A friend of mine, who had been in eastern lands, told me he saw a
shepherd who wanted his flock to cross a river. He went into the water
himself and called them; but no, they would not follow him into the
water. What did he do? Why, he girded up his loins and lifted a little
lamb under each arm, and plunged right into the stream, and crossed it
without even looking back. Whenever he lifted the lambs, the old sheep
looked up into his face and began to bleat for them; but when he
plunged into the water the dams plunged after him, and then the whole
flock followed. When they got to the other side he put down the lambs,
and they were quickly joined by their mothers, and there was a happy
meeting.
My friend says he noticed the pastures on the other side were much
better and the fields greener; and on this account the shepherd was
leading them across. Our great Palestine Shepherd does that. That
child which He has taken from the earth is but removed to green
pastures of Canaan, and the Shepherd means to draw your hearts after
it, to teach you to "set your affections on things above." When He has
taken your little Mary, Edith, or Julia, accept it as a call to look
upward and beyond. You, mother, are you weeping bitter tears for your
little one? Do not weep! Your child has gone to the place where there
is neither weeping nor sorrow. Would you have it return? Surely never.
Christ is our Shepherd--faithful and loving. Though sickness, or
trouble, or even death itself, should come to our house, and claim our
dearest ones, still they are not lost, but only gone before. God help
each one of us to have Him as our Shepherd.
If time permitted, I should like to take up the subject of Christ as
our Justification, our Wisdom, our Righteousness, the Friend that
sticketh closer than a brother; but it would take a whole eternity to
tell what Christ is to His people, and what He does for them.
I remember when I was preaching on this subject in Scotland, after I
had done, I said to a man that "I was sorry I could not finish the
subject for want of time." "Finish the subject," said the Scotchman,
"why, that would require all eternity, and even then it would not be
complete; it will be the occupation of heaven."