Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1863-10-19
5illst&l1aneous.
STORY OF THE SHEPHERD BOY
BY JOHN R. MAcDUFF, D. D.

tine nttle Den]anln OF Lne house.
His name was David, which can
" Beloved" David was a very good
boy-and he had earnestly sought to
love that"gracions Being he afterwards
SO beautifully called the Shepherd OF
Israel" Who knows but that the foun-
tain of piety in David's young heart
may have been fed by the faith and
prayers of his great grandfather and
grandmother, just as we read il after
times that Timothy first learned to fear
God from the instructions and holy
examples of his grandmother Lois,
and his mother Eunice." e Tim, i:
5.) You remember a Bible. verso
which says, 1.-THE mercy of the Lord
is from everlasting to everlasting on
them that fear Him, and His righteous
ness unto chiIdren's children" (Ps.
CHI /: II.
But David was courageous as well as
good. How often we see goodness and
greatness, bravery and true piety, going
together! The best and brayest SOL
diers, of late years, have been men who
feared Ged, and " fought the good fight
of faith" This was the case with Da.
vid.
1t required q brave hand and manly
heart, in a country like Palestine, to be
a shepherd. Sometimes one of David's
flock would stray far up. among the
precipices, and he would hear it blea-
ting with fear, as ii imploring him to
come and help it. He would set of
in q moment with his crook, and, scram-
bling up the front of the rock on his
hands and knees, would never stop till
he had rescued it, and brought it back
in safety. At other times, when there
was a scarcity of food in a dry and
thirsty sumner, he would nimbly as
cend some dizzy height to fetch, in his
hand or under his arm, a patch Of
green grass for some pining member of
his fold. At other times he would see
az eagle soaring high in the air, hover
ing over some lamb that had wander
ed. With nimble foot he would again
climb the giddy ~eminence, to save it
from being carried away in the talons
OF this winged rohber and torn to
pieces.
He tells us himself of one such ad-
venture. 1t was with a more formida
bic enemy than the eagle. One night
when the evening shadows were fall
ing, he saw in the thicket close BY,
pair of glaring eyes like those of a wild
beast. 1t was a lion, about to spring
on one of his lambs. He had CONF
from one of the ~neighboring forests
probably that of Hareth. 1t was sci
dom these animals ventured SO far a
Bethlehem, but they often had thei
lair among the oleanders and patche
of reed and brushwood near the Jor.
dan and the Dead Sea. David's heart
l think, must have quaked, as he say
this terrible monster, with raised name
crouching in the long grass. Suddenl
the lion took a great spring, seized i
his teeth a little lamb, and bounded o,
with it to his den.
What was to be done? The youn;
shepherd felt that he was unable him
self to grapple with his lordly adverse
ry. But he put up a prayer to Go
that he would help him. Then, gras
ping a club in bis hand, he followed i
close pursuit. The animal turned t
see who it was that dared to disput
his rights. With a savage growl h
e let drop the bleating lamb from hi
teeth. Raising his name, and lashin
his tail with fury, he was about to max
sure of a nobler victim. David rushe
in upon him, seized him by the shagg
"beard," and with some hard blows {
his club, laid him ~lifeless on the groun'
Great warriors in ancient times like
to have in their possession trophies ia
ken frou,the enemy in battle-swor(
and spears, and shieids-to keep
mind the victories they had won
think if David ever ONE to be pc
SCISSOR of a large house or palace of b
own, he will have the hide of that tay
ny lion hung up as a trophy on
walls. He will never forget that tel
rible struggle, o Gods kindness
coming to help him.
One day when Jesse and the eide
of Bethlehem were standing by Il
gate of the town, under the palm tree
they saw an old mar of venerable a
pearance, with a long beard and flown
robe, approaching.