Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1891-09-25
REV. Or. TAlMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S sun
DAY SERMON
SUBJECT: "KISDNEss A ROYAL FLOWER
OF GoD's GOODNESS"

My text puts US on the Island of Malta,
another name for Melita. This island, which
has always been an important commercial
center, belonging at different times to Phun-
icia, to Greece, to Rome to Arabia, 10 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 Ema, one hundred and thir-
ty miles away, can lie distinctly
seen. The island is gl0riously memorable,
because the Knights of Malta for long while
ruled there, but most famous because Of the
apostolic shipwreck.
The bestormed vessel on which Paul sailed
had laid TO on the starbOard tack, and the
wind was blowing east-northcast, and the
vessel drifting probably mile and a half an
hour ere she struck at what is now called st.
Paurs bay. Practical sailors have taken up
the Bible account and decided beyond con
troycrsy the place of the shipwrcck. But
the island which has so rough a coast Is for
the most part garden. Richest fruit and
profusion of honey characterized it in
Paups time as well 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
Greek, opened their doors to the shipwrcCked
uufOrtunatCs.
Everything had gone to the bottom of the
deep, and the barciooted, barchcaded apos-
tie and the ships crew were in 4 condition
TO appreciate hospitality. About p such
men a few seasons ago I und 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
yoysgers found out that the sea Is the
toughest of all rohbers. MY text finds the
ships crew ashore on Malta and around
hot fire drying themselves, aud with the
best protection the islanders can offer them.
And they go into government quarters for
three days To recupcratc, Publus the ruler,
inviting them, although he had severe sick
ness In the house at that tmc-h father
down with dysentery and typhoid fever.
Yea, for three months they staid on the Is
land watching for a ship and putting the
hOspitatics OF the islanders to a 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 in
habtants of Malta, "rhc barbarous people
showed us no little kinducss.'t
Kindness! What great word that l.. 1t
would take reed as long as that which the
apocalyptic angel used 10 measure heaven to
tell the length, the breadth, the height OF
that municent word. II is a favoritc Bible
word, and 1t is early launched in the book
Of Genesis, caught up IN the book OF Joshua,
bmbracel in the book of Ruth, sw orn by in
the book of samuel crowned In the book
Of Psalms, and cnthroHed in many places in
the New Testemcut kindnessl A word
no more gentle than mighty.
Kindness, All definitions Of that multi
potent word break down half way. You
.ay it Is cemcncy. bcnignity generosity: 1t
S made up Of good wishes, it is an express
sion of bcuciiccnCc, II is a contribution to the
happiness Of others. Some one else says:
why, | can give You a definition of kind
ness: 1t is sunshine Of the soul, 1t is alice
siOn perennial, it is a Crowniug grace, 1t IS
the combination Of all praCes it is compass
sion, 1t is the perfection Of gentle manncss
and wOmaMliuCsS." Are YOU all through:
You have made dead failure in YOUR def
niti0n. 1t cannot be defined But we all
know what 1t Is, for we all felt its power.
Some Of You may have felt it ns 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 IL no little kindness"
There is Kindness Of disposition, kindness
of word, kindness Of act, and there is Jesus
Christ, the impersOnation of all OF them.
Kindness! You cannot affect it, you cannot
play it as a part, you cannot enact II, you
+ cannot dramatic it, BY the grace OF God
5ou must have il inside YOU, an everlasting
summer, or rather n combination of June
and October, the gcniality of the one and the
tonic OF the other. 1t cannot dwell with AFRO.
Sancc or spite or revenge or malevolence.
At its first appearance In the soul all these
Amalck kites and Gei gishitCS and Hittitcs and
Jebustes must quit, and quit forever.
Kindness wishes everybody WELL every
nan well, every woman well, every child
well, every bird we'll every horse well,
avery dog well, every eat well. 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-
| .eCtivc sewing wOman's association, and it
would dull every sword until it would not
! cut skin deep, and unwhCCl every battery
I'LL it could not roll and make gunpowder of
20 more use in the world except for rock
blasting or pyrotcchnic celebration,
Kindness is a spirit dvinely implanted,
and IN answer to prayer, and then to be sed-
llously cultivated until it fills all the nature
with perfume richer and more purgCnt
| Than mignonette, and. rs if you put TUT
Of that aromatic beauty behind the clock on
the mantCl or in some corner where nobody
can see it, you find people walking about
your room, looking this way and that, and
| you ask them, "What are you looking forY'
And they answer, Where Is that fower?'
So II one has in his soul this infinite
IwectnCss Of disposition It's perfume will
| whclm everything
But II YOU are waiting and hoping for some
one to be bankrupted or exposed or discom-
1tcd, or In any way overthrown, then kind
ness has not taken possession Of your nature.
| You are wrecked on n Malta where there are
40 oranges. You are entertaining guest so
unlike kindness that Kindness will not come
and dwell under the same roof The most
exhausting and unhealthy and ruinous feel
Ing on earth is reyengcful spirit or retaliat-
Ing 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 ~ win pay him
In his own coin will show him up. The
Migrate! The traitor! The liar! The vii
Ianm
But five or ten minutes of the feeling
has been so unnerving and CNhausting
that have abandoned it, and cannot un
lerstand how people can go about tortur
ing themselves five or ten or twenty years
irving to get even with somebody's The
only way you will ever triumph over YOU
enemies is by forgiving them and wishing
them all good and no evil.
do not want to leave this world until
have taken vengeance upon every man tha
ever did me wrong by doing him kind
ness. In most of such cases have already
suct eedcd, but there aro few malignRnti
whom am yet pursuing, and | shall no
be content until l have in some wise helpeC
them or benefited them or blessed them
Let us all pray for this spirit of kindness.
Kindness / am resolved to get it, Ar
you resolved to get it9 1t does not come by
haphazard but through culture under tht
divine help. Thistles grow without culture
Rocky mountain sage grass grows wlthou
culture Mullen stalks grow without cul
ture. But that great red rose in the conser
yatory, its leaves packed on leaves, deel
dyed MS though it had been obliged to tigh
for its beauty and it were still reeking will
the carnage of the battle that rose needed t
be cultured, and through long years 1t
floral ancestors were cultured.
The king of Prussia had presented to hin
by the empress Of Russia the root Of Inr