Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1898-03-04
Divine Sympathy.


There is no animal that struggles
more violently than a sheep when you
corner it and catch hold of it. Down in
the glen l see a group of men around a
lost sheep. \ plowman comes along
and seizes the sheep and tries to pacify
it, but it is more frightened than ever.
A miller comes along, puts down his
grist and caresses the sheep, and 1t
seems as if it would die Of fright. After
awhile some one breaks through the
thicket. He says, "Let me have the
poor thing" He comes up and lays his
arms around the sheep, and it is imme-
diately quiet. Who is the last man that
comes? 1t is the shepherd. Ah, my
friends, be not afraid of the shepherd S
crook. 1t is never used on you save IN
mercy to pull you back. The hard, cold
iceberg of trouble will melt in the warm
gulf stream of divine sympathy.
There is one passage think you mis-
interpret 1.-The bruised reed he will not
break" Do you know that the shep-
herd in olden times played upon these
reeds? They were very easily bruised,
but when they were bruised they were
never mended. The shepherd could so
easily make another one, he would snap
the old one and throw it away and get
another. The Bible says 1t is not Sc
with our Shepherd. When the r'rsic Is
gone out Of a mans soul, God does rol
snap him in twain and throw him away
He mends and restores. 1.-The bruised
reed he will not break. y
When in the o'erhanging heavens Of fate
The threatening clouds Of darkness dwell
Then let US humbly watch and wait.
1t shall be well, il shall be WE'LL
And when the storm has passed away
And sunshine smiles on flood and fell
How sweet TO think, how sweet TO say,
1t has been WELL 1t has been well
Next ( speak Of the shepherds dogs.
They watch the straying sheep and
drive them back again. Every shepherd
has his dog, from the nomads Of the
Bible times down to the Scotch herds
man watching his flocks on the Gram
pian hills. Our shepherd employs the
criticisms and prosecutions of the world
as his dogs. There are those, you know,
whose whole work it is to watch the in
consistencies of Christians and bark at
them. If one Of Gods sheep gets astray,
the world howls. With more ayidity
than a shepherds dog ever caught a
stray sheep by the fianks or lugged 1t
nv the ears worldlings seize the Chris
tian astray. 1t ought to do us good to
know that we are thus watched. Is
ought to put MS on our guard. They
cannot bite US if we stay near the Shep-
herd The sharp knife of worldly as
sault will only trim the vines until they
produce better grapes The more you
pound marioram and rosemary the
sweeter they smell. The more dogs take
after you the quicker you will get to
the gate.
You have noticed that different focks
of sl4ep have different marks upon chem
sometimes a red mark, sometimes a
blue mark. sometimes a straight mark
and 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 perse-
cuted for righteousness sake. for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven"
Rich Pastures.
Furthermore, consider the shepherds
pasture grounds. The old shpeherds used
to take the sheep upon the mountains
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 vf the sheep cot. Wells were
A duo for the sheen and covered with large