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BV 4639 .M5 1896 Miller, J. R. 1840-1912. A gentle heart

y^ ^^/

/'^ f^iT

GENTLE HEART

BY
J.

R.HMILLER, D.D.
FOR,

AUTHOR OF "the BUILDING OF CHARACTER," "THINGS TO LIVE " THE BLESSING OF CHEERFULNESS," ETC.

The gentle mitide by gentle deeds

is

k7iowne
Spensei

NEW

YORK:

46

East 14TH Street

THOMAS

Y.

CROWELL & COMPANY

:

BOSTON

100

Purchase Street

Copyright,

1896,

By Thomas

Y.

Crowell & Company

C. J.

Peters & Son, Typoorapiikks, Boston.

The
met

battle

was

over.

Two mighty
Great destinies

armies had

in terrific conflict,

and the earth had quivered

beneath the shock.

decided.

had been

After the battle, gentle

field,

women came upon

the

and went quietly and quickly among the

food,

wounded and dying with water and wine and

and words of cheer and kindness.

There was diviner power in the ministry of

these angels of comfort

who came

after the battle,

when

all

was

still,

than in the awful force of the

battle itself.

We
ness
is

are strong only as

we

are gentle.

Gentle-

the power of

God working

in the world.
J. R.

M.

Philadelphia.

Thy gentleness hath made me

great.

David.

The Lord's servant must

be gentle towards all.

St.

Paul.

He shall not Nor cause it

cry aloud, nor

to he

lift

up his
street.

voice,

heard in the

The bruised reed shall he not break,

And

the

glimmering flax shall he not quench.

He vjas He saw

so tender ivith fragile things,

the

sparrow

ivith

broken wings.

A GENTLE HEART.

Gentleness
sential

is

a beautiful quality.
character.

It is

es-

to

all

true

Nobody admires

ungentleness in

man

or

woman.

When
his

man

is

harsh, cold, unfeeling, unkind, rude and rough in

his

manner, no one
a

speaks of

fine

spirit.

When
lant,

woman

is

loud-voiced, dictatorial, petu-

given to speaking bitter words and doing unis

kindly things, no person

her, "

ever heard saying of

!

What a lovely disposition she has " She may have many excellent qualities, and may do
much
good, but her ungentleness mars the beauty
of her character.

No man

is

truly great

who

is

not gentle.

Cour-

age and strength and truth

and justness

and

righteousness are essential elements in a manly

character
;

but

if all

these be in a
life
is

man and
St.

gentle-

ness be wanting, the

sadly flawed.

We

might put the word gentleness into

5

Paul's

A GENTLE HEART.
:

wonderful sentences and read them thus

'^

If I

speak with the tongues of

men and

of angels, but

have not gentleness, I

or a clanging cymbal.

am become sounding brass, And if I have the gift of

mysteries and
faith,
all

prophecy, and

know
I

all

knowl-

edge;

and

if

have

all

so as to

remove
nothing.

mountains, but have not gentleness, I

am

And
and

if if

I bestow all I give

it

my
me

goods to feed the poor,

my

body

to be burned, but

have not

gentleness,

profiteth

nothing."

A beautiful
of the flowers

legend says that one day the angel

the

angel whose charge

the flowers

it

is

to

care for the adorning of

lay

and

slept beneath the shade of a rose-bush.

Awaking

from

his sweet rex)ose refreshed,

he whispered to

the rose,

fondest object of

"

my

care,
all

Still fairest

found where

are fair

For the sweet shade thou gavest

me

Ask what thou

wilt, 'tis

granted thee."

The

rose requested that another grace might be

it.

given to

The angel thought

all his

in

silence

what

grace there was in

gifts

and adornments

which the rose had not already.

Then he threw

a veil of moss over the queen of the flowers, and a

A GENTLE HEART.
moss-rose hung
ful of all roses.
liest,

its

head before him, most beauti-

If

any Christian, even the Christ-

would pray
it

for a

new charm, an added

grace

of character,
is

may

well be for gentleness.

This

the crown of

all loveliness,

the Christliest of

all Christly qualities.

The Bible

gives us

many

a glimpse of gentle-

ness as an attribute of God.

We

think of the
statutes,

law of Moses as a great collection of dry

referring to ceremonial observances, to forms of

worship, and to matters of duty.

the last places where
tender.
ters

This

is

one of

we would

look for anything

Yet he who goes carefully over the chap-

which contain these laws comes upon many

a bit of gentleness, like a sweet flower on a cold

mountain

crag.

We
ness.

think of Sinai as the seat of law's stern-

We

hear the voice of thunderings, and we

see the flashing of lightnings.

Clouds and dark-

ness and all terribleness surround the mountain.

The people

are kept far

away because

of the aw-

ful holiness of the place.

Ko

one thinks of hear-

ing anything gentle at Sinai.

in the

Yet scarcely even

New

Testament

is

there a more wonderful

unveiling of the love of the divine

heart than

we

find

among

the words spoken on that smoking

8
mountain.
"

A GENTLE HEART.
And
the Lord passed by before him,
full

and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord, a God

plenteous in mercy
for

of compassion and gracious, slow to anger, and

and truth

keeping mercy

thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgressin.''

sion and

There

is

another revealing of divine gentle-

ness in the story of Elijah at Horeb.

great

and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke

in pieces the rocks

but

the Lord was not in

the wind.

After the storm there was an earthits

quake, with

frightful

accompaniments

but
fire.

the Lord was

fire

not in the earthquake.

Then a

swept by

but the Lord was

there
air,

not in the

After the

fire

was heard a
still,

soft whisper

breathing in the

a
And

small voice, a sound

of gentle stillness.
gentle.
all

that was God.

God
in

is

With

all

power, power that has made

all

the universe and holds

is
is.

things

being,

there

no mother in

all

the world so gentle as

God

Gentleness being a divine quality

belongs to the true

is

one which

human
be

character.

We

are
is

taught to be perfect as our Father in heaven

perfect;
gentle.
if

we would

like

God, we must be

A GENTLE HEART.
This world needs nothing more than
gentleness.
ness.
love,
it

9
needs

All
are

human
made

hearts hunger for tenderfor

We

love

not
the

only to
us.

but to be loved.

Harshness pains

Un-

gentleness touches our sensitive spirits as frost

touches the flowers.

all

It

stunts

growth of

lovely things.

We
genial

naturally crave

gentleness.
life.

It

is

like

summer

to

our

Beneath

its

warm,

nourishing influence beautiful things in us grow.

Then
special

there always are

many

people

need of tenderness.

We
burn

cannot

who have know

in

what

secret burdens

many

of those about us are

like fires

carrying,

what hidden

griefs

the hearts of those with

whom we

mingle in our
the

common
garb
of

life.

Not
;

all

grief wears

outward
veil

mourning

sunny faces
people

ofttimes

heavy

hearts.

Many
it,

who make no
it

audi-

ble appeal for

sympathy yet crave tenderness

though they ask
their burden.

they certainly need

as they

not
is

bow beneath

There

no

weakness in such a yearning.

We

remember how

our Master himself longed for expressions of love

when he was passing through

ences of suffering, and

his deepest experi-

how

bitterly he

was

dis-

appointed when his friends failed him.

10

A GENTLE HEART.
a
life

Many
struggle

goes
of

down

in

the

fierce,

hard

for

want

the blessing of

strength brought.

which human tenderness would

have

Many
him

man owes
some

his victoriousness in

sorrow
to

or in temptation to the gentleness

in

which came

helpful

form

from a thoughtful
of

friend.

We

know not who

the
is

those

we meet
gentleness

any day need

could give.

help which

our

Life

not easy to most people.

Its

Its duties are hard.

burdens are heavy.

is

Its
its

strain never relaxes.

battle.

There
is

no truce in

This world

not friendly to noble

liv-

ing.

There are countless antagonisms.

Heaven

can be reached by any of us only by passing

through serried lines of strong enmity.

help
is

Human
or opLife's

not always ready

when
find

it

would be wel-

comed.
position
rivalries

Too often men

indifference
find
love.

where they ought

to

and competitions are sharp and ofttimes

deadly.

One writes
Our

a narrow raft
little

life is like

Afloat upon the hungry sea,

Whereon

is

but a

space

And
Doth

each man, eager for a place,

thrust his brother in the sea.
so the sea
so our life
is
is

And And

salt

with tears,
fears.

worn with

A GENTLE HEART.

11

We
There
is

can never do amiss in showing gentleness.

is

no day when
it

it

will be

untimely

there
It

no place where

will not find welcome.

it

will

harm no

one,

and

may

save some one from

despair.

The touch
life

of a child

on a woman's hand

saved a

from

self-destruction.

It is interesting to think of the

new

era of love

which Jesus opened.

ness
in

Of course there was gentlebefore he came.

the world

There was
true,

mother-love.

There was friendship, deep,

and tender.

There were lovers who were bound

ties.

together with most sacred

There were hearts

even among heathen people in which there was

gentleness

almost

beautiful

enough for heaven.

There

w^ere holy places

where affection ministered

with angel tenderness.

Yet the world at large was

rich oppressed the poor.

full of cruelty.

The

The strong crushed the

to help

weak.

Women
the

were slaves and men were tyrants.

There was no hand of love reached out

the
sick,

lame, the

blind, the

old, the

de-

formed, the insane, nor any to care for the widow,

the orphan, the homeless.

Then Jesus came

and

for three

and thirty

years he went about

things.

among men, doing kindly

heart,

He had

a gentle

and gentleness

12

A GENTLE HEART.
He
spoke words which

flowed out in his speech.

throbbed with tenderness.

that that was

Mr. Longfellow said

elo-

no sermon to him, however

quent or learned or beautiful, in which he could

not hear the
heart-beat.

There was never any

in

uncertainty about the

heart-beat

the

words

which

fell

from the

lips of Jesus.

They throbbed

with sympathy and tenderness.

The people knew always that Jesus was

friend.

their

His

life

was

full

of

rich

helpfulness.

No wrong or cruelty He scattered kindness

ever

made him

ungentle.

wherever he moved.

"

The

best of

men
sufferer,
spirit.

That

e'er

soft,

wore earth about him was a meek, patient, humble, tranquil

The

first

true gentleman that ever breathed."

One day they

a cross.

nailed those gentle hands

upon

After that the people missed him, for

It

he came no more to their homes.

loss to the

was a sore

poor and the sad, and there must have

been grief in many a household.

personal

But while the

ministry of

Jesus was ended by his

death, the influence of his life

set the

went

on.

He had
fie

world a new example of

love,

had

A GENTLE HEART.

13

taught lessons of patience and meekness which

no other teacher had ever given.

parted

He had
affection.

im-

new meaning

to

human

He

had made love the law of

his kingdom.

As one might drop a handful

of spices into the

its

brackish sea, and therewith sweeten

waters,

so these teachings of Jesus fell into the w^orld's

unloving,

unkindly

life,

and

at

once

began to

change

it

into gentleness.

Wherever the gospel

has gone these sayings of the great Teacher have

been carried, and have fallen into people's hearts,

leaving there their blessings of gentleness.

The

influence of

the death of Jesus also has

wonderfully helped in teaching the great lesson

of gentleness.
cross.

It

was love that died upon the

A A

heart broke that day on Calvary.

great sorrow always, for the time at least, softens

hearts. at least

piece of crape on a door touches with

all

momentary tenderness
is

who

pass by.
caretells

Loud laughter
less

subdued even in the most

who

see the fluttering

is

emblem which

that there
as

sorrow within.
is

noble

sacrifice,

when

life

given in the effort to help or

to save others, always

makes other hearts a

little

truer, a little braver, a little nobler in their im-

pulses.

14

A GENTLE HEART.
"

No

life

Can be pure

in its

purpose and strong in

its strife,

And

all life

not be purer and stronger thereby."

The
world's

influence of
life
is

the death of Jesus on

this

immeasurable.

The

cross

is

like

a great heart of the world, sending

all lands.

love beating at
its

the centre

of

^Dulsings of tenderness into

The

life of

Christ beats in the hearts

Avho love

of his followers,

and

all

him have somelove

heart.

thing of

his

gentleness.

The

of

Jesus
is

kindles love in every believing

That

the lesson set for

all of

us in the

New

Testament.

We
that

are taught that

we should
as he

love as Jesus loved,

we should be kind
patience,

was kind, that

his

meekness,

thoughtfulness,

selflessness,

should be reproduced in us.

There
in

is

need

for

the

lesson

of

gentleness

homes.

There

love's

sweetest flowers should

bloom.

There we should always carry our purest

affections.

and best

No

matter

burdens of the day have been,

how heavy the when we gather

home
light.

at nightfall

we should take only cheer and

he finds himself
till

No

one has any right to be ungentle in

If
in
it

his

own home.

such a
has van-

mood he should go to his room

ished.

A GENTLE HEART.
The mother's
she
of
life
is

15

not easy, however happy

are long, and her load

may
care

be.
is

Her hours

never laid down.

When

one day's

tasks are finished, and she seeks her pillow for

rest,

she knows that her eyes will open in the

full

morning on another day

gone.

as the one that is

With

children about her continually, tug-

ging at her dress, climbing up on her knee, bringing their

toys,
little hurts, their

quarrels, their broken

their complaints,

their thousand questions

to her,

and then with

all

the cares and toils that

are hers, and w4th all the interruptions and annoy-

ances of the busy days,

it

is

no wonder

if

some-

times the strain

is

almost more than she can

endure in quiet patience.

Nevertheless,
lesson
of

we should
in

all

try to

learn the
It
is

gentleness

our homes.

the

lesson that is needed to

make the home-happiness

little

like

heaven's.
in.

Home
is

is

meant
in

to

be a

place to grow

It

a
its

school

which we
It is not It

should learn love in

all

branches.

a place for selfishness or for self-indulgence.

should never be a place where a

off

man

can work

his ill-humor after trying to keep polite

all

and

courteous

day outside.

It is not a place for

the opening of doors of heart and lips to let ugly

16
tempers
about at
fly

A GENTLE HEART.
out like
It
is

ill-omened

birds,

and soar

will.

not a

place where people

can act as they

feelings

feel,

however unchristian their

self-

may

be,

withdrawing the guards of

control, relaxing all restraints,

and
is

letting their

worse

self

have sway.

Home

a school

in

which there are great

It is

life-lessons to be learned.

a place

of

self-discipline.

All

friendship

is discipline.

We
not

learn to give

up our own way,

a true

or
The

if

we do

we never can become

friend.

great business of a true Christian life

is

to learn to love.

Mr. Browning, in his " Death

in the Desert,'' puts into the

St.

mouth

of the dying

John these words

For
life,

yields of joy or woe,

with

all

it

And hope and

Is just our

fear

believe
o'

the aged friend

chance

the prize of learning love,

How
And

love might be, hath been indeed,

and

is;

that

we hold thenceforth

to the uttermost

Such prize despite the envy of the world.

It is well that
us, that
life

we
all

get this truth clearly before

its

with

experiences

is is

just our
set for

chance of learning love.

us,

The
" "

lesson
I

" Thou shalt love

As

have loved you,

that ye also love one another."

Our one thing

is

A GENTLE HEART.
to master this lesson.

17

We

are not in this world

to get rich, to gain power, to

become learned

in

the arts and sciences, to build up a great business,

or to do large things in

any

line.

We

are not

here to get along in our daily work, in our shops,

or schools, or homes, or on our farms.

We

are

not here to j)reach the gospel, to comfort sorrow,

to visit the sick,

and perform deeds of charity.

All of these, or any of these,

duties,

may

be among our
;

and they

may

fill

our hands

but in
life,

all

our occupations the real business of

that

which we are always

which must go on
grasp
love,
acter.
life's

to strive to do, the

work

in all our experiences, if

we
to

true

meaning

at

all,

is

to learn

and

to

grow loving

in disposition

and char-

We may
painting,

learn the finest arts of poetry, or

life,

music,
the

sculpture,

may master

noblest sciences, or by
travel,

means

of reading, study,

and converse with refined people,

;

may

at-

tain the best culture

but

if

in all this

we do
living.
trials,

not learn love, and become more gentle in spirit

and
If

act,

we have missed
all

the

prize

of

in

the midst of
sorrows,

our duties, cares,

joys,

we

are

not day by day growing

in sweetness, in gentleness, in patience, in

meek-

18
ness,
all

A GENTLE HEART.
in unselfishness, in

thonghtfulness, and in

the branches
great
lesson

of
set

love,

we

are

not learning

the

for

us by

our Master in

this school of life.

We
tion
to

should be gentle above

all

to

those

we

love the best.

There

is

an inner circle of affec-

which each heart has a right without

robbing others.
all

While we are
ungentle
to

to be gentle unto

men,

never

any,

there

are

those to

whom we owe

special tenderness.

Those

within our
circle.

gion

in

own home belong to this sacred inner Much is said of the importance of relithe home. A home without religion is
But we must make
is

dreary and unblest indeed.

sure

that our
it

home

religion

true

and

real,

that
in in

is

of the spirit and

It

life,

and not merely

form.

must be love

love
in

wrought out
act.

thought, in word, in disposition, in

itself

It

must show
ance,

not only in patience, forbear-

and

self-control,

and
in
all

sweetness under
thoughtful-

provocation,
nesses,

but

also

gentle
all

and in

little

tender ways in

the family

intercourse.

Ko amount
make up
ents

of

good religious teaching will ever

for the lack of affectionateness in par-

toward

children.

gentleman

said

the

A GENTLE HEART.
other
day,

19
good

"My

mother was

woman.
But

She insisted on her boys going to church and

Sunday-school, and

taught us to pray.
that

do

not

remember

she

ever

kissed

me,"

She was a woman of lofty

undemonstrative,
ness.

principle, but cold,

repressed,

wanting in tender-

It

matters not

how much
if

Bible-reading

and

prayer and catechism-saying and godly teaching

there

may
is

be in a home,

gentleness
of
all

is

lacking,

that

lacking which most

life of

the
child

young

need in the

their home.
to its
life
ISTo

must

have
is

love.

Love
and
its

is

what sunshine
young
life

to

plants

flowers.

can

ever grow to
ness.

best in a

home without

gentle-

Yet there are parents who forget

to realize its importance.

this, or fail

There are homes where

affection is repressed,

the sceptre

is

iron,
is

where

where a child
are passed.

never kissed after baby days

of genius said that until
tell

A woman
she was

she was eighteen she could not

clock.

time by the

When
to teach
failed

twelve
to

her father had

the hour; but

tried

her
to

how

know

she had
to let

understand him, and feared

him know she had not understood.

Yet

20

A GENTLE HEART.
life

she said he had never in his

a harsh word.

spoken to her

On

the other hand, however, he

to her
;

had never spoken an endearing word

his

and

marble-like

coldness

had frozen her

heart.

After his death she wrote of him, "His heart

was pure

but
it

terrible.

think there was no

other like
I

on the earth."
letter

have a

from a j'oung
stranger, of

girl

of eighteen
I

in

another city

whose family

have no personal knowledge.

to

The

child writes

me, not to complain, but to ask counsel as

her

to

own

duty.

Hers

is

home where

love

finds

no adequate expression in affectionateness.

Both her parents are professing Christians, but

evidently they have
trained

themselves to

re-

press whatever tenderness there

nature.
love,

may
is

be in their

This young

girl
if

is

hungry for homeany way in

to find

and writes to ask

there

which she can reach her parents' hearts

the
treasures
of

love

which
" I

she

believes

are

locked

away
But

there.

know they
give

love

me,"
for

she writes.

"They would

their lives

me.
of

my

heart

is
is

breaking for expressions

starving for love's daily

that love."

She

food.
It
is

to

be feared that there

are too

many

A GENTLE HEART.
such homes,

21

with prayer and godly teaching, and with pure, consistent living,
but with no daily bread of lovingness for hungry
hearts.
"

Christian homes,

The

lonely heart that

knows not
ties,

love's

Soft power, or friendship's

Is like

Its gentle

yon withering flower that bows head touched to the quick

its light,

For that the genial sun hath hid And, sighing, dies."

An
in

earnest plea

is

made
else

for love's gentleness

will

homes.

Nothing

take

its

place.

There inay be
pictures,

fine furniture, rich carpets, costly

a large

library

of
all

excellent

volumes,

instruments of music, and

luxuries and adorn-

ments
family

and there may be

altar,

religious

forms,

good

instruction,
if

and

consistent
is

Christian
in

living;

but

gentleness
is

wanting

the family intercourse the lack

one which
of

leaves

an irreparable hurt in the

lives

the

children.
It
is

one of

the

superstitions

of an

Indian

tribe
to

that they can

send their love by a bird

a maiden
it

their

dead.

When
it

dies

they im-

prison a young bird until

first

begins to sing.

Then they

load

with kisses and caresses, and

22
set
it

A GENTLE HEART.
at liberty
died.
its

over the grave of the maiden

believe that the bird will
its

who has
not fold

They

wings

nor close
spirit-land,

eyes until
delivered

it

has flown to the

precious
there.

and

its

burden of affection to the loved one

It is not

uncommon
by

for twenty or thirty

birds

to

be unloosed

different relatives

and

friends over the

same

grave.

There are many people who when their loved

ones die wish they could send thus by some bird-

messenger words of love and tenderness which

they have never spoken while their friends were
close beside them.

In too

many homes

gentleis

ness

is

not
;

manifested while the circle

un-

broken

and the hearts ache for the privilege of

showing kindness, perhaps for the opportunity

of unsaying words
pain.

and undoing acts which caused

AYe would better learn the lesson of genfill

tleness in time, and then

our

home with

love

while

we may.

It will not be very long until

our chance of showing love shall have been used

up.

As George Klingle

says,

They are such dear, familiar feet that go Along the path with ours feet fast or slow,

And And

trying to keep pace.

If

they mistake,

tread

upon some flower we would take

A GENTLE HEART.
Upon our
breast, or bruise

23
reed,

some

Or crush poor hope

until

it

bleed,

We may

be mute,
to

Not turning quickly

Grave fault
;

impute
to go

for they
little

and we

Have such

way

can

be

Together such a

little

while along the way.

We

will

be patient while

we may.

But home
be gentle.

is

not the only place where

we should

If the inner circle of life's holy place

have claim on us for the best that our love can

yield, the

common walks and

own

the
love.

wider

circle

also

have claim for very true

Our Master

manifested himself to his

the world
mies,
;

as he did not to

but the world, even his crudest eneof

never received anything

ungentleness

from him.

The

heart's

most sacred revealings

are for the heart's chosen

secret of

and trusted

ones, as the

the Lord

is

with them that fear him;

all

but we are to be gentle unto

men, as our

Father sends his rain upon the just and upon the
unjust.

What we

learn under

home's
life,

roof,

in

the close fellowships of household

live

we

are to

out in our associations outside.

As Moses'

face shone Avhen he

after being with

came down among the people,

in the

God

mount, so our faces

should carry the warmth and gloAV of tenderness

24
from
love's

A GENTLE HEART.
inner shrine out into the places of

ordinary intercourse.
lesson in our

What we

learn

of

love's

home we should put

frictions,

into practice in
its

our

life in

the world, in the midst of

competitions,
testings.

strifes,

rivalries,
trials

and

manifold

and

We
tical

must never forget that

is love.

religion in its pracreli-

outworking
is

Some people think

gion

orthodoxy of

belief,

that he

who

has a

good creed

is religious.

We

must remember that

the Pharisees had a good creed, were orthodox; yet

we have our Lord's

testimony that

their
It
re-

religion did not please God.

It lacked love.

was

self-righteous, unmerciful.
in the

Others think

ligion consists

punctilious

observance of

forms of worship.

If they are

always at church
if

on Sundays and other church days, and

they attend to
all

only
all

the ordinances, and follow

the rules, they are religious.

Yet sometimes they

are not easy people to live with.

sorious,
dictatorial,

They

are cen-

judges of

others,

exacting,

severe

in

mannner, caustic in speech.

Let no

one imagine that any degree of devotion to the

church and diligence in observing ordinances will

ever pass with

God

for true

religion

if

one has

not love,

is

not loving and gentle.

A GENTLE HEART.
Eeligion
is

25
is

love.

good creed

well

but

doctrines which do not become life of gentleness

in character

and

disposition, in speech

and

in con-

duct, are not fruitful doctrines.

Church attend-

ance and Sunday-keeping and ecclesiasticism are

right and good
;

but they are only means to an end,

lovingness.

and the end

is

The

religious observ-

ances which do not work in us better thoughts,

diviner affections, sweeter
us.
life,

are not profiting

life

The

final
is

object

of

all

Christian
like
is

and and

worship
Christ
is

to

make

us more

Christ,

love.

For the whole law

this,

fulfilled in

one word, even in

^^Thou shalt love."

There
bell

is

a beautiful legend of the sweet-toned

of the angels in heaven

Its notes

which softly rings

at twilight.

make a music supremely

it

entrancing.

But none can hear

save those

only whose hearts are free from passion and clear

of unlovingnesr

and

all sin.

This

is

only a legend.

No

one on earth can hear the ringing of the bells

of heaven.

But there

is

a sweeter music which

live the gentle

the lowliest
life

may

hear.

Those who

of patient, thoughtful,

selfless

love

make a

music whose strains are enrapturing.

" The heart that feels the approval

That comes from a kindly deed

26

A GENTLE HEART.
Knows
well there's no sweeter music

On which

the spirit can feed.

In sweet' ning the

life

of another,

In relieving a brother's distress,

The

soul finds

its

highest advancement,

And

the noblest blessedness.

That life is alone worth the living That lives for another's gain
;

The

life

that comes after such living

Is the

rainbow after the

rain.

This

spirit of

human

kindness
;

Is the angel the soul

It sings its

most needs most wonderful psean,

its

While the heart does

noblest deeds.'

"

How

can we learn this lesson of gentleness

"

some one asks almost in disheartenment.

of us
life,

Many

seem never

to

master

it.

AVe go on through
grace,

enjoying the means

or
less

of

and striving

more

earnestly to grow better.

Yet our
desire

progress
to

appears to be very slow.

love's

We

learn

lesson,

but

it

comes out very

slowly in our

life.

AVe must note,

has to be learned.
at least to

first

of

all,

that the

lesson

It does not

come
it

naturally,

most people.

We

find

hard to be
Per-

gentle always and to all kinds of people.

A GENTLE HEART.

27

haps we can be gentle on sunny days; but when

the
east

wind blows we grow

fretful,

and

lose

our sweetness.

Or we can be gentle without some

gentle-spirited people, while

much
others.

effort to

perhaps we are almost unbearably ungentle to

We

are gracious and sweet to those

5

who
they

are gracious to us
us,

but

when
love,

people are rude to

when they
be
gentle
is

treat

us

unkindly,
it is

Avhen

seem unworthy of our

to
to

not so easy
is

them.

Yet that

the lesson

which

everywhere taught in the Scriptures,

set for us.

and which the Master has

It is a comfort to us to

know

that the lesson

has to be learned, and does not come as a gift

or

something bestowed.
artists

We

must learn
paint

to be

gentle, just as
tures.
ters,

learn to

lovely pic-

They spend years and years under masand

in patient, toilsome effort, before they
all realize
still

can paint pictures which at

visions of their soul.
art to

the lovely
difficult

It is a

more

learn to reproduce visions of love in hu-

man
It

life,

to

be

always patient, gentle, kind.

gives

us encouragement, as
to read

we

are

striving

to
St.

get

our lesson,

the words in which

Paul says that he had learned to be content

It adds, too, to the

wherever he was.

measure

28
of

A GENTLE HEART.
our

encouragement

to

see

from

the

chrobit

nology of the letter in which we find this

of autobiography, that the

apostle

was well on
so

toward the close of his

life

when he wrote

triumphantly of this attainment.

that
it

We may

infer

was not easy

for

him

to learn the lesson

of contentment,

and that he was quite an old

it.

man

before he had mastered

It is probably

as hard to learn to

be gentle

always as

it

is

to learn always to be contented.

It will take
cation.

time,

and

close,

unwearying

appli-

We

must

set ourselves resolutely to the

is

task

for the lesson

one that we must not

fail

fail

to learn,

unless
It

we would
is

in

growing into

Christliness.

not a matter of small im-

portance

something
essential.
life,

merely that
is

is

desirable

but

not

Gentleness

not

a mere
or

ornament of

which one may have,

may
of

not have, as one may, or

or

may

not,

wear jewels
frill

precious

stones.

It

is

not a mere

character,

which adds
Gentleness
life.

to its beauty, but is

is

not

part of

it.

essential in every true

its

Christian

It

is

part of
is

very warp and

woof.

Not

to be gentle

not to be a Christian.
learned.

Therefore

the

lesson

must be

The

golden threads must be woven into the texture.

A GENTLE HEART.
Nothing
self less

29

than the gentleness of Christ himas the pattern after

must be accepted

which
Then,

we

are to fashion our life and character.

every day some progress must be made toward

the attainment of this ideal beauty.
of

sentence
that no

Mr. Euskin's comes in here

" See

day passes in which you do not make yourself

a somewhat better creature."

The motto

of an
If

old artist was, "l^o day without a line."

set before us the perfect standard,

we

the

gentle-

ness of our Master,

and

then every day make

it

some

distinct advance,

though

be but a

line,

toward the reproducing of

this gentleness in our

own

life,

we

shall at last

wear the shining beauty.

with any partial
are
still

We

must never

rest satisfied

attainment.

Just so far as

we

ungentle,

rude to any one, even to a beggar, sharp in speech,

haughty in bearing, unkind in any way to a hu-

man

being, the lesson

is

yet imperfectly learned,

diligence.

and we must continue our

get control
of

We
train

must
all

our temper, and must master

feelings.

our moods and

selves to check

We

must

our-

any faintest

risings of irritation,

turning
ness.
ful,

it

instantly into

an impulse of tenderto be thought-

We

must school ourselves

charitable,

patient,

and to desire always to

30
do good.

A GENTLE HEART.
The way
to acquire

any grace

of char-

acter is to compel thought, word,

and act in the

one channel until the lovely quality has become

a permanent part of our Hie.

There

is

something

else.

We

never can learn

gentleness

the lesson ourselves alone.

in one's life one

To have

must have a gentle

is

heart.

Mere

human

gentleness

not enough.

We

need more

than training and

self-discixjline.
it

Our heart must

be made over before

fect lovingness.

will yield the life of per-

It is full of self
all

and pride and

qualities.

hatred and envy and

gentleness that the

un divine

The

New

Testament holds up to
is

us as the standard of Christian living

for

too high

any mere human attainment.

shall

We
And

need that

God

work

in us to help us to produce the

this divine

loveliness that is in the pattern.

co-working
is
. .

is

promised.

"

The

fruit of the Spirit

gentleness."

The Holy

Spirit will help

us to learn the lesson, working in our heart and

life

the sweetness of love, the gentleness of dis-

position,

and the graciousness of manner, which

God.
a legend of a great
artist.

will please

There

is

One day
was
dis-

he had wrought long on

his picture, but

couraged, for he could not produce on his canvas

A GENTLE HEART.
the beauty of
too
;

31

Ms

souPs vision.
stool

He was weary
by
his easel, he

and sinking down on a

fell asleep.

While he

slept

an angel came; and,

taking the brushes which had dropped from the

tired hands, he finished the picture in marvellous

way.

When we

toil

and

strive in the

name

of Christ

to learn our lesson of gentleness,

and yet grow

disheartened and weary because

slowly, Christ

we

learn

it

so

himself comes, and puts on our

canvas the touches of beauty which our

skilled

own

un-

hands cannot produce.

strive to be

" If only

we To each

pm-e and true,

of us all there will

come an hour

When the tree of life shall burst into flower, And rain at our feet the glorious dower
Of something grander than we ever knew.
If only

we strive to be pure and true, The foam of the sea will lower its crest. And the weary waves that we used to breast
Will sob and turn, and sink slowly to rest
all

With a tender calm

over and through."

ological

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