The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-09-26

been swamped in sin. He wants TO
find the light of the gospel. He feels
like sbipwrecked mariner looking out
over the beach, watching 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 a great
Saviour provided. Tell him that
though his sins are as 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.
KIND WORDS NEVER DIE.
There used to be sung at great
many of the pianos all through the
country song that has almost died
out. I wish somebody would start it
again in our social circles. There may
not have been very exquisite art in the
music, but there was a grand and
glorious sentiment:
Kind words never die, never die;
Cherished and blessed.
o that we might in our families and
in our churches try the force of kind
ness. You can never drive men, wom-
en- or children into the kingdom of
more honeysacKIes f5an fre M1 S and md
scolding will bring out Christian grace.
l 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 thunder
ing to them the law unless at the same
time you preach to them the gospel
Do you not know that this simple story
of a Saviours kindness is to redeem all
nations9 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 I ever
saw. 1t is ''The Descent of Christ
from the Cross" 1t is one of Rubens'
pictures. No man can stand and look
at that descent from the cross, as
Rubens pictured it. without having his
eyes flooded with tears, if he have any
sensibility at all. 1t is an overmaster-
ing picture-one that stuns you and
staggers you and haunts your dreams.
One afternoon a man stood in that
cathedral looking at Rubens' Descent
of Christ from the Cross" He was
all absorbed in that scene of a
Saviour's sufferings when the janitor
came in and said: 1T is time to
close up the cathedral for the night.
l 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 suf-
fering kindness that is to capture the
world. When the bones of that great
Behemoth of iniquity which has
trampled all nations shall be broken
and shattered it will be found out that
the work was not done by the hammer
of the iconoclast, or by the sword of
the conqueror, or by the torch of per
secution, but by the plain, simple,
overwhelming force of ''the soft tongue
that breaketh the bone"
And now ask the blessing of God
to come down upon you in matters of
health, in matters of business: that the
Lord will deliver you from all your finan-
cial perplexities; that He will give you
good livelihood, large salaries. health
full wages, sufficient income. 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 the things of their
eternal interest in this, the closing
part of my discourse, 1 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 assemblage of the skies,
our work oil done, our sorrows all end
ed. God bless you, and your children,
and your children's children. And
now 1 commend you to God, and to
the word of his grace which is able to
build you up and give you an inherit
ance among ali them that are sancti-
fed.