Page:Spiritual Reflections for Every Day in the Year - Vol 3.pdf/241



HE peculiar characteristic of those signified by the sheep of the Lord, is love combined with a knowledge of the truth. They love God most, undoubtedly, or they could not form that part of His flock; but love to their neighbour, and a desire to benefit their neighbour, more especially distinguishes them. Their power to benefit those around them is derived from their knowledge. They are able to instruct, to warn, to reprove, to exhort; and their business is to aid those simple ones whose love is without that superior knowledge which they possess, while at the same time, they can and do aid all around them in acquiring a knowledge of the way of salvation, administering to their wants, both temporal and spiritual. In this, we may find three distinctions peculiar to the lamb when mentioned in Scripture, combining goodness with innocence. The Lord is called the Lamb with respect to His Divine human nature, on account of the purity of innocence, and because He is the original fountain of all goodness and all innocence. The appellation of lamb is applied to that portion of the church of the Lord which is in simple goodness, who love the Lord with all the strength, and live in obedience to His Divine Word. The symbol represents each individual man who simply, and in the innocency of his heart, loves the