The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-09-30
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINES sun
DAY SERMON.
Subject. Kindness"

NV text puts us on the island Of Malta,
another name for Melita. This island, which
has always been an important CONNER
cial centre, belonging at different times to
Phoenicia, to Greece, to Rome, to Arabia, to
Spain, to France, now belongs to England.
The area of the island is about one hundred
SQUARE miles. 1t is in the Mediterranean sea,
and of such clarity of atmosphere that
Mount Etna, one hundred and thirty miles
away, can be distinctly seen. The island is
gloriously memorable. because the Knights
Of Malta for long while ruled there, but
most famous because Of the apostolic ship
wreck.
The bestormed vessel on which Paul sailed
had Laid to" on the starboard tack. and the
vessel drifted probably mile and half an
hour ere she struck at what is now called st.
Paups bay. Practical sailors have taken
M the Bible account and decided beyond
. controversy the place Of the shipwreck.
But the island which has 50 rough
a coast is for the most part a
garden. Richest fruit and a profusion Of
honey characterized it in Paups time as we'll
as now. The finest oranges, figs and olives
grow there When Paul and his comrades
crawled up on the beach, saturated with salt
water and hungry from long abstinence
from food and chilled to the bone, the
islanders, though called barbarians because
they could not speak Greek, opened their
doors to the shipwrecked unfortuDates.
Everything had gone to the bottom of the
deep, and the barefootsd, bareheaded apos-
tie and ships crew were in condition TO
appreciate hosoitality. About twenty-five
such men few seasons ago l found in
the life station near EaSthampton, Long
Island They had got ashore in the night
from the sea, and not a hat nor shoe had
they left They found out as Paul and his
fellow voyagers found out, that the sea is
the roughest of all robbers. My text finds
the ships crew ashore on Malta, and around
q hot fire drying themselves, and with the
best provision the islanders can offer them.
And they go into government quarters for
three days to recuperate, Publius, the ruler,
inviting them, although he had severe sick
ness in the house at that time-hls father
down with dysentery and typhoid fever.
Yea, for three months they staid on the ISL
and watching for ship and putting the hos
pitalities of the islanders to severe test.
But they endured the test satisfactorily, and
it is recorded for all the ages OF time and
eternity to read and hear in regard to the
inhabitants Of Malta, "The barbarous people
showed us no little kindness"
Kindness! What a great word that is. 1t
would take a reed as long as that which the
apocalyptic angel used to measure heaven
to tell the length, the breadth. the height of
that munifcent word. 1t is favorits
Bible word, and it is early launched in the
book Of Genesis caught up in the book OF
Joshua, embraced In the book of Ruth,
sworn by in the book of Samuel,
crowned in the book of Psalms and en-
throned in many places In the New Testa'
ment Kindness! A word no more gentle
than mighty. expect it will wrestle me
down before get through with it. 1t Is
.h IN ar archanQ6l.
1t will be we'll for us to stand around it.
and warm ourselves by its glow as Paul
and his fellow voyages stood around the fire
on the island of Malta, where the Maltese made
themselves immortal in my text by the way
thew treated these victims Of the sea. The
barbarous people showed US no little kind
ness"
Kindness! All definitions Of that multi.
potent word break down half way. You
is made up Of good wishes, 1t IS an express
sion of benefcence, it is contribution to
the happiness of Others Some one else says:
"Why, can give you definition OF kind
ness: 1t is sunshine of the soul, 1t Is
affection perennial, it is q acrowning grace it
is the combination of all gracss, it is compass
sion, it is the perfection Of gentle manliness
and womanliness." Are you all through?
You have made dead failure in your def
n1UlOQ. IL CduHOU uoulCo. ous
we all know what it is, for we all
felt its power. Some Of you may have
felt it as Paul felt it, on some coast OF rock
as the ship went to pieces. but more OF us
have again and again in some awful stress
of life had either from earth or heaven
hand stretched out, which showed us no
little kindness" .
There is a kindness of disposition, kind
ness OF word. kindness of act, and there IS
Jesus Christ, the imperSonation OF all CT
them. Kindness! You cannot affect it,
enact it, you cannot dramatizs it. BY the
grace of God you must have it inside you,
an everlasting summer, or rather COM
bination of June and October, the genlality
of the one and the tonic OF the other. 1t can
not dwell with arrogance or spite or revenge
or malevolence. At its first appearance In
the soul ell these Anlalekites and Gergishites
and Hittites and JebuSites must quit. ana
quit forever.
Kindness wishes everybody well, every
man well, every woman well, every child
well, every bird we'll, every horse well, every
dog WELL every cat we'll. Give this spirit
full swing, and you would have no more
need of societies for prevention Of cruelty
to animals, no more need OF pro-
tectiye sewing woman's association. and it
would dull every sword until 1t would not
cut skin deep, and unwheel every battery Till
it could not roll, and make gunpowder Of no
more use in the world except for rock blast
ing or pyrotechnic celebration:
Kiudness is a spirit divinely implanted,
and in answer to prayer, and then to be
sedulously cultivated until it fills all the
nature with perfume richer and more
pungent than mignonette, and, as II you put
q tuft Of that aromatic beauty behind the
clock on the msntel or in some corner
where nobody can see it, you find people
walking about your room looking TINS way
and that, and you ask them: What are you
looking for?' And they answer: wv here
Is thatiowery Soft one has in his soul this
infinite sweetness of disposition its perfume
will VEIN everything.
But if you are waiting and hoping for some
one to be bankrupted or exposed or dis
comfted, or in any way overthrown, then
kindness has not taken possession OF your
nature. You are wrecked on Malta where
there are no oranges. You are entertain
ing guest so unlike kindness that kindness
viii not come and dwell under the
same roof. The most exhausting and
unhealthy and ruinous feeling on earth Is
revengeful spirit or retalating spirit, as
know by experience, for have tried it five
or ten minutes at time. When some mean
thing has been done me or said about me
have felt II will pay him in his own coin.
will show him up. The migrate! The ira
tor. The liar! The villain!"
But five or ten minutes Of the feeling has
been so unnerving and e1hausting that
have abandoned it. ard cannot understand
how people can 20 about torturing them
selves five OF ten or twenty years.
trying to get even with somebody. Th,
only way you will ever triumph over your
enemies is by forgiviny them AMI wishing
them all good and no evil. As malevolence
Is the most uneasy and proftless and dan