Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

THE LEDGER: GAFFNEY, S. C.. MARCII 3, 1898 HERDING THE SHEEP. A SPRING PASTORAL FROM THE REV DR. TALMAGE. y Ho Prays That Ills Flock May I.istou to the Piping of tho Uoo<l Shepherd, liid- dlng Them to Kenounce Sin and Accept His Pardon—A Kef resiling Sermon. ^Copyright, 1898, by American Press Asso ciation.] Washington, Feb. 27.—In thin win try Henson Dr. Tuliunj'o refreshes us with this KlowiiiK pastoral until wo cun almost hear tho bleating of the Hocks in green pastures. The text is Psalms xxiii, 1, “Tho Lord is my shepherd.” What with post and rail fences and our pride in Southdown, Astrakhan and Flemish varieties of sheep, thero is no use now of the old time shepherd. Such a one had abundaace of opportunity of becoming a poet, being out of doors 13 hours the day and ofttimes wakiug up in the night on the hills. If tho stars ot tho torrents or the sun or tho flowers had anything to say, bo was very apt to hear it. The Ettrick Shepherd of Scot land, who afterward took his seat in tho brilliant circle of Wilson and Lock hart, got his wonderful poetic inspira tion in tho ten years in which ho was watching the flocks of Mr. Laidlaw. There is often a sweet poetry in the rugged prose of tho Scotch shepherd. One of these Scotch shepherds lost his only son, and ho knelt down in prayer and was overheard to say, “O Lord, it has seemed good in thy providence to take from me tho staff of my right hand at tho time when to us sand bliud mortals I seemed to be most In need of it, and how I shall climb up the hill of sorrow’ and auld age without it thou mayst ken, but I diuna!” David, the shepherd boy, is watching his father's sheep. They are pasturing on tho very hills where afterward a Lamb was born of which you have heard much, “the Lamb of God, which taketh away tho sin of the world.” David, the shepherd boy, was beautiful, brave, musical and poetic. I think he often forgot the sheep in his reveries. There in tho solitude ho struck tho harp string that is thrilling through all ages. David the boy was gathering the material for David the poet and David tho man. Like other boys, David was fond of using his knife among the saplings, and he had noticed the exuding of the juice of the tree, and when ho became a man he said, “The trees of the Lord arc full of sap.” David the boy, like other hoys, bad been fond of hunting the birds' nests, and ho had driven the old stork off the nest to find how many eggs were under her, and when he became a man he said, “As for the stork, the fir trees are her house.” In boyhood he had heard the terrific thunderstorm that frightened the red deer into premature sickness, and when he became a man ho said, “Tho voice of the Lord maketh tho hinds to calve.” David the boy bad lain upon his back looking up at the stars and examining the sky, and to his boyish imagination the sky seemed like a Piece of divine embroidery, the divine file rs working in the threads of light anfl the beads of stars, and ho became a mftn and wrote, “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers.” ■When he became an old man, thinking of tho goodness of God, ho seemed to bear the bhatiug of his father’s sheep across many years and to think of the time when he tended them on the Beth lehem hills, and ho cries out in the text, “The Lord is my shepherd.” ' If God will help mo, I will talk to you of tho shepherd’s plaid, tho shop- herd’s crook, tho shepherd’s dogs, tho iihepherd’s pastr.ro grounds and the Shepherd’s flocks. f Tho Shepherd'* Plaid. ' And first the shepherd's plaid. It would be preposterous for a man going out to rough and besoiling work to put on splendid apparel. The potter does not work in velvet; the serving maid does not put on satk while toiling at her duties; the shephcid does not wear a splendid robe in which to go out amid the storms and tho rocks and the nettles; he puts on the rough apparel appropriate to bis exposed work. Tho Lord our Shepherd, coming out to hunt the lost sheep, puts on no regal apparel, but the plain garment of our humanity. There was nothing pretentious about it. I know the old painters represent a halo around the babe Jesus, but I do not sup pose that there was any more halo about that child than about the bead of any other babe that was born that Christ' mas eve in Judaea. Becoming a man, be wore a seamless garment. The scissors and needle bad done nothing to make it graceful. I take it to have been a sack with three holes in it—oue for the neck and two for the arms. Although the gamblers quarreled over it that is no evidence of its value. I have seen two ragpickers quarrel over the refuse of an ash barrel. No, in tho wardrobe of heav en ho left the sandals of light, the gir dles of beauty, tho robes of power and put on the besoiled and tattered raiment of our humanity. Sometimes he did not even wear the seamless robe. What is that hanging about the waist of Christ? Is it a badge of authority? Is it a royal coat of arms? No, it is a towel. The disciples’ feet are filthy from the walk on tho long way and are not fit to ho put upon tho sofas on which they are to re cline at the meal, and so Jesus washes their feet and gathers them up in the towel to dry them. Tho work of saving this world was rough work, rugged work, hard work, and Jesus put on the raiment, the plain raiment, of our flush. The storms were to beat him, tho crowds .Were to jostle him, the dust was to sprinklo him, the mobs were to pursue him. O Shepherd of Israel, leave at borne thy bright array 1 For thee, what streams to ford, what nights all unshel tered. Ho puts upon him the plain rai ment of our humanity, wears our woes, and while earth and heaven and hell etand amazed at the abnegation wraps around him tho shepherd’s plaid: Gold moontaln* and the midnight air Wltnaeaod the fervor of hie prayer. Next 1 mention the shepherd's crook. This wuh a rod with h curve at the eruL which, when a sheep was going astray, Was thrown over its nock, and in that way it was pulled back. When the sheep were not going astray, tho shep herd would often uko it as a sort of crutch, leaning on it, but when the sheep wore out of the way the crook was always busy pulling them back. All wo, like sheep, have gone astray, and had it not been for the Shepherd's crook we would have fallen long ago over the precipices. Here is a man who is making too much money. He is getting very vain. Ho says: “After awhile 1 shall ho in dependent of all tho world. Oh, nay soul, eat, driuk and bo merry 1” Busi ness disaster comes to him. What is God going to do with him? Has God any grudge agaiust him? Oh, no. God is throwing over him the shepherd's crook and pulling him back into better pastures. Hero is a man who has always been well. Ho lias never bad any sym pathy for invalids. He calls them cough ing, wheezing nuisances. After awhile sickness conies to him. Ho does not un 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 bat ter pastures. Hero is a happy household circle. Tho parent does not realize the truth that these children are only loaned to him, and he forgets from what source came his domestic hlessiuga Sickness drops upon those children and death swoops upon a little one. Ho says, "Is God angry with me?” No. His shop- herd’s crook pulls him back into better pastures. I do not know what would have become of us if it had not been for tho shepherd’s crook. Oh, the mercies of our troubles! You take up apples and plums from under the shade of the trees, and tho very best fruits of Christian character we find in the deep shade of trouble. When I was on tho steamer coming across the ocean, I get a cinder in n:y eye, and several persons tried to get it out very gently, but it could not be tak en out in that way. I was told that the engineer had a facility in such cases. I went to him. He put his large, sooty hand ou me, took a knife and wrapped the lid of the eye around tho 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 Christum life when our spiritual vision is being spoiled and all gentle appliances fail. Then thero comes some giant trouble and, black banded, lays hold of ns and removes that which would have ruined our vision forever. 1 will gather all your joys together in one regimeut of ten companies, and I will put them uuder Colonel Joy. Then I will gather all your sorrows together in oue regimeut of ten companies and put them under Colonel Breakheart. Then I will ask which of these regiments has gained for you the greater spiritual vic tories. Certainly that uuder Colonel Breakheart. In tho time of war, yon may remem ber, at the south and north tho ques tion was whether the black troops would fight, but when they were put into the struggle ou 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 ble, misfortune and disaster. Where you have gained oue spiritual success from your prosperity you have gained ten spiritual successes from yoar adver sity. Divine Sympathy. There is no animal that struggles more violently than a sheep when yon corner it and catch hold of it. Down in the glen 1 see a group of men around a lost sheep. A plowman comes along and seize:, the sheep and tries to pacify it, but it is more frightened than ever. A miller comes along, pula down his grist and caresses tho sheep, and it seems as if it would die of fright After awhile some one breaks through tho thicket. He says, “Let me have the poor thing.” He comes up and lays his arms around tho sheep, and it is imme diately quiet Who is the last man that comes? It is the shepherd. Ah, my friends, be not afraid of the shepl^rd's crook. It is never used on yoa save in mercy to pull you back. The hard, cold iceberg of tronblewill melt in the warm gulf stream of divine sympathy. There is one passage I think you mis interpret, “Tho bruised reed he 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. Tho shepherd oonld so easily make another oue, he would snap the old oue and throw it away and get another. The Bible says it is not so with onr Shepherd. When the mnsio is gone out of a man's soul, God does not snap him in twain and throw him away. He mends and restores. “The braised reed bo will not break.” Wh<;n In tho o’erhoncing heaven* of fate The threatening clouds of darknesb dwell, Then let us humbly watch and wait. It shall be well, it shall be well) And when the storm has passed away And sunshine smiles on flood and fell Bow sweet to think, how sweet to say, It lias been well, it has been well. Next I speak of tho shepherds’ dogs. They watch tho straying sheep and drive them back again. Every shepherd has his dog, from tho nomads of tho Bible times down to tho Scotch herds man watching bis flocks on tho Gram pian hills. Our shepherd employs tiio criticisms and persecutions of the world as his dogs. There are those, you know, whose whole work it is to watch the in consistencies of Christians and bark ut them. If one of God's sheep gets astray, tho world howls. With more* avidity than a shepherd’s dog ever caught i: stray sheep by the flunks or logged it by the ears worldlings seize the Chris tian uetruy. It ought to do us good to know that we aro thus watched. It ought to put us on our guard. They cannot bite us if we stay near the Shep herd. The sharp knife of worldly as sault will only trim the viuoa until they produce better grapes. The more you pound marjoram and rosemary tho sweeter they smell. Tho more dogs take after you the quicker you will get to tho gate. You have noticed that different flocks of sheep have different marks upon them —sometimes a red mark, sometimes a blue mark, sometimes a straight mark and sometimes a crooked mark. The Lord our Shepherd has a mark for his sheep. It is a red mark, the mark of the cross. “Blessed are they that aro perse cuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Klch Pasture*. Furthermore, consider the shepherds’ pasture grounds. The old shpoiierds used to take the sheep upon the mountains in tho summer and dwell in the valleys in the winter. The sheep being out of doors perpetually, their wool was better than if they had b'*en kept in the hot atmosphere of the sheep cot. Wells were dng for the sheep and covered with large stones in order that the hot weather might not spoil tho water. And then the shepherd led his flock wherever ho would. Nobody disputed his right. Su the Lord our Shepherd has a largo pas ture ground. Ho takes us in tho summer to the mountains and in the winter to the valleys. Warm days of prosperity come, and we stand on sun gilt Sabbaths and ou hills of transfiguration, and wo are so high up we can catch a glimpse of tho pinnacles of the heavenly city. Then cold wintry dnys of trouble come, and we go down into tho valley of sick ness, want and bereavement, and wo say, “Is there any sorrow like unto my sorrow?” Bnt, blessed be God, tho Lord's sheep can find pasture anywhere. Between two rocks of trouble a tuft of succulent promises, green pastures be side still waters, long sweet grass be tween bitter graves. You have noticed the structure of tho sheep’s mouth? It is so sharp that it can take up a blade of grass or clover top from tho very nar rowest spot. And so God’s sheep can pick up comfort where others can gather none. “The secret of tho Lord is with them that fear him.” Rich pasture, fountain fed pasture, for all tho flock of tho Good Shepherd. Tho hill of Zion yiolds A thousand sacred sweets Before wo roach the heavenly fields Or walk the golden streets. Lastly, consider the shepherd’s fold. The time of sheep shearing was a very glad tiino. Tho neighbors gathered to gether, and they poured wine and danc ed for joy. The sheep were put in a place inclosed by a wall, where it was very easy to count them and know whether any of them had been taken by the jackals or dogs. Tho inclosure was called the sbeepfold. Good nows I have to tell you, in that our Lord tho Shep herd has a sheepfold, and those who are gathered in it shall never be struck by the storm, shall never be touched by tho jackals of temptation and trouble. It has a high wall—so high that no troubles can get in—so high that tho joys can not get out. How glad the old sheep will bo to find the lambs that left them a good many years ago. Millions of chil dren in heaven. Oh, heaven it will make I meter psalms there, the majority and will our song, carrying it up to a still high er point of ecstacy. Oh, there will he shouting. If children ou earth clapped their hands and danced for joy, what will they do when to tho gladness of childhood on earth is added the glad ness of childhood in heaven? It is time we got qver these morbid ideas of how we shall get out of this world. You make your religiou'au un dertaker planing coffins and driving hearses. Your religion smells of the varnish of a funeral casket Rather let your religion today come out and show you the sheepfold that God has provided for you. Ah, yon say, there is a river between this and that. I know it, but that Jordon is only for the sheep wash ing. and they shall go up on the other banks snow white. They follow the great Shepherd. They heard his voice long ago. They ore safe now—one fold and one Shepherd. Alas for those who are finally found outside the inclosure! The night of their sin bowls with jackals; they are thirst ing for their blood. The very moment that a lamb may bo frisking upon tho bills a bear may bo looking at it from the thicket Eternal Deltvrranc*. In Jnne, 1815, there was a very noble party gathered in a houso in St. James’ square, London. The prince regent was present, and the occasion was made fas cinating by musio and banqueting and by jewels. While a quadrille was being formed suddenly all tho people rushed to tho wiudows. What is the matter? Henry Percy had arrived with the news that Waterloo had been fought and that England had won the day. Thu dunce was abandoned, the party dis persed, lords, ladies and musicians rush ed into the street, and in 15 minutes from the first announcement of the good news tho house was emptied of all its guests. Ob, ye who are seated at the banquet of this world or whirling in its gayeties and frivolities, if you could hear the sweet strains of the gospel trumpet announcing Christ's victory over sin and death and hell, you would rush forth, glad iu tho eternal deliver ance. Thu Waterloo against sin has been fought, and onr Commander In Chief hath won the day. Oh, tho joys of this salvation! 1 do not caro what met aphor, what comparison you have, bring it to me, that I may use it. Amos shall bring one simile, Isaiah another, John another. Beautiful with pardon. Beau tiful with peace. Beautiful with antici pations. Or to return to tho pastoral fig ure of my text, come out of tho poor pasturugu of this world into tho rich fortunes of the Good tibepherd. The shepherd of old used to play bountiful music, and sometimes tho sheep would gather around him and lis ten. Today my heavenly Shepherd calls to yen with the very musio of heaven, bidding you to leave your slu and ac cept his pardon. Ob, that all this fleck would hear the piping of Gccd Shep herd. WEIGHTY THIFLES. SMALL THINGS THAT HAVE BROUGHT AflOUT SERIOUS RESULTS. WHEN YOU !>♦ what a merry Not many long They will he iu run away with How a CleT«r Young Barryer Came to Adopt tho Stage—A Man’s Life Saved *y a Clock That Wu» Slow—Two Lives Changed by a I’lece of Can-loss Writing. Some sage has observed, and tbo makers of copy books have recorded tho observation, that ”trifles make the sum of human things.” Liko most copy book maxims, this remark is faithfully cor rect, and, iu addition to their making the sum of human things, trifles have very often changed also the whole course of human lives. Here are a few instances: A young and clever solicitor who was making rapid headway iu his pro fession was asked by a friend who dab bled iu amateur theatricals to attend one evening a performance given by a club of which tho said friend was a prominent member. The man of law, having no engagement for the evening iu question, consented readily enough, and tho night of tho representation found him in a stall near the stage calmly awaiting tho rising of the cur tain. While ho was engaged iu study ing his programme he received a message by one of the attendants from his friend [ behind the scenes, bidding him come i there at ouoe, as he had a favor to ask | of him. Tho favor was that he should go ou iu the first scene iu the place of one of the actors who had been taken ill at the last moment, and as only ordinary dress was required no special preparation was needed. Tho solicitor, who hud never faced tho footlights iu tho whole course of his existence, was somewhat taken aback by the suddenness of tho proposition, but at length he consented to read the part, and so well did he suc ceed that from that night onward ho was possessed of tho stage fever, and a few mouths later he threw up his legal work and went ou tho professional stage. The erratic time kept by hotel clocks has often been the cause of many curses, “not loud, but deep,” but one young fellow had occasion to bless tho eccen tricity of the timepiece iu a large Amer ican hotel, for had it registered the cor rect time ho would most assuredly havo gone to kis death. The young man in question was desirous of leaving the city iu which he was stopping by a train timed to depart at G :30 in the evening, and at 6 o’clock—as he thought—ho left tho hotel with his bag and strolled leisurely down to the depot, only to find that the train had departed some five minutes. Terribly annoyed, ho returned to the hotel, and on making inquiries thero he found that tho clock at tha: establishment was ten minutes slow; hence tho loss of the train. Next morn ing tho whole of America was ringing with tho news of a terrible railway ac cident, the train in which our young friend had intended to travel having been blown over a bridge into the river, not one life being saved. It may be imagined that the youth in question did not regret, when he heard tho news, that tho hotel clock had been slow, for had it been otherwise he would most surely have caught the train and met a horrible death. Here, again, the terrible force of trifles will be apparent to all. But perhaps oue of tho most extraor dinary oases of lives changed by trifles was the following, in which the careless writing of the figure 1 so that it ap peared like 7 altered the wholo course of a young clerk’s existence: It was many years ago, when the gold fever iu California was at its highest pfcch, aud hundred; were leaving every day for the El Dorado on that western shore. Our clerk, who was plodding along in a London office ou £1 a week, was very much in love with a certain young lady, who was of a somewhat erratic and changeable disposition. Iu due course tho young man asked tbo girl to mairy him, and on her re fusing he became very despondent and accepted tho invitation of a friend who was going out to California to accompany him toward tho land of gold. He ac cordingly made his preparations and set out, and by a stroke of luck hit npon a valuable vein, with tho result that he returned to England some years later on exceedingly wealthy man. The girl had long since married, and her sweet heart never knew that on the very eve of his departure she had written him a letter, inionning him that she had changed her mind and would become his wife after all. This, however, she had done, but owing to her having written the number of the houso at which he lodged so that it seemed like “47” instead of ”41” the note was de layed, and when at length it reached its proper destination he who should have received it was ou the Atlantic. Had that letter been properly directed ho. would in all probability have married tho girl and remained a Jerk ou a few shillings a week to the end of his days. Strange that so tiny a thing as the fig ure “7” should change the whole course of u man's existence! ACKACHE Pains in the stomach, headache, spells of weakness and dis- orders in the urinary organs, it means trouble in the kidneys. If you value your life, begin treatment at once before the disease develops its dangerous stage. ft* PRICKLY A snrv ■ IS A RELIABLE CURE. It cures Brights Disease, Diabetes, Dropsy, Kidney Weak ness and Inflammation, Urinary Disorders and the diseases peculiar to women. Don’t delay; the disease spreads rapidly and soon gets beyond control, hence the earlier the treat ment is applied, the greater the assurance of a complete cure. PRICE $1.00 PER BOTTLE. Prepared by PRICKLY ASH BITTERS CO., Saiat Louis, Mo. Sold by all Druggists. ^•“Cherokee Drug Co. Special Agents. How to Look Good. Good looks are really more than skin deep depending entirely on a healthy condition of all the vital or gans. If the liver be inactive, you have a bilious look; if your stomach be.disordered, you have a dyspeptic look ; if your kidneys be affected, you have a pinched look. Secure good health, and you will surely have good looks. “Electric Hitters” is a good Alterative and Tonic. Acts directly on the stomach, liver and kidneys. Purifies the blood cures pimples, blotches and boils, and gives a good complexion. Every bottle guaran teed. Hold at Dul’re Drug Company. — ■ ■■ * —— Don't Tobacco Spit and Kmoke Yoar I.lfc Away. To Quit tobacco easily and forever, be mac netlo. full of life, nerve and vliror, take No-To- Uuc, the wonder worker. lUat makes weak mea atrong. All druggist*, &0c or II. Cureguaruo- teed Booklet and aample free. Address Sterling Utaocdy Co., Chicago or New York. yrUp The People’s Friend. In use for fifty years. Cures Cough, Cold, Croup, Whooping»Cough, Grippe, Bronchitis, Asthma and Lung Affections. DR. BULL’S COUGH 5YRUP is sold everywhere for only 25 cents. Refuse cheap substitutes. Chew LANGE'S PLUGS. The Great Tobacco Aniidoie.lOc. Dealers or mail. A C.Meyer & Co . Balta.IkX CANDY CATHARTIC r CATHARTIC ^ CURE CONSTIPATION ALL DRUGGISTS The Place Buy Flour, Sugar. Coffm., Lard, Meat, Tobacco, Hay, Seed Oats, Cotton Seed Meal and Hulls, Coal, Steel Plows, Barbed Wire, Nails, Shovels, Mattocks. Picks, Axes, in fact a full line of Hardware, Shoes, Dry Goods. Groceries, etc., for the least money IS AT ‘Goods delivered to any part of the city. Telephone No. 3b Building and Plastering Lime, Coal, Shingles, LaiAs and Plaster Hair, ^Dynamite, Blasting Powder, Fuae and Dynamite Caps, call on THE LIMESTONE SPRINGS LIME WORKS, TTeleplione 37. CARROLL & CO., Lessees Dili Co. y Phone 21. Day or Night. Orders Promptly Filled. * * : Tbe Gaffney City Land and Improvement Company * »ffurs f'tr sail* IIuIIiIIiik' Lots In this flourishing town, Gaffney City; and in ri*;u*li of tho Schools of Limestone Spring's and of this plm hy IkM puses. e Springs i i AgrlcuTtu For full pitrlieulurs apply to xiose:© wooo. act*, in lots of fr y;ent. N. R.—All tresanaKsinK on UiuUof this company, cutting and removing timber, tlshnog-oi hunting, are forbidden under penalty of law.