The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1898-04-20

Il
and catch hold OF It. Down In the glen
see group OF men around lost sheep.
A plowman comes along and seizes the
sheep aud tries to pncify 1t, but It is more
frightened than ever. A miller comes
along, puts down his grist and caresses the
sheep, and It seems rs II 1t 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 1t Is
that comesS 1t Is the shepherd. All, my
friends. be not afraid Of the shepherds
| crook. II 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 mfsfn-
terpret, "The bruised reed He will not
break" Do you know that the shepherd
In olden times played upon these reeds?
They were very easily bruised, but when
'they were bruised theywere never mended.
The shepherd could so easily make another
| one, he would snap tho old one and throw
It away and get another. The Bible says
1t Is not go with our Shepherd. When the
| music IL gono out OF q 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 the shepherds dogs. They
watch the straylng sheep and drive them
back again. Every shepherd has his dog,
from the nomads OF the Bible times down
to the Scotch herdsman watching his hocks
on the Grampian hills. Our shepherd en-
ploys the criticisms and prosecutions OF the
world as his dogs. There are those, you
know, whose whole work It IL to watch the
| Inconsistencies of Christians and bark Mt
them. II one of Gods sheep gets astray,
the world howls. With more avidity than
shepherds dog ever caught n stray sheep
by the lanks or lugged It by the ears
wOrldlfnDa cpfze thp nhrtattnn nctrov II
ought to do us good to know that we are
| thus watched. II ought to put us on our
guard. They cannot bite us II we stay near
| the Shepherd. The sharp knife OF worldly
assault will only trim tho vines untili they
produce better grapes. The more you
pound marioram aud rosemary the sweeter
they smell. The more dogs take after you
| the quicker YOU will get to the gate.
You havo noticed that different nocks Of
| sheep have different marks upon them
sometimes red mark, sometimes n blue
mark, sometimes n straight mark and some
times crooked mark. The Lord our Shep-
herd has mark for his sheep. II Is n 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
| to take tho sheep upon the mountains I'm
| the summer and dwell in the valleys In the
winter. The sheep being out Of doors per-
petually, their wool was better thnn II they
had been. kept In the hot atmosphere OF the
sheep cot. Wells were dug for the sheep
and covered with large stones In order that
the hot weather might not spoil the water.
And then the shepherd led his flock wher-
ever he would. Nobody disputed his right.
SO the Lord our Shepherd has q large pas
ture ground. He takes us In the summer
to the mountains and in the winter to the
valleys. Warm days Of prosperity come,
and we stand on sun gilt Sabbaths and on
hills OF ftransflguration, and we are so high
up we can catch glimpse Of the pinnacles
OF the heavenly city. Then cold wintry
days of trouble come. and we go down into
the valley OF sickness. want and bereave-
ment, and we say, IFS there any sorrow like
unto my sorrow2" But, blessed be God,
the Lords sheep can find pasture any
where. Between two rocks of trouble
tuft OF succulent promises, green pastures
beside still waters, long sweet grass be-
structure Of the sleeps mouth? 1t is SO
sharp that 1t can take up blade Of grass
or clover top from the very narrowest spot.
And so Gods sheep can pick up comfort
where others can gather none. "The secret
Of the Lord is with them that fear him."
The time Of sheep shearing was very glad
time. The neighbors gathered together,
and they poured wine and danced for Joy.
The sheep were put In place inclosed
by wall, where 1t was very easy to count
them and know whether any Of them had
been taken by the jackals or dogs. The
inclosure was called the sheepfold Good
news have to tell you, In that our Lord
the Shepherd has n sheepfold, and those
who arc gathered In It shall never be
struck by the storm. shall never be touched
by the jackals of temptation and trouble.
1t has high wall-so high that no
troubles can get in--so high that the joys
cannot get out. How glad the old sheep
will be to find the lambs that left them
good many years ago. Millions Of children
In heaven. Oh, what n merry heaven 1t
Will makel Not many long meter psalms
there. They will be In the majority and
Will run away. with our song. carrying It
up to still higher point OF ecstasy. Oh,
there will be shouting. II children on
earth clapped their hands and danced for
Joy, what will they do when to the glad
ness OF childhood on earth Is added the
gladness Of childhood In heaven2
1t ia time we got over these morbid ideas
OF how We shall get out Of this world.
You make your religion IN undertaken
planning collins and driving hearses. Your
religion smells of tho varnish Of q funeral
casket. Rather let your religion to-day
God has provided for you. All, you say,
there Is river between this and that. l
know 1t, but that Jordan is only for the
sheep washing, and they shall go up ON the
other banks snow white. They follow the
great Shepherd. They heard his voice
long ago. They are safe now-one fold and
one Shepherd.
Alas for those who are finally found out
sidethe inclosurel The night OF their sin
howls with jackals; they are thirsting for
their blood. The very moment that lamb
may be frisking upon the hills bear may
be looking at It from the thicket.
In June. 1915, there was very noble
party gathered In a house In st. James
square, London. The ,prince regent was
present, and the occasion was made fas-
cinating by music and banqueting and by
jewels. While q quadrilie was being
formed suddenly oil the people rushed to
the windows. What is the matter? Henry
Percy had arrived with the news that
Waterloo had been fought and that Eng
land had won the day. The dance was
abandoned. the party dispersed, lords, la
dies and musicians rushed into the street.
and In fifteen minutes from the first an
nouncement Of the good news the house
was emptied OF all Its guests. oh, ye who
are seated at the banquet OF this world or
whirling In Its gayeties and frivolities, II
you could hear the sweet strains OF the
gospel trumpet announcing Christs vic-
Sin on