Democratic messenger., 1896-08-29
HELP OF 4 KIND WORD
REV. Or. TALmAGg breaches HUMAN
KINDNESS.
II IL Means ~ Defense ns Well as Useful
Ensmie. May Bo Conquered with
Soft Tongue sympathy Is Potent with


sinners -Christ- Chief Characteristic.
wAsnIxGToN. Aug 30.-in these days
when satire and rctort and bitterness fill
the air. the gospel carol Of this sermon will
do good {, all who read and practice 1t.
The text Is Proverbs XIV, II, "A soft
tongue brcakcth the bone"
When Solomon said this, he drove q
whole volume into one phrase. You, OF
course, viii not bc 50 silly as to take the
words Of the text In literal sense. They
simply mean 10 set forth the fact that there
Is a tremendous power In "A kind word. AL
though IL may seem To be very insignifl
cant. its force Is indcscribablc and illimi
table Pungcnt and all conqucring utter
ancc, - soft tongue brcakcth the bone "
II had time. | would show you kind
ness as means of defense, as a means oi
usefulness. kindness as n means of domestic
harmony. Kindness ns best employed by
governments for the tanning and curing oi
criminals and Lindnc. rs best adapted FOL
the settling and adjusting of international
quarrel. but shall call your attention onl.
10 two OF these thoughts
And. first speak To- you Of kindness n,
n means Of defense. Almost every man
I'm the course of his life, i set upon and as
saultcd. Your motives are misintcrprctcd
or your religious or political principles ar,
homhardcd What to do under such cir
cumstnnccS i the question.
The first impulse of the natural hear
SAYS. Strike hack Give as much ms h,
sent. Trip him into the ditch which Ii,
dug for your feet. Cash him with as 81
vcrc wound as that which he inflicted OF
your soul shot for shot. Sarcasm fol
sarcasm. An eye for an eye. \ tooth FOL
"a tooth" But tho better spirit in IN,
mans soul rises mp and says. You ought
to consider that matter" You look mp In
Ia the face of Christ ana say. My Master
how ought 10 act under these difficult cir
cumstanccs:" And Christ instantly an
swers, Bless them that curse you and
pray for them which despitcfully Use you. ;
Then the old nature rises up again and
says: You had better not forgive him un
til first you have chastiscd him. You will
never get him in tight corner again
You will never have such an opportunity
of inflicting the right kind of punishment;
upon him again. First chastisc him and
then let him go. mo" says the better
nature, "husl. thou foul heart. Try tn,
/ SoIt tongue ttllt Drcakctn thc DOne- HuNt
you ever I'm all your life known accrbity
and acrimonious dispute 10 settle a quar-
rel? Did they not always make mattcr'
worse and worse and worse: About ~ year:
ago there was a great quarrel in the Pres
hyterian family. Ministers Of Christ wen,
thought orthodox In proportion rs they had
measured lanccs with other clcrgymcn o
| the same denomination. The most out
ragcous personalities were abroad. As il
the autumn, "a hunter comes home with q
string of game, partridgcs and wild ducks
slung over his shoulder, so there wcr,
many ministers who came hack from th,
ecclesiastical courts with long strings o
doctors of divinity whom they had shot
with their own rifle. The division bccam,
wider, the animosity greater. until after
awhile some good men resolved upon an
other tack. They began TO explain away
the difficulties, they began To forgive eaci
Others faults, and. 10. the great churci
quarrel was settled, and the new schoo
Presbyterian church and the old schoo
| Presbyterian church became one. The diff
fercnt parts Of the Presbyterian order
welded by hammer, n little hammer
Christian hammer that the Scripture call
"a soft tongue p"