The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1891-09-24

Rs Yet UncOrrupted, and So the Prompt
ings OF Nature Ruled Them-KIndncss
Royal Flower of Gods Goodness.
BROOKLYN, Sept. l3.-Brooklyn
Tabernacle to-day contained many stran.
gers on their way home from the water
ing places and foreign lands. Many Of
the members absent from the city dur
ing the summer were In their places.
The church building and the organ, which
have been almost continually under
brush and hammer since the dedication
last spring, arc now about completed
The sermons today were full of congra-
tulation and were afforded by the usual
throngs. DR. Talmaoc's morning SER
mon was on "kindness," from the text,
Acts xviii, .: The barharous people
showed us no little Kindness"
My text puts us on the Island of
Malta, another naplo for Mclta. This
island, which has always been an inn
portant commercial center, belonging at
different times to Phnnicia, to Greece,
TO ltome, to Arabia, to Spain. to France,
now belongs to England. The area OF
the island Is about one hundred square
miles. 1t is i'll the Mediterneau sea, and
OF such clarity of atmosphere that Mount
Etna, one hundred and thirty miles
away, can be distinctly seen. The island
is storiously memorable, because the
Knights of Malta for long while ruled
there, but most famous because of the
apostolic shipwrcck.
The bestormed vessel on which Paul
sailed had "laid 10" Oh the starboard
tack, and the wind was blowing east
northeast. and the vessel drifting prop
ably n mile ana q half an hour ere she
struck at what is now called St. Paul's
bay. Practical sailors have taken up
The Bible account and decided beyond
controversy the place Of the shipwreck.
But the island which has so rough q
coast Is Tor the most part garden.
Richcst fruit and profusion Of honey
characterized it in Paul's time as we'll
as now. The finest oranges, figs and
Olives grow there. When Paul and his
Comrndes crawleG up on the beach, sat-
urated with salt water and hungry from
long abstinence from food and chilled to
the bone, the islanders though called bar
barians because they could not speak
Greek, opened their doors to the ship
wrecked unfOrtunates.
Everything bad gone to the bottom of
the deep, and The barctootcd, barehead-
ed apostle and sMy's crew were IN con-
ditlon to appreciate hospitality. About
twenty-five such men few seasons ayo
/ found in the life station near Easthamp-
ton, Long Islaud. They had got ashore
i'll the night from tlic sea, and not hat
nor shoe had they left. They found
out, as Paul and his fellow voyagers
found out, tha tho sea is the toughest of
all robbers. My text finds the ships
crew ashore on Malta, and around hot
lire drying themselves, and with the best
provisrn the islanders can offer them.
And they go into government quarters
Tor three days to rccuperate, Publius,
the ruler, inviting them, although he had
severe sickness in the house at that
tlmc-hls father down with dyscntery
and typhoid fever. Yea, for three
months they staid on the is,and watch
ing for a ship and putting the hospltali-
ties OF the islanders to severe test.
But they endured The test satisfactorily,
and it Is recorded for all the ages oftime
and eternity TO read and hear in regard
to the inhabitants of Malta. "Thc bar
barous people showed US no little kind
ncSs.'
BIBLE EXAMPLES OF KINDNESS.
Kindness! What great word that is.
1t would take reed as long as that
which the arocalYptic angel used to
measure heaven to tell The length, the
breadth, the height OF that munliicent
word. 1t is lavoritc Bible word, and
ii is early launched III the book of Cen
esis, caught up IN the book Of Joshua,
embraccdin the book of Samuel, crowned
IN the book of Psalms, and enthroned in
many places IN tho New Testament.
hlndness! a word no more gentle than
mighty. l expect it will wrestle me
down before get through with it. lis
strong enough to throw an archangel.
but 1t Will be well for us to stand around
1t, and warm ourselves by its glow as
Paul and his fellow vOyagers stood
arounq the fire on the Island of Malta,
where the Maltese made themselves i'm
mortal in my text by the way they treat
Ell these victims Of the sea. ''The bar
barous people showed us no little kind
neSs.o
Kindness! All definitions of that
multipotent word break down halt way.
You say it is clemcncy, benignity, gen
erosity; it is made up of good wishes, it
'1A va phSopi'il Va DCllClCCIlCC, III Is IL
contribution to the happiness of others.
Some one else says: "Why, cnn give
you definition of kindness: 1t IS sun.
shine of the soul, it is affection perennial,
II ls a crowning grace. it is the com
blnatlon ofall graces, 1t is compassion,
IL IS the perfection Of gentle manliness
and womanlincss." Are you all through
You have made dead failure in y0ur
definition. 1t cannot be defined. But
we all know what it is, for we all felt ,ts
power. Some of you may have felt it as
l'aul lelt it, oa some coast of rock as
The ship went TO pieces, but more of us
have again and again in some aa full
stress OF life had either from earth or
heaven hands stretched out, which
showed us no little Kindness"
There Is kindness of disposition, kind
ness OF word, kindness of act, and there
ls Jesus Christ, the impersonation of all
or them. Kindness! You cannot affect
1t, YOU cannot play il as part, you can
not enact it. you cannot dramatize it.
By the grace of God you must have it
inside you, an everlasting summer. or
rather combination Of June and Octo.
her. thn frnnln1iIu nr fho o,,o