lord by His
spirit would endow us all with tho soft
tongue that breaketh the bone"
press now to the other thought that tle-
sire w present, and that is, kininess rs a
means of usefulness. In all communities
you find skeptical men. Through early eiu-
cation, or through the maltreatmcnt OF pro-
tossed Christian people, or through prying
curiosity about the future world, there are
great many people who become skeDtical in
religious things. How shall you capture
them for God? Sharp argument an sarcas-
tic retort never won single soul from ssep-
ticism to the Christian religion. While pow
erful books on tho "Evidences Of Christian
ity" have their mission in confirming Chris