The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1901-09-27
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.
Subject; The Power OF Kindness - A
Spirit OF Amit, and Good Feeling IL
TO he Comme nded - Victory Through
Good wlll-Most Potent of Words.
IConYrtEht. lsi. !

DR.. lalmage commends the spirit OF amity
and good feeling and mentions illnstrious
examples of that spirit; text. Acts Nxvln,
., The bsrbsrous people showed vs. no ht-
tie kindness"
Here we are on the Island OF Malta. an.
other name for Mellta This island. which
has always been an important commercial
centre. belonging at different tmes TO
Phoenicia. 20 Greece. 20 Rome, 20 Arabia,
To Spain. 20 France. now belongs 70 Eng
land. The area of the island Is about 100
square miles. liz Is IN the Mediterranean
Sea. and OF such clarity OF atmosphere
that Mount Etna. l30 miles away. can be
distinctly seen. The island ls glorious,y
memorable because the Knights OF Malta
for a long while ruled there. but most ia
nous because of the apostolic shDwreck.
The bestormed vessel on which Paul
sailed had laid to- on the starboard tack,
and the wind was blowing east-northeast,
and the vessel drifting probably mile
and a half an hour. she struck at what ls
now called 81. Pauls Bay. Practical sail.
ors have taken up the Bible account and
decided beyond controversy the place of
the shipwreck. But the island, which has
so rough a coast. Is for the most part
garden. Richest fruits and 4 protusion Of
honey characterized II IN Paups time as
well as now The finest oranges. figs and
olives grow there.
When Paul and his comrades crawled up
long abstinence from food and chilled 20
the bone. the islanders, though called bar
barians because they could not speak
Greek opened their doors 10 the ship
wrecked unfortunates. Ny text finds the
ships crew ashore on Malta and around
hot hre and with the best provision the
islanders can offer them. And they 90
into government quarters for three days
10 recuperate, Pubhus. the ruler inviting
them. although he had severe sickness IN
the house at that time. his father down
with a dangerous illness Yea, for three
months they stayed on the island watch,
ing for a snip and putting the hosrltaltv
of the islanders to a severe test. But "
endured the test satisfactorily, and ~ ~
recorded for all the ages of time and oter-
nifty to read and hear IN regard TO the m
habitants OF Malta, The barbarous people
showed us no little kindness"
Kindness, What a great word that -
1t would take reed as long "a that which
the apoCayptic angel used 10 measure
heaven to tell the length. the breadth the
height of that munihcent word IL - a
favorite Bible word, and tits early launched
in the book OF Genesis, caught up m the
book Of Joshua, embraced IN the hool. OF
Ruth. sworn by M the book of Samuel,
crowned IN the book of Psalms and en-
throned in many places IN the New Tes-
lament klndnessl A word no more
gentle than mighty. | expect 1t will wres
tie me down before | get through with It.
1t Is strong enough TO throw an arChan-
gel But IL will be well for ma 20 stand
around II and warm ourselves by It's glow
as Paul and has fellow voyager, stood
around the FIRE on the Island of Malta,
where the Maltese made themselves i'm.
mortal in my text by the way they treated
these victims OF the sea. The barbarous
people showed us no little kindness"
Kindness All definitions OF that multi
potent word break down half way. You
say it Is clemency. benlgnty, generosity
1t IL made up OF good wishes, 1t Is con.
trlbuton 90 the happiness OF Others.
Some one else says Why, | can give You
a definition OF kindness. II s sunshine OF
the soul; 1t Is affection perennial, lt - a
climacteric grace, lt Is a combination OF
all the graces, It ls compassion; II Is the
perfection OF gentle manliness and WON
anliness" Are YOU all through You
have made a dead failure IN your deiini.
tion. II cannot be defined But we all
know what It ~ for we have all felt Its
power. Some Of you may have felt It as
Paul felt Il on some coast OF rock az the
ship went to pieces, but more OF us have
again and again N some awful stress OF
life had either from earth or heaven hands
stretched out which "showed~us no little
kindness
There IL kindness OF disposition, kind
ness ot word. kindness OF act and there
Is Jesus Christ, the impersonatiOn OF all
OF them Kindness You cannot affect 1t !,
you cannot play II az part; YOU cannot
enact 1t; you cannot dTamatlze II. Bv the
grace OF God you must have IT inside YOU,
an everlasting summer, or, rather. com.
bination OF June ond October the GENIAL
lty OF the one and the toEic Of the other
| 1t cannot dwell with arrogance or spite Or
revenge or malevo!enCc. Al ~ first lp-
| pearance IN the soul all these Amdlekltes
] 4 II.
| sites must quit and quit forever Kind
ness wishes everybody well. every child
well, every bird well, every horse well
/ every dog well, every cat well
Give this spirit full swing and you
would have no more need o. societies for
| prevention OF cruelty to animah, no more
need OF protective sewing wOmen's as5o
| ,iations, and 1t would dull ex--y sword
| until At Would not cut skin deep and un
/ wheel every battery ull It could not roll
| and make gunpowder Of no more use m
! the world except lor rock blasting or py-
! rotcchnI. celebration
! But arc you waiting and hoping for some
/ one TO be bankrupted OF exposed or DIS
comfited or m some way overthTJwnt
! Then kindness ha, not taken possession Of
! your nature. You are wrecked on a Malta
! where there are no oranges. You are en-.
! tertainlug a guest 80 unlike kindness that
/ kindness viii not come and dwell under
the same roof The most e1haubtIng and
unhealthy and ruinOus spirit on earth - a
/ revengeful spirit or retaiIaJing spirit, a-
/ know by experience, for ! have tired 10 for
! live or ten minutes at a time When some
\ mean tnIng has been done me OT said
/ about me- / have felt Will pay him in
/ his own coin | will show HIM up The
| migrate, the traitor. the liar. the villain
| But FIVE or ten minutes of the feeling has
| been 20 unnerying aud eEhaustIug ] have
| aDandoned u. and / cannot understand
! how people can 20 abOu. torturigg them
| selves five or ten or twenty years. trying
/ 10 get even with somebody. The onJ
/ way you will ever triumph over your enc
! mics - by forgving them and wishing
them all good and no evil.
As maleyoencc - the most uneasy and
! profitless and dangerous feeling, kiH5ness
! Is the most healthful and delightful Aud
! this is not an abstraction. A / have tired
. little OF the retalistOry feeling, 80 I have
! tried a little OF the forgving. | DO not
! want 10 leave this world until ! have
! taken vengeance upon every man that ever
! did me a wrong by doing hm a kindness
/ let US all pray for this spirit Ot kind
| ness L. will settle a thousand questions
| II will change the phase Of everything. IL
/ will mellow through and through our en-
! tire nature II will transform q lifetime
| IL y not a feeling got up for o"c5siOn-,
| but perennial. That - the reason ! like
| petanias better than morning giOrie-
| They look very much alike snd II ! should
put in your hand a petunis and = morning
/ glory you could hardy tell which was the
| pctania and which the morning g.Ory, but
| the morning glory blooms only few hours
/ and then shuts up Tor the day. while the
= peturia is in as widespread : glow al ~
/ o'clock at noon and O'Clock in the even