Connecticut western news., 1890-08-27
THE POWER OF KINDNESS
SERMON DELIVERED SUNDAY, AUG.
 N 24, BY DIR. TALMAGE..

z SERMON DELIVERED SUNDAY, AUG. F 24, BY DIR. TALMAGE..
 "A Soft Tongue Breaketh the Bone" Hia
 Text-A Strong Discourse in Which One
 of the Great Lessons of Life Is Strik- ingly and Concisely Enforced.
 CINCINNATI, Aug. 24.-Dr. Talmage, who is in this city, today discoursed on a power which, if 1t had been used as extensively as Christ intended it to be used, would have saved the church and the world from infinite discord and sor row-the power of kindness. His text was, "A soft tongue breaketh the bone" Prov. XIV, 15). Following is his sermon:
 When Solomon said this he drove a whole, volume into one phrase. You of eoGfse 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 tremendous power in a kind word. Although it may seem to be very insignificant, it's force is in1e- scribable and illimitable. Pungent and all conquering utterance, "A soft tongue breaketh the bone" A If the weather were not so hot, and I had time, I. would show you kind ness as a means of defense; kindness as means of usefulness; kindness as a means of domestic harmony; kindness as best employed by governments for the tanning and curing of criminals, and kindness as best adapted for the settling and adjusting of international quarrels But shall call your atten- tion only to two of these thoughts.
 KINDNESS AS A MEANS OF DEFENSE.
 And first speak to you of kindness as means of defense. Almost every man, in the course of his life, is set upon and assaulted. Your motives are misinterpreted or your religious or political principles are bombarded. What to do under such circumstances is the, question. 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 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: ssYou ought to reconsider that matter" You look up into the face of Christ and say |: My Master, how ought to act under these difficult circumstancesG" And ] Christ instantly answers: @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 him until first you have chastised him. You will never get him in so tight a corner again. You will never have such an opportunity of inflicting the right kind of punishment upon him again. First chastise him and then let him go." 'No," says the better nature; i; ''hush, thou foul heart. Try the soft l tongue that breaketh the bone." Have you ever in all your life known acer- bity and acrimonious dispute to settle a quarrel2 Did they not always make matters worse, and worse, and worse2
 Many years ago there was great quarrel in the Presbyterian family. Ministers of Christ were thought ortho- dox in proportion as they had meas ured> lances with other clergymen of the same denomination. The most out rageous personalities were abroad. As 1 in the autumn hunter comes home with 8 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 division became wider, the animosity 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, and To! the great church | quarrel was settled, and the new school Presbyterian church and the old school l Presbyterian church became one-the different parts of the Presbyterian or der welded by a hammer, little ham, l mer, Christian hammer, that the Scripture calls "a soft tongue"
 You have dispute with your neigh bor. You say to him, sI despise you. " He replies, 1T can't bear the sight of you.' You say to him, Viewer enter my house again" He says, If you come on my door sill I'll kick you off , You say to him, 9TH put you down. '" He says to you, ''You are mistaken, I'll put you down. And so the con test rages, and year after year you act the un-C Christian part, and he acts the un- Christian part. After a while the better spirit seizes you, and one day you go over to the neighbor and say "Give me your hand We have fought long enough. Time is so short and eternity is so near that we cannot af ford any longer to quarrel. ! feel you have wronged me very much; but let us settle all now in one great hand shaking and be good friends for all the rest of our lives" You have risen to a higher platform than that on which be- fore you stood You win his admira- tion, and you get his apology. But if you have not conquered him in that way at any rate you have won the ap- plause of your own conscience, the high estimation of good men and the honor of your Lord, who died for his armed enemies.
 ''wHAr ARE WE TO Do?"
 l But" you say, what are we to do when islanders assault us, and there come acrimonious sayings all around about us, and we are abused and spat uponY' My reply is: Do not go and