The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1898-03-22
THE POWER OF GENTLENEss."
"A Strong Sermon Which Won a Prize
OF One Thousand Dollars.


Rev. Richard G. Woodbridge, pastor
at M~iddleboro, Mass, has just received
81, 900 from the New York Herald for o
short sermon on The Power OF Gem
tleness." The Herald recently offered
u prize of that sun for the best short
sermon sent in, and also offered three
other prizes Of $500, 5000 and 5000,
respectively. Tho contest for the
10th OF March, the decision to be
awarded on the 10th Of March.
The sermon winning the first prize
is given below
THE POWER OF GENTLENESS."
Thy gentleness hath made me great.
Psalms, xviii, 80.
There is little in the popular idea of
gentleness to make it desirable for
God or man. We think of it as lack
ing in vigor and a long way removed
from greatness. So suggestive is it of
weakness and softness that we want
very little to do with it..
Our ideas OF gentleness need r~ectify-
ing. We speak often of gentle horse.
What do we mean by it? That horse
Is gentle hat is nervy and full of
mettle, able to pass anything on the
road, and yet so easily subdued that
the voice Of "a child would bring him to
a standstill at once. That man is
gentle VINO has the strength of q Her
cules and the tenderness OF a woman.
G~entleness Is power Withholding itself
and spendir g itself in goodness.
a good illustration of gentleness was
that on u Spanish battlefield. A gal
liant French soldiers sword was up
lifted to strike his foe to the earth,
but he saw as the sword a about to
descend that his antagonist had but
one arm. Instantly he stayed his
sword, brought it to u salute and rode
on.
Gertleness in a woman Is loves
mighty magnet, and will attract its
own from the ends Of the earth. A
without it is a monstrosity u
warrior with 1T is greater far than he
who shows his power by burning
villages, destroying crops. executing
prisoners. The great general at
Appomattox, considering the interests
OF the men in gray, treating them as
his fellow-countrymen, ~silenciog the
salute already under way to celebrate
victory lest they should be further
} Inundated, and sending the defeated
l ones home well fed and equipped for
labor on the farms, declared himself d
( gentle man as well rs q great soldier,
Z. and did more in that hour to make his
country great than other great men
have done in a lifetime. Grant could
have crushed the South III that hour
5 instead he caressed it as a mother her
: weak and Maynard child, and melted
i it to tears.
n We speak nften Of the power of God,
but it is the gentleness of God tina,
y wor ks the greatest wonders. 1t is this
that makes men great. See the gen
~tleness Of God at he beginning. It il
not the strong arm, but the tender
n heart that concerns itself with faller
o "a 1t is not a kings voice tina VIZ
n hear in Eden, but a fathers. Patheti,
cry that, Adam, Adam, where ar
If thou When God came down il
u hu an flesh to save a lost world h,
If came in the same spirit. A still ant
y quiet night 1T vas hen the Savior
was born. The stars looked dow
a. peacefully upon the shepherds as the,
v watched their sheep. The world wa,
wrapt in slumber. 1t was into thi
n stiffness and quiet that Gods angel
n came and Gods glory shone AROUND
lie Gentle words those were the ange
" spoke. BE not afraid" So swee
o. and gentle was the music Of the angeli
IL host that NJ one save the shepherd
,r heard it.
n. The spirit Of the gospel is the same
W 1t is summed up in the words. 81
bruised reed will he not break til
K smoking flax he will not quench." |
a is by g~entleness that God seeks to wi
of the world TO righteousness and truth
S. The Lord God is a sun" Sooner O
"a later cold and icy hearts must Civ
n way before him. We need more gen
G. tlenesS on the part OF parents. Yo
re can shout at your children and brin
at them into trembling submission +; yo
re can thrash them into obedience yo
can starve them into submission. Tn
h strong can bring the weak to terms 70
a while by any of these methods. Blu
f. II you want to show your child tn
d. sweet re~asonableness of your positio
le and to make him docile, obedient
I'd trustful, sit down and talk gently wit
sr him and seek to make his heart you
" own.
III We need more gentleness on tn
y, part Of children-gentleness of speech
Of gentleness OF manner. Children t
le learn early how mean a thing it is /
n ~tyranniZe over any one weaker tina,
is themselves. There is no one for whom
a healthy boy has more contempt as h
N grows older than for a bully.
d We iced more gcntleness on tn,
part Of teachers. 1t is by appealing
It to the best in a boy chat the best /
developed. Humiliate a boy, degrad,
q him, ridicule him and you have no
subdued him.. Beam upon him GENT,
and lovingly, apart and alone, and h,
" Will be your friend forever.
j. We need more gentleness on tn,
part OF preachers. THE servant o
the Lord must not strive, but be gentl,
toward all men," The Great Preachel
was so gentle that Simon the Pharisee
asked him to dine with him the pool
harlot lingaredAsnear His feet cares
singly Iaccheus and Matthew, the
q p~ublicans, became His loyal disciples
and even a thief, In the agony of cruel
n hxion, cried, Lord, remember me =
e The world needs nothing more than il
n needs gentleness and love. Human
# hearts are hungry for the music OF
q gentle voices and the touch Of tender.
ness. Why sh6aad we not all try to show
that we are the sons and daughters OF
the gentle God
J Rough, rude boys have been made
y great for time and eternity by the
!, sweetness and gentleness OF mothers
: and sisters. Dull, wilful, petulan.
n scholars have been made Thoughtful
= and earnest by the tender, patient love
+ OF s~elf-denying teachers. Souls small,
mean, 1selfish, sinful, have been made
, great by the gentle faithful labors of
those not willing hat any should
perish.
> The night OF life is coming on apace.
/ 1t will be sweet to have the gates
swing inward at our approach to the
nity atnrno1 and 60 10 . =,