The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1898-03-11

Itaaa aNA AIAtu. MN INTO better
pastures Here IS a man Who has al
ways been veil He hasneper had amy
sympathy for invalids. Be calls them
coughing Wheeling nuisances after
awhile sickness comes tohim lie does
not understand what God is going to
do with him BE SAYS. tIsthe Lord
angry with meg Ga, no. Miththe shop
herds crook BE las been pulled back
into better pastures Here's a happy
household circle The parent does not
realize the truth that these children
are emily loaned to him, and he forgets
from what source came his domestic
blessings. Sickness drops upon those
children, and death swoops upon a 1T.
tie one lie says, rs God angry with
me Ne. His shepherds crook pulls
bin back into better pastures do
not know what would have become OF
us ifit had not been for the shepherds
crook Oh, the mercies Of orr troublesl
You take up apples and plums from
under the shade OF the trees and the
very best fruits Of Christian character
we find in tile deep shade Of trouble.
When Twas on the steamer coming
across the ocean ! got a cinder in my
eve and several persons tried to get Ii
out very gently, but Il could not be
taken out ia that way. 4 was told that
the engineer had a faculty in such
cases 1 went to him He put his
large, sooty hand on me took a knife
and wrapped the lid Of the eye around
the knife. | expected to be hurt very
much, but without any pain, and in-
stantly he removed the cinder. Oh,
there come times ia our Chris
tian life when our spiritual vision
is being spoiled. and an gentle appli-
ances fail Then there comes some
giant trouble, and, back-handed, lays
hold Of us and removes That which
would have ruined our vision forever.
Twill gather all your joys together in
regiment Of ten companies. and /
win put them under Col. Joy. Then /
viii gather all Your sorrows together
in one regiment of ten companies, and
put them under Col Breakheart Then
/ will ask Which of these regiments
has gained for You the greatest spirit
ual victories? Certainly that under
Col. 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
heroieally. In the great day of eter-
nifty # win he found that it was not the
white regiment 81 joys Chat gained.
your greatest successes, but the black
troops of trouble. misfortune and dis,
aster. Where you have gained one
spiritual success from your prosperity,
you have gained ten spiritual successes
from your adversely
There is no animal that struggles
more violently than a sheep when you
corner it and catch hold of it, Down
in the glen / see a group OF men around
q lost sheep. A plowman comes along
and seizes the sheep and tries to paeify
10; but il is more frightened than ever.
"A miller comes along, puts down his
grist, and oaresses the sheep, and 81
seems as if 1T would die 81 frighB
After awhile some one breaks through
the ticket. lie says. Let me have
the poor thing He comes mp andsIays
his arms around the sheep, and it is
Immediately quiet. Who IS the last
that comes2 1t is The shepherd
All, nay friends, be not afraid Of the
shepherds crook 1t is never used on.
you save in mercy, to pull you back.
The hard, cold icebergs Of trouble will
melt in the warm stream of divine
sympathy
There is one passage think you mis-
interpret: "The bruised reed He viii
break. DO you know that the shep-
herd III olden times piayed upon these
reeds2 They were very easily bruised;
but when they were bruised they were
yer mended TIE shepherd could 50.
easily nsal1e another one, he would
snap the Old one ana throw it away,
and get another. The Bible says It rs
not So with 1ur Shepherd When the
music is gone out Of a mans soul, God
does not SNIP him III twain and throw
him away. He mends and restores.
The bruised reed He win not break
When, in the o~'erhanging heavens Of tate,
The threatening clouds OF darkness DWELL
Then let us humbly watch and wait;
IE shall be well I'd gholI he wei.
And when the storm has passed away
And sunshine smiles on food ana fell,
How sWB6t 10 think, how sweet TO say,
~ has been well Il has been well
Next / speak Of the shepherds dogs.
They watch the straying sheep and
them back again Eyery shep-
herd has his dog-from the nomads Of
the Bible times down to tile scotch
herdsman watching his doeks on the
1rampfan hills. Our Shepherd employs
The criticisms and prosecutions Of the
world as His dogs. There are those,
vou know, whose whole work Is %.
the inconsistenei es of Christians
and bark at them If one Of Gods
sheep gets astray, the world bowls
With more avidity than a shepherds
dog ever caught a stray sheep
by the tanks Or lugged II bg the ears,
Worldlings seize the Christian astray.
It ought to do us good to know that we
are thus watched It ought 10 put MS
on our guard They can not bite us, If
We stay near the Shepherd The sharp
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