The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1896-09-12
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
The Power Of a Soft Answer in Dis
arming Wrath.
An Eloquent Discourse Upon the Good
-. Effects OF Human Kindness and
Forbearancs In Our
Daily Dealings.

ton congregation. hasiug it upon tn
text: ......
\ soft tongue breaketh The bone.-Proyerbs
1Gy.. I5
When Solomon said this he drove Q
whole volume into one phrase. You
OF course, will not be SO silly as t.
take the words of the text in a literal
sense. Tney simply mean to set forth
tha-fact that there is tremendous
power in n kind word. Although it
may seem to be very insignificant, its
force is indescribablc and illimita BILE.
Pungent and all-conquering utterauce,
"A soft tongue breaketh the bone"
IL / had time, | would show you
Kindness as a means of defense, as q
means of usefulness, kindness as "a
means of domestic harmony, kindness
Us best employed by governments for
the tanning and curing of criminals,
and kindness as best adapted for the
settling and adjusting of international
quarrel; but | shall call your atten-
tion only to two Of these thoughts.
And first, speak to you of kindness
as Il means of defense. Almost every
man, in the course of his life, is set
upon and assaulted. Your motives
are misrepresented or your religious
or political principles are bombarded.
What TO do under such circumstances
is the question. The first impulse of
the natural heart says: Strike back.
Give as much as he sent. Trip him
into the ditch which he dug for your
feet. Cash him with as severe a
wound as that which he inflicted on
your soul. Shot for shot. Sarcasm
for sarcasm. An eye for an eye. A
tooth for n TOOTH But the better
spirit in the mans soul rises up and
says: You ought to consider that
matter"
You look up INTO the face of Christ
aEG say: My Master how ought to
Ee: under these difficult circum-
s,ancgs?' ANA Christ instantly an
s"e".: Bless them that curse you,
sD- pray for them which despitcfuily
vs. YOU. Then the old nature rises
W again and says: You had better
not forgive him until first you have
c"aSt!sc. him. You will never get
him n So tight 4 corner again. You
MI. never have such an opportunity
o: in:i.ctLE the right kind of punish /
n n; @p Il him again. First cnustisc (
han a"d then let him 60 No" says f.
:..e better nature. hush. thou foul [,
:.ear!. Try TIE soft tongue that
"rake:A The bone Have YOU
eve: il al our life known acerbi,y
AID acrimonious dispute TO settle II
Z .@rrc.? Did they not always make /,
matters worse and worse? About - ,
yca:s ago there was great quarrel in
the Presbyterian family, Ministers Of
Christ We're Thought orthodox in pro-
portion a. they hai measured lanccs
wiki other clc"gymcn of the same de-
Inflammation. The most outrageous
were abroad. As, in the
aUtumn, hunter comes home with a |
string OF game, MARRIAGES and wild |
DUCKS, slUng over his shoulder, so
there We're many ministers who /,
came back from the ecclesiastical |
courts with long strings of doctors !
u divinity whom they had shot |
with their own rifle. The division be- |
cane wider, the luminosity greater,
until after awhile some good men re-
solved upon another tack. They be- .
gan TO explain away the difficulties;
they began TO forgive each others .
faults; and 10. the great church quar-
re! was settled, and the new school |
rcsbytcr!an church and the old |
school Presbyterian church became |
ore. The different parts of the Pres
byterian order, welded by hammer,
d little hammer, a Christian hammer
'nat the Scripture calls "a soft
tongue" .~yr>
You have a dispute With your neigh
Dor. You say TO him. Il dcspise you" |
lie replies, Il can't bear the sight of |
'ou." You say to him, Never enter
ny house again" lie says, IF you |
come on my door sill II kick you off. "
You say to him, III put you down"
He says to, you, You are mistaken;
i put You down" And SO the con-
test raSra; and year after year you act
the unchristNn part After awhile
the better spirit seizes you, and one
DAY you go over to the neighbor and
say; Give me your hand. We
have fought long enough. Time
is so short, and eternity is SO
near, that we can not afford any long
er to quarrel. | feel you have wronged
me very much; but let let us settle all
now in one great hand shaking, aud be
good friends for all the rest of our
lives. You have risen to a higher
platform than that on which before
you stood. You win .his admiration,
and You get his apology. But if you
have not conquered him in that way.
az any rate you have won the applause
OF your own conscience, the high esti-
nation Of good men, and the honor of
your Lord, who died for His armed
enemies.
But you say, what are we to do
When ISLANDERS assault us, and there
come acrimonious sayings an around
about US, and we are abused nd spit
upon My reply Isl. DO not go and at
tempt to chase down the ISLANDERS.
Lies are prolific, and while you are
killing one, so are born. All your
demonstrations of indignation only ex.
Eaust yourself. You might as well on
home summer night when tie swarms
OF insects are coming up rom the
meadows and disturbing you and dis