The Saint Paul globe., 1896-07-20
REV. J. #. STOUT DISCUSSES THE
SHEPHERD OF POETRY AND
& FACT,
AS WELL AS THE PARABLE.
MEN, LIKE SHEEP, ARE NEEDLESS,
AND PRONE TO FOLLOW
FALSE LEADERS
THEY NEED A GUARDIAN ANGEL
To Lead Them Back Into the Green
Pastures From Which They
Have Strayed.f

'"The Lord is my Shepherd. shall
not want" was Rev. DR.. J. F. Stout's
text at Dayton avenue Presbyterian
church last evening. He said:
The shepherd of the poet, and the
artist, Is widely different from the
shepherd in reality. To the artist or
the poet he is a restful interesting
figure, but in reality he is constantly
engaged in a task that tries him to
the utmost. and the poetic elements he
never discovers for himself. If we fol-
low the analogy which Is suggested in
the figure used here and by Jesus HIM
self, we SHALL notice some peculiar like
nesses between the sheep and the
humanity they represent. The human
flock lik7 the sheep are helpless. They
are made to be protected. Enemies
that prowl about are numerous, and
against these the sheep are helpless.
They have neither fangs nor claws.
One wolf can easily scatter the whole
flock, and feast himself on the ten
lderest lamb. Against the foes Of the
higher life humanity Is helpless. No
one alone has yet resisted and come
Off a victor. AS certainly as the sheep
need shepherd, so does our common
humanity If 1t is to be delivered at all
from Its enemies.
The human flock, like it's type, is
NAL in It's heedlessness than the sheep.
He will leave a tender pasturage un-
der safe protection, find the smallest
crev1ce in the fence, and wander off
into pastures that are burned, and in
to deserts that are desolate, and never
think, though faint from loss of food,
to search for the pasture and the place
of his exit. In this he well pictures
out sinful humanity. What is more
comman than to see wanderers by the
score, lost sheep who, like the Prodi-
gal, restive under the restraint neces-
sary for protection deliberately leave
the farther's house, the pastures green
and safe, and wander into far coun-
tries, into waste places, come to be in
want, starved in the deserts, prey
to libertines and harlots to wolves
that previously destroy, and by the
hardest come to realization of their
condition and seek their home?
The human flock. like it's type, is
given over to the slavery of fear
There is but one animal more easily
stampeded than sheep, and that one is
man. The sheep will follow leader,
partaking of his fright, even If it be
but imaginary, and follow him in a
blind rush that takes him farther from
safety. This is but picture Of the
tendency Of humanity to stampede
Men sin In mulutudeS with no reason
but the example set them. They fly in
multitudes from imaginary foes. They
avoid In multitudes the agents Of Di-
vine love; they stampeds like the sheep
and throw reason to the winds in the
blind, mad rush of the multitude Over
this helpless, needles flock there must
be a shepherd, protection that shall
be great In proportion to the dangers
that imperil.
The Psalm declares that God is that
shepherd. The sneer Of the world Is
that he who yields himself to Divine
leadership and pasturage shall want
all good things that he gives up every
pleasure in becoming part of the
Masters flock. The text says, he
shall not want" When rest Is needed
it is given, and when suster,> =
required the best is furr,,sh ~ rbs -
closest relation is betu'A~-:: tha Sbanhar6 aa.a
..ITo J., e =, FOR as Jesus has said,
w. re An Neth his own sheep by name .
nat is better than this that this help
less, needless, fearful flock shall be led
of the Lord into all truth and through
all dangers to eternal life?
The shepherd Is the companion Of the
sheep, and here the figure breaks
dcwn under the burden Of truth 1t car
ries. The relation between a shepherd
and his flock very dinly indicates that
between God and His children Blessed
is the fellowship that comes to him
who consents to belong to the flock Of
the good shepherd for even at the worst
the midnight is lighted by the glory
of his presence.