THE NINETY AND NINE.
When he lived on earth so lowly,
Friend of sinners was his name;
Now enthroned among the holy,
He rejoices in the name.
When Jesus was here upon earth the question was asked, 'Can any good
thing come out of Nazareth? But it is said that the thirty years of
Christ's obscurity was the foundation of his three years'
manifestations. He was there, however, not alone, for he was under the
fostering love and anxious solicitude of His heavenly Father. Nazareth
is beautifully described thus:
It was "a handful of pearls in a goblet of emerald. No great road led
up to this sunny nook. Trade, war, adventure, pleasure, pomp, passed by
it, flowing from west to east, from east to west, along the Roman road.
But the meadows were aglow with wheat and barley. Near the low ground
ran a belt of gardens, fenced with loose stones, in which myriads of
green figs, red pomegranates, and golden citrons ripened in the summer
sun. High up the slopes hung vintages of purple grapes. In the plain
among the corn, and beneath the mulberry-trees and figs, shone daisies,
poppies, tulips, lilies, anemones, endless in their profusion,
brilliant in their dyes. Low down on the hillside sprang a well of
water, bubbling, plentiful and sweet; and above this fountain of life,
in a long street straggling from the fountain to the synagogue, rose
the homesteads of many shepherds, craftsmen, and vine-dressers. It was
a lovely and humble place, of which no poet, no ruler, no historian of
Israel had ever taken note."
Even so, it was a very humble sphere that our missionary filled, but she
was precious in God's sight. Her work was among the poor and the lowly.
Lost sight of perhaps by men on this account, but the more like her
divine master in her work and ways. O, how true are Christ's own words:
"Whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all that he hath, he cannot
be my disciple. Salt therefore is good: but if even the salt have lost
its savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is fit neither for the
land nor for the dunghill: _men_ cast it out. He that hath ears to hear,
let him hear.
"Now all the publicans and sinners were drawing near unto him for to
hear him. And both the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, this
man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them."
Yes! sinners--unworthy, hell-deserving sinners--it is to such, that He
cries _if any man thirst_, let him come unto me and drink. How
refreshing are the well-known words:
Aid the dawning, tongue and pen;
Aid it, hopes of honest men;
Aid it, paper--aid it, type--
Aid it, for the hour is ripe,
And our earnest must not slacken
Into play.
Men of thought and men of action,
Clear the way!
The following account of the origin of the well-known hymn, the "Ninety
and Nine," may have a tendency to stimulate others to go and do
likewise. It is taken from "Sabbath Reading," published by the late Mr.
Dougal of this city, who has recently passed away into his everlasting
rest.
A humble lady in Melrose, Scotland, was led to see the beauty of the
character of Christ in the parable of the Good Shepherd. She possessed
genius, and sometimes expressed her best thoughts and feelings in
verse. The vision of Christ leaving the glories of Heaven and becoming
a seeker of men who had gone astray, like an Eastern shepherd seeking a
wandering sheep in perilous places, touched her heart with poetic
fervor, and she wrote the hymn beginning:
"There were ninety and nine that safely lay
In the shelter of the fold."
One of the stanzas most vividly and tenderly expressed her clear view
of Divine sympathy and compassion:
"But none of the ransomed ever knew
How deep were the waters crossed;
Nor how dark was the night that the Lord passed through
Ere He found His sheep that was lost.
Out in the desert He heard its cry--
Sick and helpless, and ready to die."
The poem was published in a local paper, and the lady soon afterward
died, and went to the Good Shepherd, whose love for the wandering and
perishing had gained the affections and service of her life. She was
buried in one of the churchyards of beautiful Melrose.
The efforts of a sincere life always meet with the needs of others, and
are often given, under Providence, a special mission in the world. The
simplicity and fervor of the little poem gained for it an unexpected
recognition.
The American evangelist, Mr. Sankey, was one day returning from
Edinburgh to Glasgow, to hold a farewell meeting there. Glasgow had
been the scene of the most signal triumphs in the work of Messrs. Moody
and Sankey, and this farewell gathering promised to be one of
thanksgiving and tears, of wonderful interest, power, and feeling.
Mr. Sankey, on this occasion, desired to introduce a new hymn which
should represent Christ as a compassionate and all-sufficient Saviour.
"Before getting on the train," he says, "I went to the news-stand and
bought two or three papers--some secular, some religious--and in one of
them I found these verses:
"'There were ninety and nine that safely lay
In the shelter of the fold,' etc.
"I said to my brother Moody, 'That's just the hymn I have been wanting.
I think the Lord has really sent it to us!'
"Next day this little tune or chant it is set to, came to me.
"We went into the noon meeting, and dear Dr. Bonar, who has written so
many beautiful hymns ('I was a Wandering Sheep and did not Love the
Fold,' and 'I Heard the Voice of Jesus say, Come unto Me and Rest') was
there, and the thought came to me, 'We must sing now this new hymn that
the Lord has sent us.'
"The tune had scarcely formed itself in my head yet, but I just cut the
words from the paper, put it in front of me on the organ and began to
sing them, hardly knowing where the tune was coming from. But the Lord
said, 'Sing it,' and as we were singing it His Spirit came upon us, and
what a blessed meeting we had!"
The meeting was a very crowded one, and tender feelings were awakened
in all hearts, bringing vividly to all minds, as it did, the fact that
the world is full of farewell. The imagery of the hymn, the shepherd,
the sheep-fold, the dark-night on the hills, the anxious search and the
joyful return, was in harmony with Scottish associations, and touched
the best feelings of the converts and inquirers. Christ stood revealed
in the song, and it seemed as though the listeners went up some living
Tabor, and again saw Him transfigured.
Away in the gallery there sat a lady who was at first startled, and
then deeply affected by the hymn. She was unable to speak with the
sweet singer in the confusion that followed the close of the meeting,
but she soon after wrote to him from Melrose, and said, "I thank you
for having sung, the other day, my deceased sister's words. She wrote
them five years ago. She is in Heaven now."
The hymn has had a tender mission. Thousands seeking the help of a
power outside of their own sinful nature, have seen in it the vision
that the prophet saw: "And I looked, and there was none to help; and I
wondered there was none to uphold; _therefore mine own arm brought
salvation unto me_."
What a true and striking picture is painted by the dear Saviour in this
immortal parable! They are the words of Him "who spake as never man
spake:"
"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth
not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that
which is lost, until he find it?
"And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
"And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and
neighbors, saying unto them, 'Rejoice with me; for I have found my
sheep which was lost.'
"I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in Heaven over one sinner
that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need
no repentance."
The intensity of that joy is indescribable. What a glorious company are
yonder. Here they toiled and suffered, and sacrificed for Christ, but
now they are in the land of light and love.
How sweet as we journey, to pause for a moment
And look at the foot-prints we see in our way;
The foot-prints of pilgrims who've crossed over Jordan
And now are rejoicing forever and aye.
O blessed Redeemer, ere long thou wilt call us
To join the great army beyond the dark sea;
They fought the good fight, their course they have finished,
And now they inherit the kingdom with thee.
What must be the joy in heaven when the meeting and greeting time
comes. The holy apostle said, "Set your affection on things above."
Why; what does he mean? It is that we may richly enjoy a foretaste of
its unutterable bliss preparatory to our departure.
Hark the song of holy rapture,
Hear it break from yonder strand,
Where our friends for us are waiting,
In the golden, summer land.
They have reached the port of glory,
O'er the Jordan they have passed,
And with millions they are shouting,
Home at last, home at last.
Oh, the long and sweet re-union,
Where the bells of time shall cease;
Oh, the greeting, endless greeting,
On the vernal heights of peace;
Where the hoping and desponding
Of the weary heart are past,
And we enter life eternal--
Home at last, home at last.
Look beyond, the skies are clearing;
See, the mist dissolves away;
Soon our eyes will catch the dawning
Of a bright celestial day;
Soon the shadows will be lifted,
That around us now are cast,
And rejoicing we shall gather,
Home at last, home at last.
It is no wonder that St. John in the Apocalypse, speaking anticipatively,
says:
"A voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his
servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.
"And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the
voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying,
Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of
the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
"And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean
and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
"And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto
the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the
true sayings of God."
Who are the true called to the marriage supper of the Lamb? Who are
arrayed in white linen, pure and white?
They are those who try to be like Him who said, "I am the good shepherd
who gave His life for the sheep." Here, in this wilderness of
wandering, it is our imperative duty to go out after the suffering and
sorrowing and straying, and bring them into the fold.