The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1898-04-22

| frightened than ever. miller comes
along, puts down his grlst and caresses the
sheop, and IL seems as IL It would die or
fright. After awhile some one breaks
through the thicket. He says. Let ma
have the poor thing" He comes up and
lays his arms around the sheep, and it is
that comes? 1t Is the shepherd. All, my
friends. be not afraid OF the shepherds y
| 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 ~ ono passage think you mlsln-
terpret, The bruised reed He will not
breaf Do you know that the shepherd
II, IN o. zen times played upon these reeds?
Ih1y 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 80 with our Shepherd. When the
music is gone out Of a mans soul, God does
not snap him in twain and throw him away.
He mends and restores. "The bruised
reed He will not break"
Next Ispeak OF tho shepherds dogs. They
watch the straying sheep und drive them
back again. Every shepherd has his dog,
| from the nomnds of the Bible times down
to the Scotch herdsman watching his flocks
on the Grampian hills. Our shepherd em-
ploys the criticisms and prosecutions OF the
world as his dogs. There are those, you
know, whose whole work 1t Is to watch the
Inconsistencies OF Christians and bark Mt
them. II ono OF Gods shosp gets astray.
the world howls. With more avldity than
a shepherds dog ever caught stray sheep
by the flanks or luGged it by the ears
woridlings seize the Christian astray. 1t
ought to do us good to know that we are
thus watched. 1t ought to put us Oh our
guard. They cannot bite us IL we stay near
the Shepherd. The sharp knife OF worldly
assault will only trim the vnos until thev
produce better grapes. Tho more you
pound marioram and rosemary the sweeter
they smell. The moro dogs take after you
the quicker YOU will get to the gate
You have noticed that different fiocks OF
sheep have different marks upon thom-
sometimes red mark sometimes q blue
mark. sometimes q straight mark and some
times crooked mark. Tho Lord our Shep-
nerd has mark for his sheep 1t is red
mark, the mark OF the cross. blessed are
they that are prosecuted for righteousness
sake, for theirs is the kingdom Of heaven"
Furthermore, consider the shepherds
pasture grounds. The old shepherds used
20 take the sheep upon the mountains In
the summer and dwell in tho valleys In the
winter. The sheep being out OF doors per-
petually, their wool was better than il they
had been kept in tho hot atmosphere OF the
sheep cot Wells were dug for tho sheen
and covered with large stones in order that
tn" hot weather might not spoil the water.
And then the shepherd led his Nock wher-
ever hc would. Nobody disputed his right.
SO the Lord our Shepherd has n large pas
turc ground. lie takes us in tho summer
TO the mountains and in the winter To the
valleys. Warm days of prosperity come
and we stand on sun gilt Sabbnths and on
mus OF transit uration, and W" are so high
up W" can catch 4 glimpse OF the pinnucles
OF the heavenly city. Thea cold wintrv
days OF trouble come, and we go down into
the valley Oi sickness, want and bcreavr-
mcnt, and we say. is thcrc any sorrow like
unto my sorrow?' But blessed he God,
IN" Lords sheep can find pasture any
where. Between two rocks of trouble u
tuft OF succuirnt promises green pastures
beside still, waters long sweet grass be-
tween bitter graves. You have noticed the
structure OF the Sleeps mouth? 1t L. so
sharp that 1t can take up blade of grass
or clover top from the very narrowcst spot.
And so Gods sheep can pick up comfort
where others can gather none. The secret
of the Lord IL with them that fear him.
Lastly, consider the shepherds fold.
The time OF sheep shearing was very glad
Time. The KciShborS gathered together,
and they poured wine and danced for joy
The sheep We're put in 4 place incloscd
10y wall, where Ii was very easy to count
them and know whether any OF them had
hern taken by the jackals or dogs. IN.
inclosura was called the sherpfoid. Good
news have to tell you. in that our Lord
the Shepherd has II shc"pfnid. and those
who ar" gathered in it shall never be
struck hy th" Storm. shall never hatourhcd
bT tn" larkalS Of t"mrtatiua and trouble
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