Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1901-10-05
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
"THE SPIRIT OF AMiTY' LAST SUM-
DAYS SUBJECT.
"The Barbarous People Showed Us NO
Little Kindness Acts xviii:
Kindness in Action the Greatest of
Virtues.

spirit of amity and good feeling ana
mentions illustrious examples of that
spirit; text, Acts xviii, 2, ''The bar
barous people showed us no little
kindness"
Here we are on the island of Malta,
another name for Melita. This island,
which has always been an important
commercial center, belonging at diff
ferent times to Phoenicia, to Greece,
to Rome, to Arabia, to Spain, to
France, now belongs to England. The
area of the island is about 100 square
miles. 1t is in the Mediterranean sea
and of such clarity of atmosphere that
Mount Aetna, 130 miles away. can be
distinctly seen. The island is glor1-
ously memorable because the knights
of Malta for a long while ruled there,
but NOSE famous because of the apos-
tolic shipwreck. The bestormed YES
sci 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 Is
now called ST. PauPs bay. Practical
sailors have taken up the Bible &C
count and decided beyond controversy
the place of the shipwreck. But the
lSlduu, WHICH has 81 IOuSh a SOooN, -
for the most part a garden. Richest
fruits and a profusion of honey char
acterized 1t in Paul's time as well as
now. The finest oranges, figs and
olives grow there.
When Paul and his comrades crawl
ed up on the beach, saturated and
hungry from long abstinence from
food and chilled to the bone. the ISL
anders, though called barbarians be-
cause they could not speak Greek,
opened their doors to the shipwrecked
unfortunates. Everything had gone
to the bottom of the deep, and the
barefooted, bareheaded apostle and
ships crew were in condition to ap-
preciate hospitality. About twenty
five such men a few years ago I found
in the life station near East Hampton,
Long Island They had got ashore in
the night from the sea, and not hat
OF shoe had they left. They found
out, as Paul and his fellow voyagers
found out, that the sea is the toughest
of all robbers. My text finds the ships
crew ashore on Malta and around a
hot fire drying themselves and with
the best provision the islanders can
offer them. And they go into govern
ment quarters for three days to recu-
perate, Publius, 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 staid on the
island watching for ship and putting
the hospitalities of the islanders to a
severe test. But it endured the test
satisfactorily and it is recorded for all
the ages of time and eternity to read
and hear in regard to the inhabitants
OF Malta, "The barbarous people
showed US no little kindness"
A Magnificent Word.
Kindnessi What great word
that isl 1t would take a reed as long
as that which the apocalpytic angel
used to measure heaven to tell the
length, the breadth, the height of that
munificent word. 1t is favorite Bible
word, and it is early launched in the
book of Genesis. caught up in the
book of Joshua. embraced in the book
of Ruth, sworn by in the book of
Samuel, crowned in the book of
Psalms and enthroned in many places
in the New Testament Kindness! A
word no more gentle than mighty. ]
expect it will wrestle me down before
get through with 1t. 1t is strong
enough to throw an archangel. But it
will be well for us to stand around
It and warm ourselves by it's glow as
Paul and his fellow voyagers stood
around the fire on the island of Malta,
where the Maltese made themselves
immortal in my text by the way they
treated their victims of the sea- "The
barbarous people showed us no little
kindness
The Grace of Forgiveness.
But are you waiting and hoping for
some one to be bankrupted or exposed
or discounted or in some way over
thrown then kindness has not taken
possession of your nature. You are
wrecked on a Malta where there are
no oranges You are entertaining a
guest so unlike kindness that kind
ness will not come and dwell under
the same roof. The most exhaustins
and unhealthy and ruinous spirit on
earth is revengeful spirit or retaliat-
ing spirit, as / know by experience
for have tried it for five or ten min
utes at a time. When some mean
thing has been done me or said about
me, I have felt: IT will pay him In
his own coin will show him up
The ingratel The traitor! The liar!
The villain!" But nve or ten min.