Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1898-04-08
THEL0RD OUR SHE PHERD
A Pastoral Sermon in Time of
Public Excitement.
new nr' Taimage Would Draw Ills Hear
ar- Towards Thoughts OF Peaceful
Scenes In the Fold of tho
Heavenly shepherd.


our pride in Southdown, Astrakhan
ma Flemish varieties of sheep, there
hho aHe now OF the old-time shepherd.
such I'M one had abundance of oppor.
UNITY OF becoming poet, being out OF
doors IL hours the day and oft.times
wnling up in the night on the hills
~ the stars, or the torrents, or the sun,
or the ilowers had anything to say, he
was very apt to hear IT, The Ettrick
hhrphcrd of Scotland, who afterwards
look his seat in the brilliant circle OF
Wilson and Lockhart, got his wonder.
iul poetic inspiration In the ten years
~ which he was watching the Aoclls of
Mr. Lnidlaw. There is often a sweet
poetry IN the rugged prose of the
scotch shepherd. One of these Scotch
shepherds lost his only son, and he
lsnclt down in prayer, and was over
heard to say' "Oh, Lord, it has seemed
good In Thy province to take from me
the stan OF my right hand at the time
when TO MS sand blind mortals | seemed
W be most In need of it; and how |
hhnll climb mp the hill of sorrow and
aud age without it, Thou mayst ken,
but dinna."
David, the shepherd boy, is watch
ing his fathers sheep. They are past
uring on the very hills where after
ward Lamb was born of which you
have heard much: The Lamb of God
which taketh away the sin of the
world David, the shepherd boy, was
beautiful, brave, musical and poetic
thlnk he often forgot the sheep in his
reverics. There in the solitude he
struck the harp string that is thrilling
through all ages. David, the boy. was
gathering the material for David the
poet and David the man. Like other
boys, David was fond of using his
knife among the saplings, and he had
noticed the exuding of the Juice of the
tree; and when he became man he
said: The trees of the Lord are full
OF sap" David, the boy, like other
boys, had been fond of hunting the
birds nests, and he had driven the old
stork off the nest to find how many
eggs were under her; and when he
bcca me man he said: LAS for the
stork, the fir trees are her house. ''
In his boyhood he had heard the
terrific thunder storm that frightened
the red deer into premature sickness;
and when he became q man he said;
The voice of the Lord maketh the
kinds TO calve.n David, the boy, had
lain upon his back looking up at the
stars and examining the sky, and to
his boyish imagination the sky seemed
like piece of divine embroidery the
divine fingers working in the threads
of light and the beads OF stars; and he
became man and wrote: when |
consider Thy heavens. the work of Thy
fingers" When he became an old man,
thinking of the goodness of God, he
seemed to hear the bleating of his
fathers sheep across many years, and
to think of the time when he tended
them on the Bethlehem hills, and he
cries out in the text: The Lord is my
shepherd" d.
If God will help me, | will talk to
you of the shepherds plaid, the shep
herds crook, the shepherds dogs, the
shepherds pasture grounds, and the
shepherds ilocks
And first: The shepherds plaid: II
would be preposterous for man going
out to rough and besoiling work to put
on splendid apparel. The potter does
not work in velvet; the serving mait
does not put on satin while toiling at
her duties; the shepherd does not wear
"a splendid robe in which to go out
amidst the storms, ana the rocks, ant
the nettles; lie puts on a rough appare
appropriate to his exposed work. The
Lord our shepherd coming out to hunt
the lost sheep puts on no regal apparel
but the plain garment of our humanity
There was nothing pretentious abou
it. know the old painters represen
halo around the babe Jesus; but | dc
not suppose that there was any more
halo about that child than about thu
head of any other babe that was borl
that Christmas eve in Judea. Becoming
man, lie wore seamless garment
The scissors and needle have dom
nothing to make it graceful. | talk
it to have been a sack with three hole
in it; one forithe neck and two for tbC
arms. Although the gamblers quar-
relied over it, that is no evidence OF it
value. have seen two rag picker
quarrel over the refuse of an ash bar
rel. No; in the wardrobe of Hcavel
lie left the sandals Of light, the gii
dies of beauty, the robes of power, an
put on the besoiled and tattered RAJ
mcnt of our humanity. Sometimes II
, did not even wear the seamless robe
What is that hanging about the wais
of Christ? Is it badge OF authority
Is it royal coat Of arms? No, it is
towel. The disciples feet are filth
from the walk on the long way, an
are not fiji to be put upon the sofas o
which they are to rcclinc at the mea
and SO Jesus washes their feet an
gathers them up in the towel
dry them. The work of savin
this world was rough work, rui
ged work, hard work, and Jesus pu
oo the raiment, the plain raiment,
ogr flesh. The storms were TO bei
, Him, the crowds were to jostle Hin
tue dust was to sprinkle Him, the mol
t were to pursue Him. Oh! shepher
of Israel! leave at home Thy brigh
G. array For Thee. what streams t
z ford! He puts upon Him the plai
g raimcnt of our humanity; wears OF
II woes; and while earth and Heave
10 and hell stand amlz,d at the abneg
ton, wrapsaround Him the Shepherd
plaid:
Cold mountains and the midnight air,
= .iWitnessel the fervor OF His prayer.
y Next | mention the shepherds croo!
] This was rod with "a curve at II
end which, when sheep was goir
!. astray, was thrown over its neck; AZ
in that way it was pulled back. WhC
e. the sheep were not going astray, I'll