Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1891-09-19
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
The Great Divine Talks on
Necessary Virtues.
Tho Experience of the Apostle Paul n
Model for People OF To-day-The
SaviOr's Great Goodness 20
His Children Etc.

from the watering places and foreign
lands. Many Of the members, absent
from the city during the summer, were
In their places. DIR. Talmage's morn
ing sermon was on Kindness" from
the text Acts xviii. 2: "The barbar'
GUS people showed us no little kind
ness"
Here we are on the Island OF Malta,
another name for Melita. This island,
which has always been an important
commercial center, belonging at differ
ent times to Phenicia, to Greece, to
Rome, to Arabia, to Spain, to France,
now belongs to England. The area oil
this Island is about 100 square miles.
It is the Mediterranean sea, and OF such
clarity OF atmosphere that Mount -Et-
ma, 100 miles awy, can be distinctly
seen. The island is gloriously memoir
able, because the Knights OF Malta for
a long while ruled there, but most IA
nous because OF the apostolic ship
wreck.
The bestormed vessel on which Paul
sailed had Laid TO" on the starboard
track, and the wind was blowing east
northeast and the vessel, drifting prob
ably mile and half an hour. struck
at what is now called ST Paul's bay.
Practical sailors have taken up the BIZ
BILE account and decided beyond contro.
versy the place OF the shipwreck. But
the island which has so rough coast is
for the most part q garden. Richest
fruits and o profusion OF honey charac-
terized it in Paul's time as well as now.
The finest oranges. figs and olives
grow there. When Paul and his COM
rades crawled upon the bench, satura-
ted with the 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 unfortunates.
Everything has gone to the bottom
of the deep, and the bareiOoted, bare
headed apostle and ships crew were in
a condition to appreciate hospitality.
About twenty-five such men few sea-
sons ago | found in the life station
near Easthampton, L. ]. They had got
ashore in the night from the sea, and
not hat or shoe had they left. They
found out, as Paul and his fellow voy-
ayers found out that the sea is the
toughest OF all ROBBERS. My text finds
the ships crew ashore on Malta and
around a hot fire drying themselves,
aud with the best provision the island
ers can offer them. And they 60 into
government quarters for three days to
recuperate. Publius, the ruler, in
vited them. although he had severe
sickness in the house at that time, his
father down with dysentery and typhoid
fever. Yes, tor three months they
stayed on the island watching for ship,
and putting the bospitalities OF the
islanders to a severe test. But it en-
dured the test satisfactorily, and it re-
corded for all the ages OF time and eter-
nifty TO read and hear in regard to the
inhabitants of Malta: "The barbarOus
people showed us no little kindness"
Kindness. All definitions OF that
multipotent word break down half way.
You say it is clemency. benignity, gen.
crosby; 1t is made up OF good wishes.
1t Is an expression OF beneficence, it is
contribution to the happiness of others.
Some one else says: ''Why. can give
shine Of the soul. 1t is affection paren-
NAL. 1t is climacteriu grace, it is the
combination OF all graces. 1t is COM
passion. 1t Is the perfection OF gentle
manliness and womanlihess." Are you
all through? You have made a dead
failure in your definition. 1t cannot be
defined. But 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 hands stretched
out, which Showed us no little kind
ness"
There is kindness OF disposition.
kindness of word. kindness OF act, and
there is Jesus Christ, the impersona-
tion Of all OF them. Kindness! You
cannot afford it, you cannot play 1t as a
part. you cannot dramatic 1t. BY the
gracd OF God you must have 1t inside
you, an everlasting summer. or rather
a combination OF June and October, the
penialty OF one and the tonic of the 9TH
er. II cannot dwell with arrogance, or
revenge. or malevolence. AT is first
appearance in the soul all these ANA
lekites and Gergishites and Hittites and
Jebusites must quit, and quite forever. |
Kindness wishes everybody well, every !
man well, every woman well, every /
child we'll. every bird well, every horse |!
we'll, every dog well, every cat we'll. |
Give this spirit full swing and you will /
have no more need OF societies for pre-
vention OF cruelty to animals, no more /
need OF protective sewing women's as |
sociation, and it would every sword I'M (,
til it would not cut skin deep, and I'M
wheel everp battery till it could not /
roll, and make gunpowder OF no more 1
use in the world except for rock blast
ing or pyrOtechnic celebration.
Kindness is a spirit divinely implant-
ed, and in answer to prayer, and then
70 be sedulously cultivated until 1t fills
~ - ,,arsftrv,aa vsi0hova /