The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1903-02-13
OUR
SUNDAY
SERMON
BY THE EDITOR

With all the Observation-Disclosures and
activities Of our civilization in full
hlast; the bible in every home: mis-
sionaries betting the globe; e'ectric
wires circling the earth and the news
papers shedding their elulccnt light
everywhere; with a full knowledge
that in Gods wise providence there j.
an abundance for all, a cry Of desola-
ton ascends from earth to heaven
from more than four-fifths Of Gods
children that they are deprived Of
share in his generous bounties 10y the
Caesars of the earth into whose hard-
his ministers have committed them.
Created in God's image and possess
ing His attributes, man has aspirations
that no investigation, nor inventions,
nor achievements can satisfy, and
poverty, hopelessneSs and despair Go
not naturally belong to him.
That poverty abouuds in the midst
of plenty j. owing to unnatural con-
dition- made so 10y human greed and
not 10y any decree Of God abundaut-
ly proven by the bounteous and con-
tinuous yield Of earth, sea and air.
In no year of its creation has the
earth been incapable of providing
plentifully for its population, and
that the wants of some have been
more than supplied, the wants of
Others less than supplied and still
Others not supplied at al, is because
man in his greed has been allowed to
monopolize the gifts God intended for
all.
In the early history of the Jewish
people-when they were more imme-
diately under Gods direction-there
was a redivision and redistribution
of these gifts every fifty years and the
arrangement brought about 80 much
happiness that it was hailed as the
year of jubilee,
Some years ago when we were
worth more than We now possess We
had share of oil stock, share in
gold mine and an interest in a phos-
phate company, yet we realized the
fact that as the oil and rock and ore
were taken from their hidden recesses
in the earth that they were not placed
there in Gods wise providence solely
and exclusively far our use and beme-
fit, but were placed there for the use
and benefit Of the whole human
family and to make monopoly of
them is to thwart Gods plans and
And in adjusting earth, air, rain |
aud sunshine, SO that their fructifviug /
cause vegetable, tree, fruit /
and flower to yield abundantly, God !
that none should be denied |
nor deprived Of these gifts.
\ monopoly of them contravenes
His wise provision.
If all mineral and vegetable ores
'oal, iron, copper, silver, gold, phos-
Dhate, oi! gas, and all the other varied
and abundant creations Of God-were
'etained by government and let out
Dn royalties, all would be benefited
hereby and there could be no mo-
lopoly.
Better still, if the right to the soil
we're only used in usufruct by the liv-
ng the SCARED, gaunt and hideous
eatures Of want would disappear and
he earth indeed become the Kingdom
# God.
The prayer, THY Kingdom Come"
would be fully answered.
Conditions, u,ages aud enyiron-
nen;s create prejudice4 that make
hem almost impossible of eradIca-
ion.
Until a little more than a hundred
ears ago the world thought man
Incapable of self-government and that
le was compelled to have u king
-overn for him.
The establishment of a democratic
overnmeut on this western hemis-
'here Is "a refutation of that error
which all through the ages cost in
orture and death the very flower Of
ne earth = BpnuIatiop