Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1903-12-03

renters whose term Of occupancy is mos
uncertain. Our position is much like tina
of squatters on some Western land, whit
run up their rude cabins, and plow ant
SOW, and appear for time to be permaneni
landholders-but by and by the real owner
appears, gives notice to quit, and the quasi
Dossessors must move Of. We have ne
right in this world, that is absolutely ex
elusive We may pass property from one
to another, but it is only selling lease
The absolute ownership Of God underlie'
everything. We dwell on hired land-wt
live in rented houses we work on Dor
rowed capital--the title everywhere vest:
in God. The cattle on a thousands hills
are his, and the hills themselves, and the
valleys between the hills, and the soil, and
all that grows out Of the soil, and the sun
that makes it grow, and the rain that wat
ers it. and the air that encircles it with a
zone of indispensable vitality. There is
nothing in this world that man can
claim as actually his own, except the char
acter, which, by his own choice and will
and conduct he makes his own, for that
is himself and constitutes his individual ity
in this world, and it is the only possible
transferable possession that he can take
with into the world to come. What a man
is, he possesses in his own right-what a
man has is his only in modified sense it
is his to-day, and may not be his to-
morrow-it is his only as a tenant in Gods
world, and Steward of his goods.
My proposition this morning is that we
are all debtors to our common Lord, deb
tors to God whose stewards we are, and the
question is, how shall we answer to that
indebtedness, when we aIe called before
Him to give an account Of our stewardship?
How much owest thou unto my Lord ?''
/ propose to lay before you this morning a
bundle Of bills, which conceive to repre-
sent somewhat of your Indebtedness, to
God, and which I think may fairly ask
You to consider on this day, set apart for
special thought on the goodness Of God to
us as individuals. as families, and as q
nation. If these bills are wrong, ! want
you to repudiate them--if they are correct,
do not let them go to protest. Yoe are
honest people-you pride yourselves on the
promptness with which you settle your ac-
counts, and that encourages me as | come
to you this morning in the name Of the
Master, to lay before you a bill Of particu-
lars, in the matter Of your indebtedness to
him.
Bear with me while mention some Of
the items in this account, which think it
is right that we should open and investi-
gate on this day Of Thanksgiving. Item |,
/ find against you bill for house rent.
House rent? Yes, an actual bill for yeas Of
occupancy. It may be that you hold the
deed for that man-built structure, which
you call your house, and which is imne-
diateIy your earthly home; it may be that
you look upou the tasteful and comfortable
structure, and say with some pride: 1t is
mine, own it, But do you own the
world-that larger aud grander house in
which you live? Whose house is this,
within whose commodious and hospitalable
walls dwelIs the whole family of man
read sThe earth is the Lords, and the
fulness thereof, the world aud they that
dwell therein. He hath founded it upon
the seas and established it upon the floods =
He laid the foundations of it in the chaotic
ages Of the eternity past. He was architect
and builder, carpenter. mason and decora-
tor all in one. He bent over it the spaci-
GUS firmanent as ceiling, with whose
splendors, the frescoes of Angelo on the
dome Of St. Peters, are not to be COM
pared And when, after long geologic
ages, and infinite periods Of slow architec-
turaI growth, this earthly house was COM
pleted, God created man, and made this
his dwelling place. Here we live, tenants
By the gracious will Of the divine builder
and owner. A wonderful home it is,
suited in every particular to the requires
ments Of our varied and exacting lives.
What lamp God has suspended in the
bending dome, to light his house. The
brightest flames that man ever produced,
with all his electrical or chemical apparatus,
pales in the presence of the sun. From
century TO century, God has kept that ball
burning 1900 times larger than the whole
mass of The earth, and it is as glorious to-
day. as when it heraIded the FIRST day at
time. Aud that great fire, which God
kindIed ny his breath, becomes a furnace
to warm us, as well as lamp to light our
house From it pours down the SUM
mer's heat, it warns the Autumn's genial
air, while the Winters bitter cold is tenn
pered by its gracious beams
God provides this house ready furnished,