The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1906-07-26


defend them against the iackals and
the wolves that prowl around. Our
shepherd will protect us and provide
for our wants. not only in the So.
clusion of the fold, but while we IRE
stu. If need be. out in the world And
so David sings. Thou preparest
table before me in the presence OF
mine enemies
Then follows the closing scene Of
the day. The sun is setting and the
I flock is being brought home But
some OF them have been wounded.
and some Of them are weary And
| so the shepherd stands at the doc~ NJ
/ the sheepfold roddlng the sheep. as
I II is termed; holding them back with
/ his roi, permitting them to enter one
/ by one Here one has been bruised
I or torn by the briars, and from the
horn filled with olive oil he bafhes
the wounded head. And one is tired
and worn and, dipping into the yes
sci the large two-hqndled cup he gives
him "A drink. Thus the shenherd
cares for his sheep clear on till the
very hour Of the homecoming Moth.
ing is forgotten And so the psalm.
ist sings. stlll with the picture OF the
shepherd in his mind Thou anointest
my head with oil: my cup runneth
over But | am anticipating.
THE Lord Is NV Shenherd 7 shall
not want" What? Rest "He max
eth me to lie down in green pastures" ."
But the green pastures have to come
first. There is the contemplatlve "re,
and the active life. And my breth-
ren. we need the first: that is the
meaning Of these services; that Is the
meaning of Sunday: that is the mean
ing of Lent IL Is a mistake for us
to suppose that We can get on In the
right life without these green pas
ture experiences Somebody SAYS. II
Judge of a man by what he does"
Yes but what a man does grows out
OF what that man is And here in
these contemplatiye hours we find
Christian manhood and womanhood in
the making.
And then. there is the leadership:
81 shall not want'-guidance He
leadeth me-" That is the other side
r of the Christian experience the active
side The purpose Of these green
pastures is to send us forth to use the
strength which here we get.
And in this leadership Of His there
are two facts which | would have you
remember. He goes before us. He
lealeth' He will select no path
which his sheep cannot travel But
remember also that the sheep must
follow after: we must select no path
which He cannot travel
He leadeth me in the paths OF
righteousness not always by the side
of still waters. not always in green
pastures sometimes the sheep track
may lie across the wilderness. but
If we are following him We may know
that they are always paths of right.
eousness right paths and that they
lead toward home.
And finally, u shall not want" com.
panionship. yea though I walk
through the valley of the shadow OF
DEATH l will fear no evil; for thou
art with me-" He who is following
the Master shall find death itself on.
ly shadow; and who shall be afraid
of shadow? And though the va
ley may be there and the darkness.
He shall lead US out as He leads us
in. Death is not a blind pocket, il
is not a place of tarrying only of
transition. I shall walk through the
valley Of the shadow of death
And now, having appropriated this
psalm having sought to appreciate IL.
let US try to apply it. | mean to-day,
here and now, and tomorrow, and
tomorrow and tomorrow. every dav.
For you observe that until we reach
the very last verse It is ali in the
present tense He is not speaking
Of any distant elyslum, far away In
the fptur. The Lord is my shep-
herd; he maketh me to lie down in
J.,
the still waters" All the blessings
which have described may be yours
now. VIII you take them for yours.
and apply them to the problems of
your life to-day? Oh, learn to prac-
tice the presence Of God Try to
think OF Him as really at your side.
Speak to Him when YOU are in trouble
or perpleXity Suppose you make
test Of this Shepherd psalm only for
to-day. Suppose you say; From now
until the hour when / fall asleep nj
night | will seek to live with this
thought supreme: that God is mine,
and that He loves me, and is leading
me-" See what Ii will mean TO you
in peace and comfort and Joy. And
then realize that if you can do it for
one day, You can do 1t for every day,
and the problem of your life's mean
ing is solved And when the last val.
ley shall have been passed, and llss.
ed through and you are drawing near
to that fold which James Lane Allen
describes as the final land where
the mystery, the pain, and the yearn-
ing of this life win either be infinite
ly satisfied or infinitely quieted,"
though you shall have changed your
place you will not change your com
pany; He who was with YOU here VIII
be with you there. and this song shall
still go singing its way on and up
into the eternal light: Goodness and
mercy shall follow me all the days
Of my life, and / dwell in the house
of the Lord forever"
All Peryasiye.
There is not room enough In all
created things for the soul Of man