The Sheepfold and the Common; Or, Within and Without. Vol. 1 (of 2)East, Timothy
Religion
The Sheepfold and the Common; Or, Within and Without. Vol. 1 (of 2)
East, Timothy
Christian life; Christian life -- Pictorial works
"These are thy glorious works, Parent of good:
Almighty! Thine this universal frame:
Thus wondrous fair! Thyself how wondrous then!
Unspeakable: who sitt'st above these heav'ns,
To us invisible, or dimly seen
In these thy lowest works; yet these declare
Thy goodness beyond thought, and pow'r divine."
My cogitations were interrupted by the landlady, who, as a mark of
respect, herself brought in my coffee, &c., put a small bell on the
table, and assured me, with a great deal of good-natured ease, that
she would endeavour to make me comfortable as long as I chose to
honour her house with my company. Having partaken of the provision
of the table, I resolved on taking a walk, and was told, that if I
turned short round to the right when past the clump of fir-trees, I
should soon come to a pleasant valley. This direction I followed;
and in about a quarter of an hour I entered one of the most romantic
vales I have ever visited. The sun was still gilding the tops of the
distant hills; the blue sky was enlivened by the song of the thrush,
and the responding notes of the yellow-hammer. As I walked on, my
attention was attracted by the bleating of a flock of sheep, which I
saw at a distance ascending a steep path, leading to a neighbouring
fold. I quickened my pace, that I might have some conversation with
the shepherd, who, with his dog, was bringing up the rear. He was an
old man of a swarthy complexion, and strongly marked features; his
gray hairs hung in locks over his shoulders, and his manners seemed
to indicate the presence of a superior mind. He made a courteous
bow; I saluted him, and remarked--"You are taking your flock home
to rest, which I hope sometimes reminds you of the approach of that
hour when you must rest from all your labours."
"Yes, it does; and, blessed be God, there is a rest provided for his
people."
This pious expression sprang a mine of exquisite feeling in my
breast; and I instantaneously felt a profound veneration and respect
for the old man, whom I now looked upon as a son of God in the
disguise of lowly and lonely humanity.
"I presume you know something about Jesus Christ, who is the way to
that place of rest."
"Yes, he is now my Saviour, though for many years I lived without
knowing anything about him. I often feel sorry when I think of the
many precious hours I have wasted by reading ballads and foolish
books, which I ought to have spent in reading my Bible."
"Do you ever attend a place of worship?"
"No, I never leave my flock."
"How, then, did you come to know anything about Jesus Christ?"
He put his hand into his pocket, and pulled out a tract, and said,
as the big tear dropped upon his cheek, "This is the blessed book
that made known to me a blessed Saviour; and I would not part with
it for all the world."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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