The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1890-09-18

argument with my argument. But II you
como to that man perSuading him that you
desire his happiness on earth aud his eternal
welfare in the world to como, he cannot an.
swer it.
What have said is Just as true in the re-
clamation of tho openly vicious. Did you
ever know drunkard to 10 saved through
the caricaturo Of drunkari? Your mimicry
Of tho staggering stop, and the thick tongue,
and the disgusting hiccoush only worse
maddcns his brain. But il you come to him
in kindness aud sympathy, if you show him
that you appreciate tho awful grip of do-
PRAYED appetite, if you persuade him Of the
fact that thousands who hal the graphing
hooks of OWL inclination clutched in their
soul rs firmly rs in his have been dcliverci !,
then a ray Of light will flash across his
vision and it will seem as il supernatural
hand was stealytng his staggering gait. ,,
A good many years ago there kay in the
streets man deal drunk, his face expose
to tho blistcring monday sun. Christian
woman pas sol along, looked ut him and said,
"Poor fellow" She took her handkerchief
and spread it over his face, and pasSet
on. Tho man reused himself up from his
dcbauch aud began to look at the handkcr'
chief and 10! on it was tho namc OF highly
rosnectable Christian woman of the city. He
went to her, he thanked her for her kindness,
mn that ono little dced savel him for this
life and saved him for the life that is to
come. lie was afterwarI httornoy-General
OF the United States; but higher than oil, he
became the consecrated disciple of Jcsui
Christ.
Kind words arc SO cheap it is q wonder we
DO not use them oftencr. There are tens ol
thousands OF people who arc dying for the
lack of ono kind word. There is business
man who has fought against trouble until he
is perfectly exhausted. He has been think
ing about forgery, about robbery, about sui
eide. Go to that business man. Tell him
that better times are coming, and tell him
that you yourself were in n tight business
pass and the Lord delivered You. Tell him
to put his trust in God. Tell him that Jesus
Christ stands beside every business man in
his perplexities. Tell him Of the sweet prom
ises of Gods comforting grace.
That man is dying for the lack of just ono
kind word. Go tomorrow and utter that
one saving, omnipotent, kind word. Hero
is :. soul that has been swamped in sin. He
wants to find the light of the Gospel. He
feels like ship'yrecked mariner looking out
over the beach, ratching for sail against
the sky. Oh, bear down on him. Tell him
that the Lord waits to be gracious to him,
and, though he has been a great sinner,
there is o great Saviour provided. Tell
him that though his sins are rs scarlet they
shall be as snow; though they are red
like crimson they shall be as wool. That
man is dying forever for the lack of one
kind word.
There used to be sung at great many of
the planes all through the country song
that has almost died out. I wish somebody
would start it again in our social circles
There may have not been very exquisite art
in the music but there was grand and
glorious sentiment:
Kind words never die, never die;
Cherished and blessed.
Oh, that we might in our families and in
our churches try the force of kindness You
can never drive men, women or children into
the kingdom of God. A March northeaster
will bring out more honeysuckles than fret
fulness and scoldins will bring out Christian
grace I wish that in all our religious work
we might be saturated with the spirit of
kindness. Missing that we miss great deal
Of usefulness. There is no need of coming
out before men and laundering to them the
law unless at the same time you preach to
them the Gospel. Do you not know that this
simple story of n Saviour's kindness is to TO
deem all nations? The hard heart Of this
worlds obduracy is to be broken before that
story.
There is in Antwerp, Belgium, one of the
most remarkable pictures ever saw. 1t is
"The Descent OF Christ from, the Gross. 1t
is one OF Rubenss pictures. No man can
stand and look at that descent from the cross
as Rubsns pictured it, without having bis
Dyes flooded with tears, il he have any sensi
bility at all. 1t is oil oyermastering picture
one that stuns you, and staggerS you, and
haunts your dreams One afternoon man
stood in that cathedral looking at ltubens's
descent Of Christ from the Cross" lie was
all absorbed in that scene Of q Saviour's suf
feriugs when tho janitor came in apd said:
ut is time to close up the cathedral for tho
night. wish you would depart" The pill
grim looking at that Descent of Christ from
the Cross" turned around to the janitor and
said; mo, no; not yet. Wait until they get
Him down."
Oh, it is the story of Saviour's suffering
kindness that is to capture the world. When
the bones of that great Behemoth of iniquity
which has tramped all nations shall be
broken and shattered, it will be found out
that tho work was not done by tho hammer
of the iconoclast, or by the sword of tho
conqueror, OF by tho torch Of persecution,
but by the plain, simple overwhelming
force OF 'the soft tongue that breakcth tho
bone"
And now ask the blessing of God to come
down upon you in matters Of health, in mat
tcrs Of business: that thc Lord Will deliver
you from all your financial perplexities; that
he will give you good livelihood. large sal
aries, healthful wages, sufficient income. l
pray God that He may give you the oppor-
tunity of educating your children for this
world, and through the rich grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ of seeing them prepared
for the world that is to come.
Above all, look for the mercy Of God
upon your immortal souls; and lest stand
before some who have not yet attended to tho
things of their eternal interest, in this, the
closing part of my discourse, | implore them
here and now to seek after God and be at
peace with Him. Oh, we want to be gathered
together at last in the bright and blessed as
semblage of the skies our work all done, our
sorrows all ended. God bless you, and your
children, and your children's children. And
now l commend you to God and to the word
of His grace, which is able to build you up
and give you an inheritance among all them
that are sanctifed.