Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1898-04-22

smell. of Varnish - The Waterloo
Against sin Heavenly shepherds Call.
TEXT: The Lord is my shepherd
Psalms xiii, l.
What with pos ard rail fences an1 our
pride in Sea, b Town, Asi rak han and Elem
ish varieties Of sheep, there is no use now
Of the oli-time shepherd. such one had
abundance Of oppo rtunity Of becoming
a poet being out Of doors twelve hours "A
dav, ard 0it.imes waxing mp in the night
on the hills. T. tie stars orthe torrents or
the sun or the flowers had anything to
saw, he was very apt 10 hear ii. The Et-
trick shepherd OF scotland, who afterward
took his seat IN the brilliant circle OF Will
son and Lockhart got his wonderful poetic
inspiration in the ten years In which he
was watching the lloeks of Mr.. Laidlaw.
There Is often a sweet pc etry in the rugged
prose of the scotch shepherd. One 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 Thy providence to take from me the
staff Of my right hand at the time when to
US sand Hind mortals l seemed to be most
in need of il, aud how / shall climb up the
hill of sorrow and aud age without II Thou
mayst ken, but dinna!"
David, the shepherd boy. Is watching his
fathers sheep. They are pasturing on the
very hills where afterward a Lamb was
born of which yog have heard much, "the
Lamb OF God. which taketh away tue sin
of the world" David, the shepherd boy,
was beautiful, brave, musical and poetic.
l think he often forgot the sheep in his
reveries. 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 aud David the
man. Like other boys, David was fond OF
using his knife among the saplings, and he
had noticed the eNudinG 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 became man he said, LAS for the stork,
the fir trees are her house." In boyhood
! he had heard the terrific thunderstorm
that frightened the red deer into prema-
ture sickness, and when he became a man
he said, ''The voice OF the Lord maketh
the binds to calve." 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 work
ing in the threads OF light and the beads of
/ stars and he became a man and wrote,
! Nntu l. cOISlueE my heavens, lut WOIk
| of thy fingers When he became an old
man, thinking of the goodness of God, he
seemed to hear the bleating of his father 5
sheep across many years and to think of
the time when he tended them on the Beth
! lehem hills, and he cries out in the text,
"The Lord is my shepherd
If God will help me, will talk to you OF
the shepherds plaid, the shepherds crook,
the shepherd S dogs, the shepherds past
ure grounds and the shepherds tiocks.
And first the shepherds plaid. 1t would
be preposterous for man going out to
rough and besoiltag work to put on
splendid apparel. The potter does not ORR
in velvet: the serving maid does not put Oh
satin while toiling at her duties; the shep.
herd does not wear asplendid robe in which
to go out amid the storms and the rocks
and the nettles; he puts on the rough APP
parel appropriate to his exposed work. The
Lord our Shepherd, coming out to hunt the
lost sheep. puts on no regal apparel. bu
the plain garment OF our humanity. There
was nothing pretentious about it. / know
the old paiuters represent a halo aroun(
the babe Jesus, but l do not suppose tina
there was any more halo about that chilt
than about the head of any other babe tina
was born that Christmas eve in Judea. Be
coming man, he wore seamless garment
The scissors and needle had done nothin,
p
Il sack with three holes in it-one for tn
neck and two for the arms. Although tn
gamblers quarreled over it that is no evi
dence of its value. | have seen two rag
, pickers quarrel over the refuse of an as
. barrel. No, in the wardrobe Of heaven h
left the sandals of light, the girdles q
beauty, the robes of power and put on tn
besoiled and tattered raiment of our hu
manity. Sometimes he did not even wea
the seamless robe. What is that hangin
about the waist Of Christ? Is it badge c
authority? Is ii a royal coat of arms? Nc
it is a towel. The disciples feet are filth
from the walk on the long way and are nc
fit to be put upon the sofas on which the
are to recline at the meal, and so Jesu
washes their feet and gathers them up i
the towel to dry them. The work of savin
this world was rough work, rugged worl
hard work, and Jesus put on the raimen
the plain raiment. Of our flesh.
Next | mention the shepherds crooi
This was a rod with curve at the ent
which, when a sheep was going astray, Wa
thrown over its neck, and in that way
was pulled back. When the sheep were NJ
. going astray the shepherd would often us
, it as sort of crutcb leaning on 1t, BIT
when the sheep were out of the way til
crook was always busy pulling them bacl
5 All we, like sheep, have gone astray, an
2 had it not been for the Shepherds croo
, we would have fallen long ago over tt
precipiceS.
Here is man who is making too muc
money. He is getting very vain. He say
/. after awhile shall be independent of q
: the world. Oh, my soul, eat, drink and
9 merry' Business disaster comes to hir
= What is God going to do with him? II
y God any grudge against him? Oh, no. CO
d is throwing over him the shepherds crCt
Too L. 1..A1 hNfH nHNx
7 Here is man who has always been we
l He has never had any sympathy for /
u yalids. He calls them coughing, wheezil
O nuisances. After awhile sickness comes
h him. He does not understand what God
going to do with him, He says, sis Il
y Lord angry with me?" Oh, no. With tt
It shepherds crook he has been pulled ba'
v into better pastures. Here is hapl
= household circle. The parent does n
l. only loaned to him, and he forgets fro
n what source came his domestic blessing
u, Sickness drops upon those children oil
" death swoops upon O little one. He say
n as God angry with me2" No. His she
rs herds crook pulls him back into bett
~ pastures. do not know what would ha
" become of us If it had not been for t
shepherds crook. Oh, the mercies of o
2, troubles! You take up apples and plur
10 from under the shade of the trees, and t
-. very best fruits of Christian character
TO find in the deep shade of trouble.
it When was on the steamer coming acre
q. the ocean, got cinder in my eye, al
r several persons tried TO get it out We
gently, but it could not be taken out
that way. l was told that the engine
had facility in such cases. T went
\ him. He put his large. sooty hand on N
took knife and wrapped the lid Of the Q
h around the knife. l expected to be hu
very much, but without any pain and
4 stantly he removed the cinder Oh, the
come times in our Christian life when O
ed spiritual vision is being spoiled and
"a gentle appliances fail. Then there con
ity some giant trouble and, black hand,
ng oo,,a ta,Ta pn;nod o,,r S,;s;on tora,ra,
ON mouio nhNo iuiou cui 'ioion Aolof o.