The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1890-08-30
A SOFT ANSWER.
DR.. Talmage Discourses on the
Power of Kindness.
How Old Disputes May BE Easily Ended
Kind Words Always Ef6ective-Tho
Christians Weapon-The Sa-
viour's wondrous Grace.

o L. DE Witt Talmage recently
preached at Cincinnati, on a power
which, IL 1t had been used as extensive
ly as Christ intended, would nave saved
the church and the world from infinite
discord and sorrow-the power Of kind
ness. His text was: "a soft tongue
breaketh the bone" Proverbs, XIV. Is.
Following is his sermon:
When Solomon said this he drove a
whole volume into n phrase. You, Of
course, will not be 80 silly a to take
the words OF the text in a literal sense.
They simgly mean to set forth the fact
that there is a tremendous power in a
kind word. Although it may seem to
DO very insignificant, its force is in
'describable and illimitable. Pungent
and all ~conquering utterance: "a soft
tongue breaketh the bone"
II the weather we're not so hot, and /
had time, / would show you kindness as
q means of defense; kindness as q means
OF usefulness; kindness as q means of
domestic harmony; kindness as best
employed by governments for the tam
ing and curing Of criminals; and kind
ness as best adapted for the settling and
adjusting Of international quarrels; but
/ shall call your attention only to two
Of these thoughts
And first, / speak to you of kindness
rs q mean Of defense. Almost every
man in the course of his life is set upon
and assaulted. Your motives are mis-
interpreted or your religious or political
principles are bombarded. What to do
under such circumstances Is the ques-
ton 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 upinto the face
Of Christ and say: my Master, how
ought / to act under these difficult cir
c~umstances?" And Christ instantly an
swers: "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
until first you have chastised him. You
will .neye get him in q tight corner
again. You will never have such an
opportunity of infiicting the right kind
OF punishment upon him again. First
chastise him and then let him GO"
'.No," says the better nature, "hush.
thou foul heart. Try the soft tongue
that breaketh the bone" Have you
yer in all your life known acerbity and
acrimonious dispute to settle a quarrelP
Did they not always make matters
worse, and worse and worse?
Many years ago there was a great
quarrel In the Presbyterian family.
Ministers Of Christ were thought ortho-
dox in proportion as they had measured
lances with other clergymen of the
same denomination. The most outra-
geous personalities we're abroad. AS, in
the autumn, a hunter comes home with
q 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 rifle. The di-
oac pocohhO WlubT, Jlt hHllDOSlbJ
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,
n lol the great church quarrel was
settled, and the New School Presbyte-
Ran Church and the Old School Presby-
terrain Church became one. The differ
n parts OF n Presbyterian order.
welded by a hammer, n little hammer. a
Cnristion hammer that the Scripture
calls a soft tongue"
You have a dispute with your neigh
DOT. You say to him: ~ despise YOU"
bic replies: 81 can't bear the sight of
you." You say to him: "Neyer enter
my house again" He says: "If Won
come on my door sill, I'll kick you OF "
You say to him: 'Tll put you down"
He says to you: '"You are mistaken.
I'll put you down" And so the contest
Gpgss, and year after year you act the