Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1905-04-06
1hE COOS SHEPHERD

This Is primarily u parable for
preachers.
The shepherd gift is Gods first re
quirement of those whom he stations
over his sheep. Because the priests
and Pharisees were bad shepherds.
mere hirelings. casting out of the syna-
gogue the unoffending blind man whom
Jesus had healed. the Lord uttered to
them this singing, eXcoriating rebuke,
upon which this lesson is based, and
held up. in sharp contrast to their con-
duct, the picture of a good shepherd.
No leader of II Christian flock should
allow Il year to pass without a heart
searching study of this tenth chapter
of Johns gospel.
Herein is shown the supreme heresy.
1t is not theological ~heterodoxy. 1t is
not ecclesiastical non-cOnformity. 1t is
simple selfishness. The greatest her
etic in the church is the preacher h
outs self interest above the interest of
his sheep. The minister of Coo who
first looks out for number one re-
pudiates he gospel of his Master.
There is ar old saying to the effect
that once the church had golden bish-
ops with wooden croziers; and then
the shepherds fed the sheep; later there
ers; and the sheep had to feed the
shepherds. That is a terse and graphic
picture of spiritual decline.
The strength of the church today is
In the ~uncounted company of faithful
shepherds who are daily laying down
their lives. in hard. unrecompensed
and unhonored service for the sake Of
human souls. The Good Shepherd has
many true undershepherds.
What tales any man who knows
many ministers could tell of their de-
votion. Last weeks newspapers re-
corded the heroic self sacrifice of a
priest at the Brock ton holocaust. A
few days before we read of the mini
ster h was put into quarantine be-
cause he insisted upon ministering to
a sInitten family. / recall a quiet little
chaplain of a Georgia regiment who
was eloved by the men because, when
a plague visited his city. driving out
almost everybody who ould escape, he
stood by to the end, ministering to the
sick and dying. There may be heretics
in the high calling today, AS in the
Masters time, but there are many
more who tread steadily the way that
spells self surrender.
SOME sWEETENiNG CLAIMS.
AT every TURN one is amazed at the
audacity of this gentle NaZarene. who
likened himself to a humble shepherd.
He calmly claims to be the door of
the sheep" Touching upon this phase,
Alexander McLaren points out the
majestic and unique self conscious
ness expressed in 1t. Think of any
man but this One calmly putting all
other men into the class of his sheep,
n himself in the solitary position of
shepherd. From whom else would such
a claim be anything but n sign of in
sane. swollen. self devotion, or else.
as the Jews called other like claims of
His blasphemy?" And yet, the world
listens to it, and still calls Him meek
and lowly in heart" and acknowledges
Him as a great religious teacher.
We have been accustomed always to
accord to Jesus a unique place in his
tory. The overwhelming portent Of
His words Is largely lost upon us be-
cause of their very familiarity. But
consider how staggering they must
have been to those SNUG and self COM
placent Jews. The utterances we are
studying We're IN the nature of a de-
fiance and arrangement Of the rulers.
They had cast out of doors the poor
blind man; WHAT matter, said Jesus, Il
am the door; by Me. IL I'M man enter
in. he shall be saved, n shall go in
and out, and shall find PASTURE" Mar
velous self sufficiency!
DRY FODDER AND GREEN PAS.
TURE.
OF any place or sphere or calling in
life we may ask. What kind of pas
ture does 1t afford?" That is a per-
ASSNIy khhI 4uC6llOIls As lHG kTeeH
grass all on the DEVILS side of the
fence? Look and see. Make it a point
for a week to study the expression and
lives of the six worst persons you
know: or of the six who are most
avowedly surrendered to s~elf-seeking
and worldliness. Do they appear hap
py? Are they at peace with them
selves inc mankind. Are they getting
the most out of life? Do they seem
to be drawing to old age with increas-
Ing serenity and joy?
After some conclusion has been
reached In this case. turn to the six
best Christians you know. How do
they front life? Have they the peace
they sing about? Is there depth Of
reserve and fortitude to their charac-
tiers? Do they seem to enjoy their lot,
their fellows and themselves? Have
they a glorious hope that Eliminates
their commonplace present? In short.
are they feeding on dry fodder and
husks. or are they enjoying green pas
lures?
The answer is certain. They who
center In by the Good Shepherd find
pasture" His mission is not to starve
any worthy part of mans nature. but
to satisfy 1t. He who enters the Good
Shepherds flock leaves behind noth-
ing worth taking along, and finds ev-
erything worth gaining. The evangel
came that they may have life. and may
have 1t abundantly." That In the bibles
answer to the old libel that being a
Christian a living a weak. con-
tracted. joyless n ineffective life.
The world Is too crowded with strong.
full orbed Christian men for that long
d~iscredited notion longer to pass with
thinking people. DR.. Wilfred Grenfell.
the splendid British physician whose
missionary labors among the Labrador
fishermen have made him the hero Of
one recent popular novel and of scores
Of articles and stories, IL leading a
mans life and doing a mans work to-
day. II anybody under the stars IL; vet
he will say that he>has found album
DANCE of life only In the Man OF Nag
areth.