Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1896-09-04
PLEA FOR KINDNESS.
REV. DR.. TALMAGE OEPREcATEs ACRl-
MONOUS DISCUSSION.

"a Soft Tongue Breaketh the Bone'-An
Eloquent Appeal For Good Temper and
Courteous Conduct Power Of Kindness.
The Truo Christian Spirit.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 3O.-In these
davs. when satire and retort and bitter
ness fll the air, the gospel carol OF this
sermon will 90 good To all who read and
nractice it. The text Is Proverbs XIV,
Is, "A soft tongue breaketh the bone.
When Solomon said this, he drove a
whole volume into one phrase. You, OF
course. will not be SO silly as 10 take
the words Of the text in literal sense.
They simply mean to set forth the fact
hat there is a tremendous power IN a
Kind word. Although itmay seem to be
very insignificant, its force is indescrib-
able and illimitable. Pungent and all
cououerinp utterance, "A soft tongue
Oreaketh the bone
sTf had time, would show you kibd-
ness as means Of defense, as means
# usefulness, kindness as a means OF
domestic harmony, kindness as best EN-
ploved by governments for the tanning
and curing Of criminals, and kindness
rs best adapted for the settling and ad-
iusting Of international quarrel; but
shall call your attention only TO two OF
these thoughts.
And first speak to you Of kindness
as a means of defense. Almost every
man. in the course Of his life, is set
unon and assaulted. Your motives are
misinterpreted or your religious or 20
litical principles are bombarded. What
TO do under such circumstances Is the
ouestion. The first impulse Of the natu-
raj heart saws: "Strike back. Give as
much as he sent. Trip him into the
ditch which he dug for your feet. Cash
him with az severe wound as that
which he inflicted on your soul. Shot
for shot. Sarcasm for sarcasm. An eye
for an eve. A tooth for tooth. " But
the better spirit in the mans soul rises
mn and SAYS, "You ought to consider
that matter" You look up into the face
of Christ and say, my Master, how
ought to act under these difficult cir
cumstancesYS
Bless Them That Curse You.
And Christ instantly answers: "Bless
Them that curse you, and pray for them
which despitefully use you" Then the
old nature rises up again and says:
lyon had better not forgive him until
first Won have chastised him. You VIII
never get him in so tight corner again.
You will never have such an opportunity
Of inAicting the right kind of punish
ment upon him again. First chastise
him. and then let him go. " mo, " says
the better nature, "hush, thou foul
heart. Try the soft tongue that breaketh
the bone" Have you ever IN all your
life known acerbity and acrimonious
dispute to settle aquarrel? Did they not
always make matters worse and worse
and worse? About 80 years ago there
w,s a great quarrel in the Presbyterian
family. Ministers of Christ were
thought orthodox in proportion as they
had measured lances with other clergy
men of the same denomination. The
most outrageous personalities were
abroad. As, in the autumn, a hunter
comes home with string Of game,
partridgcs and wild ducks, slung over
his shoulder, so there were many min
listers who came back from the ecclesi-
astical courts with long strings OF doc
tors of divinity whom they had shot
with their own rifle. The division be
came wider, the animosity greater, un'
ill after awhile some good men resolved
upon another tack. They began to ex
plain away the difficulties, they began
to forgive each others faults and, 10
the great church quarrel was settled
and the new school Presbyterian church
and the old school Presbyterian church
became one. The different parts OF th'
Presbyterian order, welded by ham
mer, little hammer, Christian ham
mer that Scripture calls "a sol
tongue.
You have a dispute with your neigh
bor. You say to him, Il despise you.
He replies, II can't bear the sight o
YOU" You say to him. Never ente
my house again, Ea saYs. If 20
-