But now the shepherd appears to have lost some of his flock, for I behold him on the fummit of the hill, running from one eminence to another, looking anxiously around him: Now he defcends the steep towards the place where I stand; but all on a fudden, with hasty steps, he turns afide the other way, round the corner of the hill, and is loft to my view. Whilft I stand gazing the way which he ran, on the farther fide of the hollow, at a great distance, I per ceive him rifing to my fight, up the fide of a neighbouring mountain: With how much affiduous care does he seek the wanderer? This puts me in mind of that beautiful parable uttered by our Lord, “What

man of you having an hundred sheep, if " he lofe one of them, doth not leave the " ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go "after that which is loft until he find it? " and when he hath found it, he layeth it

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on his shoulders rejoicing. And when he "cometh home, he calleth together his " friends and neighbours, saying unto them, "Rejoice with me, for I have found my "sheep which was loft," Luke xv. 4, 5, 6. As the parable itself is highly delightful, the inference which our Lord draws from it is

no less beautiful, and full of comfort to finners: "I say unto you, that likewife joy "shall be in heaven over one finner that " repenteth, more than over ninety and " nine just persons which need no repen"tance," ver. 7. When shepherds are fo careful of their flocks, which are but dumb animals; and above all, when the great Shepherd, our Lord and Saviour, hath done so infinitely much for his people, his flock; nay, even laid down his own life for them, that they might be gathered from their wanderings, and brought to his fold above, and rejoiceth over the converfion of every finner: What an awful reproof does this reach to careless under-shepherds, minifters of the gospel, who are at little or no pains to keep their flocks together in the green paftures and way of holiness; neither to feek them back when they go astray in the way of the ungodly! Nay, on the contrary, often by their erroneous principles and loofe examples, drive them away, and scatter them in the cloudy and dark day, Ezek. xxxiv. 12. "As I live, faith the Lord God, " furely because my flock became a prey, " and my flock became meat to every beaft

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" of the field, because there was no shep" herd, neither did my shepherds search for "my flock; but the shepherds fed them" felves and fed not my flock: Therefore, "O ye shepherds, hear the word of the " Lord; thus faith the Lord God, behold I " am against the shepherds; and I will re"quire my flock at their hands, and cause "them to cease from feeding the flock, "neither shall the shepherds feed them" selves any more," Ezek. xxxiv. 8, 9, 10.

And, on the other hand, what an excellent lefson doth it teach those under-shepherds of care and diligence, not only to keep their flocks together, but to feed them with wholesome doctrine, and use all pains in their power to bring them back to the good paftures when they have gone astray on the mountains of fin and vanity. How ought not I alfo, who defire to be one of the sheep of Christ's pasture, to be careful in following the footsteps of the flock, feeding befide the shepherds tents, Cant. i. 8. in the green pastures of his ordinances, delighting myself only in those things in which he would have me to take pleasure, being led and guided by him through life, so that when the chief Shepherd shall appear, r Pet. v. 4. I may be fet among the sheep on his right hand, and received into his everlafting fold.

Now the shepherd is returned with his strayed sheep: poor creature! It appears to have been in the mire, for it is all defiled; he is washing it at yonder rill; how compaffionate he is! In like manner, the great Shepherd of Ifrael washes every one of his stock, not only from the guilt of fin, in the fountain of his own blood, but also from the filth, the love and power thereof, in the laver of regeneration, and fanctification of the Holy Ghost; so that their garments may be clean, and at last they may walk with him in white, Rev. iii. 4.

How pleasant is it to fee the fleecy mothers fuckling their little lambs! If the God of nature had not endowed them with that maternal care, their tender offspring would foon perish from the field, and the labour of the shepherd be loft. Just so the strong among Christ's flock ought to exercise an affectionate care towards those that are weak, by contributing all in their power to strengthen the feeble, cheer the drooping, and help the young in grace forward in the paths of religion. If it is not only natural, but abfolutely necessary in the fleecy tribe, to fuckle their young, it is certainly as much fo for the church to nourish her fpiritual feed: If this is incumbent on those who are fathers in piety, strength, and experience; it is likewife the duty of those who are but as babes in knowledge and grace, to be imitating the lambs which fuckle their mothers, by applying to those who have more knowledge and experience than themselves, for assistance and council in their Christian course, always "defiring the fincere milk " of the word, that they may grow there" by," 1 Pet. ii. 2.

It is delightful to see these little lambs, this pleasant morning, alternately frisking sportively on the hill, and browsing on the tender sproutings of the grafss, which are rendered still more soft and sweet by the balmy dew which lay upon them during the night. It is certainly incomparably more so, to fee the young among the flock of Christ, in the morning of youth, rejoicing in holiness, folacing themselves with

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