Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1907-08-07
This morning as he had left II,

This morning as he had left the
house messenger mao come annolnc
! Ing the coming of Samuel, the proph.
ct OF Israel. to hold a sacrifice and
feast at Bethlehem. His mother had
wanted him to remain to the feast
but his older brothers had objected,
declaring that ii was more important
that the sheep be put out to pasture,
and that anyway he was not old
enough to share in such occasions
Inc hrst tnge of disappointment,
which he had felt had given place to
! feeling OF light-hearted gladness, az
he remembered that he was more at
home with the Lord in the fields and
amidst his sheep than he was upon
the formal occasion of worship.
AS he led his sheep, choosing the
smoothest and easiest paths, and
watching for the coolest. .sreenest
spots for the sheep TO pasture. he
thought of the Lord as his great shep.
| herd leading him, and caring for him.
aud with the thought had com as we
have said, an ineXpressible sense of
JOY and gladness which he lid not
understand himself. He knew HAT
the nature about him spoke familiar
| language to his heart and told him OF
the God which Israel worshiped. f1e
knew that he loved his sheep and l.at
as he cared for them he found de-
light in thinking of Gods care for hi.u.
He wondered now, as he walked along,
whether he was as willing to trust
God as his sheep were wiling 10 trust
him, and whether he was as willing to
be obedient to the Divine will as they
Were to obey his voice
NO" he said, suddenly rousing
himself as his watchful eye noted
that one of the young sheep had reck
lessly wandered far up the hillside,
! and was even then disappearing into
the dense growth of underbrush. mo,
| am just like that straying sheep.
| wander so often in forbidden paths
But he added, cheerfully, as he hur
ried OFF after the truant, the Lord
goes out after me and brings me
back, even as l must go and bring
him back"
But David had covered scarcely half
of the distance to the point where he
had seen the lamb disappear when he
heard the most piteous bleating as
though he had fallen into some snare
or had been seized by some Wild
beast. Without thought of danger
TO himself, David broke into a run and
plunged into the thick jungle-like
growth, from which came the sound
of the bleating
In the sem-darkness of the denseIy
shaded place David could not see
clearly, but with no other thought
than that of reaching his precious
sheep he continued his rapid flight
towards the place from which the
sounds of distress came. and before
he realized it he suddenly stumbled
and almost fell over soft-yielding
something, which turned and faced
him with a fierce, muffled growl.
David took in the situation at
glance, and with a quickness which
TOOK the beast by surprise, he dealt
1t stunning blow between the eyes
with his heavy staff, at the same time
/ Selling the lamb and placing it behind
him. Then with prayer that God
would help him, he waited the attack
rated at the loss of its meal. AS the
creature sprang into the air at his
throat, he bent his 1.-the body to one
side and then with the quickness of
cat he was upon the beast almost
before it had touched the ground. For
tunately it landed between two tut
ting pieces of rock in such a way as
to pinion its body so that with the
weight of David's body upon il. it was
| unable to eXtricate itself, and the
more desperately it struggled. the
more tightly did it become wedged
between the edges of the :..yielaing
rock. 1t was the work of but a mo-
ment for David to unfasten the sling
OF strong thongs which he carried at
his side, and to bring it taut about
the neck of the animal beneath him.
Then with ever tightening coils he
slowly choked the animal to death.
The Lord, my shepherd. did help
me to save my sheep" he exclaimed.
| gratefully, as he lifted the lamb he
+ had just rescued from the ground
where it had lain in AFFECT fear. and
examined it to sec if it had been in
! jured. 81 am glad now that did not
| stay to the feast and sacrifice. II
was better that l should be here. Sure
| ~. | have been OF more service here
/ than / could have been there and
| guess the Lord vas nearer to me here
/ than he could have been had / re.
/ manned TO see the prophet. But |
/ wonder what mission he had 10 the
house of Jesse, my father. Perhaps."
he continued musingly as he hurried
/ back to the rest of his sheep which
he found grazing quietly. perhaps it
was to call Eliab, the eldest. TO some
/ special work. Surely he is a fine fell
| low and deserving of such good for