The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1890-09-05
READ AND HEED.
SERMON ON THE POWER OF KIND
NESS BY DR.. TALMAGe.

ter Tongue and the Sarcastic Tongue
but Little of the Soft Tongue.
CINCINNATI, o., Aug. 24.-Dr. Tai
mage, who is in the city to-day discourse
on power which, If it had been used n.
extensively as Christ intended it to b,
used, would have saved the church ant
the world from infinite discord and sor
row-thc power of Kindness. His tex
is "A soft tongue breakcth the bone. ,
(Prov. XXv, 15). Following is his SER
mon:
When solomon said this he drove {
whole volume into one phrase. You. o.
course, will not be so silly as to take the
words OF the text in literal sense. They
simply mean to set forth the fact that
there is Il tremendous power in kind
word. Although it may seem TO be very
insignificant. its force is Undesirable and
Ilmitablc. Pungcnt and all-coa0ucrinn
utterancc: "A soft tongue breaketh the
bone"
If the weather were not so hot. and |
! had time, l would show you kindness rs
Rmcans of defence: kindness as means
$ ofusefulness; kindness rs 4 means ofdo-
mcstic c~harmony; kindness as best cm-
pioycd by governments for the tanine
and curing bf criminals; and kindpess as
best adapted for the settling and unjust.
ing international quarrels; but l shall
call your attention only to two of these
thoughts.
And ut first. l speak to you Ofkindncss
as n means of defence. Almost every
man in the course ofhis life. is set upon
and assaulted. Your motives are mis-
interpreted or your religious or political
principals arc bombardcd. What to do
under such circumstances is the question
The first impulse of the natural heart
says: 'Strike back. Give rs much rs he
sent. Trip him into the ditch which he
dug for Your feet. Cash him with as
severe wound as that which he inilict-
ed on your soul. Shot for shot. Sarcasm
for sarcasm. An eye for an eye. a
tooth for Il tooth.' But the better spirit
i'll the mans soul rises up and says:
'I on ought to reconsider that mattcr.''
You look up into the face of Christ and
say: My Master. how ought | to act
under these difficult circumstances" ."
And Christ instantly answers: BLESS
them that curse YOU. and pray for them
which dcsptciully use YOU" Then the
old nature rises up again and says: You
had better not forgive him until first you
have chastiscd him. You will never get
him in so tight Il corner again. You
will never have such an opportunity of
milicting the right kind of punishment
upon him again. First chastiac him and
then let him co." .No,' saws the bet
ter nature, ''hush. thou foul heart. Try
the soft tongue that brcaketh the bone. )"
Have you ever in all your life known
accrblcty and acrimonious dispute to set
tic quarrel: Did they not always make
matters worse. worse. and wnrsez =:
Many years ago there wtssa great
quarrel in the Presbyterian family. Min
listers of Christ were thoughSSptbQde&
in proportion us thcyi kaa !tpfAsHesd
lances with other clergyihsn c tlfs' SaShc
denomination. The m6sf toUtf faCSSiIs
personalities were abroad. AS IN the
autumn. hunter comes home with
string ofgame, parlria.ps aud 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 division be-
came wider, the luminosity greater. until
after while some good men resolved
upon another tack. They began to- en-
plain away the difficulties; they began TO
forgive each others faults. and 10. the
great church quarrel was settled. and n
new school Presbyterian church and the
old school Presbyterian church became
one. The different parts of the Prcsby-
tcrian order, wicidcd by Il hammer. Il lit
lie hammer, Il Christian hammer That the
Scripture calls ~ soft tongue"
You bavc n dispute with yourncighbor.
You say to him II displse YOU" He
replies: Il can't bear the sight of YOU"
You say to him: Never enter my house
again." He says: IF YOU conc on my
door sill III kick you OIL" You say to
him: 'l'll put you down." lie says to
you: ''You arc mistaken: IN put you
down." And so the contest RACES; and
Year after year you act the unchristian
part, and he acts the mchristirn part. AZ
Ter while the better spirit sclzcs you. and
one day You go over to the neighbour,
and say: Give me your hand. We have
fought long enough. Time is SO short.
and eternity is so near. that we cannot
afford any longer to quarrel. | feel YOU
have wrOngcd me very much; but let us
settle all now in one great bank-shakin",
and be good friends all the rest of our
livcs.' ouhavc risen to a 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 enemies.
But" you say. "what are we to do
when ISLANDERS assault us, and there
come acrimonious saying all around
about us, and we are abused and spit
=, uppn2o- My reply Is: Do not go and at
tempt to chase down the ISLANDERS. Lies
arc prolific. and while you are killing one
I fifty are born. All your demonstrations
of indignation only exhaust Yourself
You might as well. on some summer
night when the Swarms ofinsccts arc
coming up from the meadows and dis.
turblng you. and disturbing your family
bring up some great swamp angel y
like that which thundcrcd over Charles.
ton, and try to shoot them down. Tho
game is too small for the @m.
But what, then. arc you to do with thC