Milford chronicle., 1896-09-04

It Is a Means CT Defense ns Well as Useful.
ness-Ensmies May Re Conquered with
Soft Tongus-sympathy Is Potent with
sinners-Christ's Chief characteristics
wAsuIxGroN, Aug. 8O.-In these days
when satire and retort and bitterness I'll
tho mir, tho gospel carol Of this sermon will
do good to all who read and practice it.
The text is Proverbs XIV, Is, "A soft
tongue brcaketh the bone"
When Solomon said this, he drove n
whole volume into one phrase. You, OF
course, viii not be so silly as to take the
words Of the text in literal sense They
simply mean to set forth the fact that there
is n tremendous power in a kind word Al
though it may seem to be very insignin-
cant, its force is INDISPENSABLE ard illimi-
table Pungcnt and all conquering utter
ance, "a soft tongue breaketh the bone.
II had time, l would show you kind
ness as means Of defense, as u means of
usefulness, kindness asa means of domestic
harmony, kindness as 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 l 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 upon and as
saulted. Your motives are misintcrpreted
or your religious or political principles are
bombartled What to do under such cir
cunistances Is the question.
The first impulse of the natural heart
says: "Strike back. Give us much ms no
sent Trip him into the ditch which he
dug for your feet. Cash him with rs Sc
we're n wound rs that which he inflicted on
your soul. Shot for shot Sarcasm for
sarcasm An eye for an eye A tooth for
a TOOTH" But tho better spirit in the
mans soul rises up and says, You ought
to consider that matter" You look up in
to the face Of Christ and say My Master,
how ought to act under these difficult cir
cumstances2" And Christ instantly an
swers, BLESS them that curse you, and
pray for them which despitefully use you. 1"
Then tho cid nature rises up again and
says: You had better not forgive him I'M
til first You have chastised him. You will
never get him in so tight a corner again.
You will never have such an opportunity
of INJECTING the right kind of punishment
upon him again. First chastise him ard
then let him 20" "No," says the better
nature, "hush, thou foul heart. Try the
soft tongue TINT brealScth the bone. " Have
you ever in all your life known acerbity
and acrimonious dispute to settle u quar-
rel9 Did they not always make matters
worse and worse and wOrseg About 80 years
ago there was n great quarrel in the Pres
byterian family. Ministers Of Christ were
thought orthodox in proportion as they had
measured lances with other clergymen Of
the same denomination. Tho most out
rageous personalities were abroad. As, in
the autumn, hunter comes home with Il
string of game, partridgcs and wild ducks,
slung over his shoulder, 50 there were
many ministers who came lack from the
ecclesiastical courts with long strings Of
doctors Of divinity whom they had shot
with their own rifle The division became
wider, the luminosity greater, until after
awhile some good men resolved upon an
other tack They began to explain away
tho 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 diff
ferent parts of the Presbyterian order,
welded by IL hammer, u little hammer,
Christian hammer that the Scripture calls
"a soft tongue