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been, gain greater strength day by day over every evil that besets us: all turn to the Lord that He may pardon us, and so acquaint ourselves with Him, that we may be at peace, both now, and hereafter for ever: through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen!

SERMON XVI.

JOHN X. 14.

I am the good Shepherd, and know My sheep, and am known of Mine.

THE Blessed Being who spoke these words, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, has given us in them a most just and lovely description of Himself; a description which ought to make us look up to Him, and love Him, and serve Him, and honour Him, with far greater earnestness than we do. Few as these words are, I am the good Shepherd, they contain in them much more than at first appears; all, indeed, that can be said of Him who came down from heaven to be the Friend, the Guide, the Saviour of mankind.

It had been foretold of our Blessed Lord, by the mouth of the Prophet, many hun

dred years before He came into the world, that He should feed His flock like a Shepherd: and who can read the gospel which tells us of His life, His actions, His doctrines, His commandments, His meekness, and His mercy, without seeing that what the Prophet had foretold, was fulfilled in Him? and that no one before Him ever had, as no one after Him ever will have, the power to say with as much truth as He did, I am the good Shepherd? For what is a good Shepherd? the poorest among you can answer me. A good shepherd is one who watches over his sheep with attention and care. It is his business and his pleasure to pass his life amongst them, and to keep them well-to defend them from danger-to feed them that they may thrive-to bind up the broken limbs of such as have been injured -to heal them of any sickness or disorder that may have got amongst them-to seek for and to bring back any that may have wandered and gone astray and to shut them quietly in their fold at night. This is what a shepherd has to do, and he who does so faithfully and diligently,, is ac

counted a good shepherd, and is deservedly considered a valuable servant to his

master.

Does not the whole life and conduct of Jesus Christ most fully and beautifully answer this description? Though He was Lord of heaven and earth, and had shared from everlasting the glory of His Father's kingdom, yet in mercy to us He left His dwelling place in heaven: took upon Him our nature, our form, and flesh, and came down to visit us in great humility: came down to be our Shepherd and Guide. Men were the sheep of His flock, to save the souls of sinners was His care. His life was spent to the glory of God and the benefit of men. He went about doing good: healing all manner of sickness and disease among the people. At one time casting out evil spirits from those who were possessed by them: at another restoring the dead to life, bringing back, to the comfort of afflicted friends, the soul which was already parted from the body opening the eyes of the blind, making the deaf to hear, the dumb to speak, the lame to walk feeding the starving mul

titudes by a miracle with bread: bidding the broken-hearted sinner be of good cheer, and encouraging the humble penitent with the promise of the forgiveness of his sins. Such were the attention, love, and care, which Jesus shewed to the sheep of His flock. He never slumbered nor slept in performing the good work which He had taken upon Himself to do: He called to Him all who laboured and were heavy laden, and offered to ease them of their burden; whether it were the burden of sickness and bodily infirmity, or the more grievous load of a guilty conscience, and a heart oppressed and broken by the weight of sin.

It is impossible to think of all that our Blessed Saviour did whilst He was upon earth, for the sake of sinful men, and not to feel how true the words are which He has spoken in my text, that he was indeed the good Shepherd who cared for and loved His sheep.

But, my brethren, if this were all, if Christ had only been a good Shepherd to that small part of mankind with whom He

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