The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1898-04-22
OUR WEEKLY SERMONS.
PREPARED ESPECIALLY FOR
THE FAMILY FIRESlDE.
Subject: "Herding the Shecp''-Prny.
That His Flock Mny Listen to the Pin
Ing or the Good Shepherd, bidding
Them to RenOuncc Sin aud Ask Pardon.

o" =" ne"o"hce SIN anu Ask Pardon
Tent: "rhe Lord IS my shepherd
Psalms KILL, l.
What with post and rail fences and our
ptiue In Southdown. Astrakhan and Elem
Sh varieties or sheep. there is no use now
OF the old-timc shepherd. Such ono had
abundance OF opportunity OF becoming
poet. being out OF doors twelve hours n
uay. ana ofttimes waking up in the night
on the hills. LIZ the stars or tho torrents or
tue sun or the flowers had anything to
say, ne was very apt to hear It. The Et-
trick shepherd OF Scotland, who nfterwar,l
LOOK his seat in the brilliant circle of Wil-
son and l.ockhart, got his wonderful poetic
inspiration in the ten years In which he
was watching the nocks OF Mr., Laidlaw.
Ihere Ii often a sweet po etry I'm the rugged
prose- or the Scotch shepherd. Ono of
these Scotch shepherds lost his only son
and he knelt down in prayer and was over.
heard to say, 20 Lord, it has seemed good
IN my providence to tnke from mo the
stan OF my right hand at the time when to
us sand hlind mortals seemed to be most
In need OF 1t, and how shall climb up the
hiii OF sorrow and auld age without 1t Thou
mayst ken, but Idinna,"
David, the shepherd boy. is Watching his
iather sheep. They are pasturing on the
very hills where afterward Lamb was
Docn OF which you have heard much. "tbe
Lamp or God. which taketh away the sin
OF the world" David, the shepherd boy,
was beautiful. brave musical and poetic
L think he often forgot tho sheen in his
reveries. There In the solitude he struck
the harp string that IL thrilling through all
ages. David the boy was gut herring the
material for David the poet aud David the
man Like other boys. David was fond OF
using ms knife among the sapiings. and he
ilad noticed the rSuding OF the Juice of the
tree, and when he became man he said
The trees OF the Lord are full OF san. -
David the boy, like other boys, had been
iond oil hunting the birds nests. and ho
had driven the old stork OF the nest TO find
now many eggs were under hrr and when
ne became Il man he said. AS for the stork.
the ilr trees are her house" In boyhood
he had heard the terrific thunderstorm
that frightened the rcd deer into premn-
ture sickness, aud when he became n man
he said. The voice OF the Lord mak,th
the hinds to calve." David the how hnJ
inin upon his back looking up at the stars
anu examining the sky. aud to his bovish
imagination the sky seemed like a piece of
divine embroidery. the divine fingers work.
lnE IN the threads Of light and the beads of
stars, and he became II man and wrot,
when | consider thy heavens. tho WORK
ol thy nngers." When he became an old
man, thlnking OF the goodness OF God, hc
seemed to hear tho hlratinG of his fathers
shcep across many years and to think of
{ ne Time when he tended them on the Beth
i"henl hills, and he cries ont in the text,
- The Lord is my shepherd
IL ,'od will help mo, will talk to Won OF
I u" sncrhcrdS plaid, the shepherds crook
thc Sh"ph"rd> dogs, the Shepherds past
urc grounds and the Shepherds flocks.
Ana firSt tn" shepherds plaid II would
%" pr"post"rous for man going out to
rough and bcSoiling work to nut on
splendid apparel. The potter does not work
In N"lNrl: the serving maid does not nut on
satin whi'" toiing ut her duties: the shop
hcrd does not wear splendid robe in which
In 81 a
ami the nrtt!es: he puts on The rouyn nm
L,Hret appropriatn To his expo sed work. The
i4ori our shepherd. coming out to hunt tn"
,oSl Shrei. puts on no regal apparel, but
'hc pam garment Of our humanity. There
was nothing pretrntious about 1t. know
the oli painters represent a halo around
me n;'he jesus. hut do not suppose that
tn"rr was any more halo about that child
than about tho head OF any other babe that
was born that Christmas eve in Jud,ra Be-
,oainS II man, he wore a seamless garment
IL" scissors and needle had done nothing
10 make il graceful. take il to have been
Il sack with thr"" holes in it ono for TIN,
neck ana tw" for the lrms. Although tn"
gamblers uuarrrl"d over il that is no owl
d"n"" of its vaur. | have seen two rag
ll'Err- quarrel over tn" refuse of an ash
barre. No in the wardrob" -: heaven he
irit IN" sandals % light. thr :;irGIcs nI
n'ahtN. lhc robes Of bower and put on the
hcSoi!"i and tritrr"d raim"ut nf our I'M
iHaEiiN. sometimes 'r did not even wcar
the seamless rnhr. What is Thai hnnyin..
ah"ht the waist oI christ! L. il "A badge uf
authority: /" il royal coat Of arms No
1t is towel. The disciples f".i are iitIy.
from lie wa!& on the lpn. way and are mo-.
III 10 u" put upon the -oia- on whi,h they
aye to rc"lIn" at tn" meal. and 50 Jesus
washes their i""t AMI gathers; them az, IN
The 'owc! tn dry hem. rhrwori of snyin,,
laiS world wa~ roWgh wOrN ragged work
hari work, and Jesus put on Ih. rainlrrt
thr nlnin rhim"nt, of oar flesh
Next | mention III" shcphrri., crook,
ms was Il rod with Il curve nj tn" "rd.
wn.'h. when u sheep WAS coins, astrav ,vus
thrown over its neck. anL in that Lyav !;
WAS pulled back. When III" sheer were no,
r"ihS aHiraS th" shepherd would often u.r
II n II sort Of ":utch. leaning on il, bu,
"h"" a." sheep w"r" oui Of ihr Way tn.
.rI'H Wa always busy pulling them ha"i;.
All We. lik" sheep have gone u~trav. ana
"a' ~ not hrrn Tor I'll" $hrphrrd'S ,.roui;
"" would HAY" :ail"n long ago over the
rr"ri!'ir'~.
H"r" i II nam vino is mating too much
'hnn"N. lie /" getting very vain. lie says:
AFTER &whi!" SnalI u" independent of all
tn" world Oh. my soul. eat. drink and j."
m"rry! business disaster comes to him.
" hat =" r"l going 10 do with HIM las
l'''i hnv grriS" against him? oh, no. cod
Is throwing """r hin the :,h"phcri's "r0o.
and puiIim" him back into better PASTURES
- - '''"' " Nv uhN AWAY Ibi'tn we'll.
Ii" has never had any sympathy for in
YnlidS. III" calls them coughing. whrrZiDr
huiShn""~. After awhile sickness comes 10
MIN. lie does MOI understand what God j.,
E"inS 10 Il" with him. IT," says. lis the
LORD angry with me- Oh. no. with the
Sa'ph"r' crook il" has been pulled barr,
INT" h"ti"r pastures. Here is II happy
household circle. Th" parent hor. not
r'a!iT" III" truth that these children are
"niv loaned Il him, and he forgrts from
what sour" came his domestic blessings
Sickness drops upon those children aud
death Swoops upon little one. Tie saws.
Is God angry with me- 40. His shru-
herds crook pulls him back into better
pastures do not know what would haze
h""o;n" OF GS if it had not been for the
"h"ph"rd's crook. Oh the mcrcirS Of our
troubles! You tax" up apples and rIums