Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1898-03-09

manity; wears our woes, and while
earth ana heaven and hell stand
amazed at the aerGgation, wraps around
him the shepherds plaid
Gold mountains and the midnight air,
Witnessed the fervor of his prayer"
Next l mention the shepherds crook.
This was a rod with a curve at the end,
which, when sheep was going astray,
was thrown over it's neck; and in that
way it was pulled back. When the
sheep were not going astray, the shep-
herd would often use it as sort of
crutch, leaning on it; but when the
sheep were out of the way, the crook
was always busy pulling them back.
All we, like sheep. have gone astray,
and had it not been for the shepherds
crook, we would have fallen lonS ago
over the precipices.
Here is a man who is making too
He says, After a while shall be in
dependent of all the world. Oh, my
soul, eat, drink and be merry" Bust
ness disaster comes to him. What is
God going to do with him? Has God
any grudge against him? Oh, no. God
is throwing over him the shepherds
crook and pulling him back into better
pastures. Here is a man who has al
ways been WELL He has never had
any sympathy for invalids; he calls
them coughing, wheeling nuisances.
After a while sickness comes to him.
He does not understand what God is
going to do with him. He says, rs the
Lord angry with me?" oh, no. With
the shepherds crook he has been pull
ed back into better pastures. Here is
happy household circle. The par
ent does not realize the truth that these
children are only loaned to him, and
he forgets from what source came his
domestic blessings. Sickness drops
upon those children and death swoops
upon little one. He says, "Is God
angry with me?" No. His shepherds
crook pulls him back into better pas
lures. do not know what would have
become of us If it had not been for the
shepherds crook. Oh, the mercies of
our troubles! You take up apples and
plums from under the shade Of the
trees, and the very best fruits Of Chris
tian character we find in the deep
shade of trouble.
When I was on the steamer, coming
across the ocean, got cinder in my
eye, and several persons tried to get 1T
out very gently, but it could not be
taken out in that way. was told that
the engineer had facility in such
cases. l went to him. He put his
large, sooty hand on me, took knife,
and wrapped the lid of the eye around
the knife. I expected to be hurt very
much, but without any pain, and in
stantly he removed the cinder. Oh,
there come times in our Christian life,
when our spiritual vision Is being
spoiled, and all gentle appliances fail.
Then there comes some giant trouble,
and black-handed, lays hold Of us and
removes that which would have ruined
our vision forever. / will gather all
your joys together in one regiment of
ten companies, and / will put them
under Colonel Joy. Then / will gath
err all your sorrows together in one
regiment of ten companies, and put
them under Colonel Breakheart. Then
I will ask, which of these regiments
has gained for you the greater spirit
ual victories? Certainly that under
Colonel Breakheart.
In the time of war, you may remem-
Der, at the South and North, the ques-
ton was whether the black troops
would fight; but when they were put
into the struggle on both sides, they
did heroically. In that great day of
eternity it will be found that it was
not the white regiment Of joys that
gained your greatest successes.
but the black troops of trouble, mis-
fortune and disaster. Where you have
gained one spiritual success from your
prosperity, you have gained ten spirit
ual successes from your adversely.
You have noticed that different fiocks
of sheep have different marks upon
them; sometimes a red mark, some
times a blue mark, sometimes a straight
mark, sometimes crooked mark. The
Lord our Shepherd has mark for his
sheep. 1t is a red mark-the mark of
the cross. Blessed are they that are
prosecuted for righteousness sake, for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven"
Furthermore, consider the shepherds
pasture grounds. The old shepherds
used to take the sheep upon the noun
tains in the summer, and dwell in the
valleys in the winter. The sheep being
out of doors perpetually their wool was
better than If they had been kept in the
hot atmosphere of the sheep-cot. Wells
were dug for the sheep and covered
with large stones, in order that the hot |
weather might not spoil the water. And |
then the shepherd led his flock wher- |
ever he would nobody disputed his |
right. So the Lord our Shepherd has
a large pasture ground. He takes us |
in the summer to the mountains, and |
in the winter to the valleys. Warm |
days of prosperity come, and we stand
on sun-gilt Sabbaths, and on hills Of |
TRANSPORTATION; and we are so high up |
we can catch a glimpse of the pima
cles of the heavenly CITY Then cold |