The southern argus. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Cherokee County, Kan.) 1891-1???, 1891-09-17
BLESSING OF KINDNESS.
DR.. Talmage Discourses on Neces-
sary Virtue.
The Apostle PauPs Experimentation
One Of the Best of Traits-Its Influence
For Good-The Saviour's Wondrous
Goodness.

took his text from Acts xviii. q "The
barbarous people showed us no little
kindness" He said:
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 PhRnicia, to Greece, To
Rome to Arabia, to Spain, to France,
now belongs to England. The area of
fhis ISLAND is about one hundred square
mics 1t is in the Mediterranean sea,
go Of such clarity Of atmosphere that
Mount Etna, 1870 miles away, can be
distinctly seen. The island is glorious
ly memorable, because the Knights Of
Malta for long while ruled there, but
most famous because of the apostolic
shipwreck. The bestormed vessel on
which Panl sailed had 'laid to-
On tie starboard tack and
the wind was blowing east.
northeast and the vessel drifting prob.
aply mile and a-half an hour struck
TT what is now called ST. Pauls bay.
Practical sailors have taken up the
Bible account and decided beyond con
troversy the place of the shipwreck.
But the island which has SO rough a
coast is for the most part a garden.
Richest fruits 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
comrades crawled up on the beach,
saturated with the salt water and hun
cry 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 had gone to the bottom
Of the deep, and the barefooted, bare
headed apostle and ships crew were in
condition to appreciate hospitality
nv text finds the ships crew ashore on
Malta and around hot fire drying
themselves, and with the best proyis-
ions 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 sickness in the house at that
time, his father down with dysentery
and typhoid fever. Yes, for three
months they stayed on the island
watching for a ship, and putting the
Inequalities Of the islanders to severe
test. But it endured the test salts
factorily, 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 great word that is
1t would take reed as long as that
which the apocalyptic angel used to
measure Heaven to tell the length,
the breadth, the height Of that mag
nitcent word. 1t is a favorite 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,
crowded in the book Of Psalms, and en-
throned in many places in the new
Testament Kindness! A word no
more gentle than mighty 1t is strong
CROUCH to throw an archangeL But it
will be well for us to stand around it,
and warm ourselves by its glow as Paul
and his fellow voyagers stood around
the fire on the Island of Malta, where
the Maltese made themselves immortal |
IN my text by the way they treated |
these victims Of the sea. 1.-THE barbar-
ous people showed us no little kind |
ness"
Kindness! All definitions Of that |
word break down half way. |
You say it is clemcncy, benignity. gen
erosity; it is made up of good wishes, it
IS an expression of bcnefcence, it is a
to the happiness of others.
Some one else says: why, can give
you q definition of kindness: it is sun
shine Of the soul. 1t is affection peren-
nal. it is a climactcric grace, it is the
Of all graces. 1t is com
passion. 1t is the perfection Of gentle
nanliness and womanliness. 1t can
lot be defined. But we all know what
I is, for we have felt its power. Some Of
rou may have felt it as Paul felt it, on
ONE coast Of rock as the ship went to
pieces, but more Of us have again and
gain in some awful stress of life had
ither from earth or Heaven hands
tretched out which showed us no
little kindness"
There is a kindness of disposition,
zindncss of word, kindness of act, and
here is Jesus Christ, the impersonation
i all Of them. Kindness! You cannot
ford it, you cannot play it as part:
on cannot dramatic it BY the grace
God you must have it inside you, an
summer. or rather com
ination of June and October, the gent
lily of one and the tonic of the other.
cannot dwell with arrogance or re- ,
enge, or malevolence. At its first APP /
earance in the soul all these Amelek- ,
cs and Gergishites, and Hittites and ,
ebusites must quit, and quit forever. \
Kindness is a spirit divinely i'm I
lanted, and in answer to prayer, and ,
hen to be sedulously cultivated until !
fills all the nature with a perfume !
cher and more pungent than mignon- I
tie, and, as if you put tuft of that |
romatic beauty behind the clock on \
he mantle, or in some corner where
obody can see it you find people walk 4
Ig about your room looking this way I
nd that, and you ask them, What are l