The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1898-03-04


way it was pulled back. When The
sheep were not going astray, the shep
herd would often use it as a sort o.
crutch, leaning on it, but when the
sheep were out of the way the crooh
was always busy pulling them back.
All we, like sheep, have gone astray,
and had it not been for the Shepherd s
crook we would have fallen long age
over the precipices
Here is a man who is making toe
much money. He is getting very vain.
He saws: "After awhile l shall be in
dependent of all the world Oh, my
soul, eat, drink and be merry!' Bust
ness disaster comes to him. What is
God going to do with him? Has God
anv grudge against him? Oh, no. God
is throwing over him the shepherd S
crook and pulling him back into better
pastures. Here is a man who has always
been we'll. He has never had any SYM
pathy for invalids He calls them cough
ing, wheeling nuisances. After awhile
sickness comes to him. He does not I'M
derstand what God is going to do with
him. He says, "Is the Lord angry with
me?" Oh, no. With the shepherd S
crook he has been pulled back into bet
ter pastures. Here is happy household
circle. The parent does not realize the
truth that these children are only loaned
to him, and he forgets from what source
came his domestic blessings. Sickness
drops upon those children and death
swoops upon little one. He says, "1s
God angry with me?" No. His shep-
herds crook pulls him back into better
pastures. | do not know what would
have become of US if it had not been for
the shepherd s crook. Oh, the mercies
of our troubles! You take up apples and
plums from under the shade of the trees,
and the very best fruits Of Christian
character we find in the deep shade of
trouble.
When l was on the steamer coming
across the ocean, got cinder in my
eye, and several persons tried to get 1T
out very gently, but it could not be tax
en- out in that way. | was told that the
engineer had facility in such cases. l
went to him. He put his large, sooty
hand on me, took knife and wrapped
the lid of the eye around the knife. I
expected to be hurt very much, but
without any pain and instantly he re-
moved the cinder. Oh, there come times
in our Christian life when our spiritual
vision is being spoiled and all gentle
appliances fail. Then there comes some
giant trouble and, black handed, lays
hold of us and removes that which
would have ruined our vision forever |
will gather all your joys together in one
regiment of ten companies, and will
put them under Colonel Joy. Then l
will gather all your sorrows together in
one regiment of ten companies and put
them under Colonel Breakheart. Then l
will ask which of these regiments has
gained for you the greater spiritual vic
tories. Certainly that under Colonel
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 heroical-
ly. In the great day of eternity it will
be found that it was not the white regi-
ment of joys that gained your greatest
successes, but the black troops of trou-
BILE, misfortune and disaster. Where
you have gained one spiritual success
from your prosperity you have gained
ten spiritual successes from your adver-
sity.
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
lost sheep. A 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 it
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. All, my
friends, be not afraid of the shepherds
CROOK. IL is u6NeT usSu vi yOu so'o al
mercy to pull you back. The hard, cold
iceberg of trouble will melt i'll the warm
gulf stream of divine sympathy.
There is one passage think you mis-
interpret, "The bruised reed be 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 it is not so
with our Shepherd. When the music is
gone out of mans soul, God does not
snap him in twain and throw him away.
He mends and restores. 1.-THE bruised
reed he will not break.
When in the o'erhanging heavens of fate
The threatening clouds of darkness dwell,
Then let us humbly watch and wait.
1t shall be we'll, it shall be WE'LL
And when the storm has passed away
And sunshine smiles on flood and fell
How sweet TO think, how sweet tosay,
1t has been well, it has been well.
Next 1 speak of the shepherds dogs.
They watch the straying sheep and
drive them back again. Every shepherd