The Sheep and the Birds
A child once noticed how the thorns in a quickset hedge tore the wool of the sheep. In his ignorance he went to his father and begged him to cut down the hedge that did the mischief. But his father was not so hasty and impetuous; he bade the child sit down on the hill near the hedge and watch the little birds. He did so, and before long he saw the feathered songsters come and carry off the wool to line their nests. Then the boy’s father said to him: “ Do you see how useful this wool is to keep the poor little unfledged nestlings warm? The sheep do not feel the loss of a few bits of wool. Now would you have me cut down the hedge?” The child begged that he would not do so. That is the way with many people; they draw conclusions hastily, without due reflection, and therefore they fail to appreciate the wisdom that directs the world.
Q. Did all the angels remain good and happy?
A. All the angel did not remain good and happy; many of them sinned and were cast into hell, and these are called devils or bad angels.
A Free-thinker’s Fears
There are evil as well as good angels. Hobbes, a well-known English free-thinker, used confidently to assert that there was neither God nor angel, still less did he believe in a devil. Strange to say, despite his boasted unbelief, this man had the greatest dread of evil spirits; even in his old age he
