The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1906-06-08
LITTLE SERMONS.
OUR INTERNATIONALLY O. O. wR1e1

OUR INHER1TANCE.--B o. o. WRIGHT.
The land shall not be sold forever; for the
land is mine. for We are strangers and So
journers with me-"
The Holy Land was at first divided
by Joshua according to divine direc-
tion, among the twelve tribes of Israel;
each tribe having its own portion of
the country distinctly bounded; each
family its own Northumberland per-
son his own home. No one could
ALLEVIATE bis Inheritance in perpetuity.
At the end of so years it must go back
to the legal heirs of the head of the
family who received it, as from the
Lord, in the original division. More
ever, no estate could become the prop
erty of any person belonging to another
tribe.
What was the divine purpose in
this? In the first place it made every
man landholder; and this made ev-
cry man responsible and personally
interested citizen; and patriot SOL
dier. The citizen was set there In his
own home, literally "under his own
vine and fg-tree," for the defence,
purity and perpetuatiOn of his own
family, and his Inheritance. For if
man and the head of a family, will not
uCs
then the welfare of the community,
town, state and country is nothing to
him. The man who deserts his home,
and sells his Inheritance to the enemies
OF his country, has no patriotism, and
his religion is sham.
Another object gained by giving to
each family permanent Inheritance
Was the securing to all the most favor
able, and nearest equal conditions for
making the most of the common ad-
vantages of life, among free people.
Every one had his chance, and it he
failed he might even have the oppor-
tunity to try again, or his children, at
least, might come into their lawful in
petition, perhaps: but certainly less
room for the pretenSiOns, false distinc-
tionS, and various abuses of wealth.
Home, family, education, health, hap
pineSS, and above all religion were
brought to the front. The power of
the people was in the hands of the
many, not in the grip of few; and
there could be but little temptation to
bribery, oppression, luxury, or political
corruption.
But, more than all else, perhaps, the
divine example of the ancient people
of God was designed to teach US the
importance of the moral and spiritual
life. Religion is the chief factor in
the history of the nation, as it is in
the biography of the individual. To
safeguard the Church, and preserve
the true ideals of the nation, the
Chosen seed OF Israel was set apart,
and securely planted in the land of
Promise-their Inheritance by the
faith of Abraham. They could not
ALLEVIATE their homesteads; they were
forbidden to intermarry with the
heather; their love of country was
vital part Of their faith in Jehovah.
PromiscuouS social relations offer the
most perilous tempta lions of the world.
Jacobs father charged him, most SOL
EMMY, not to marry a daughter of
Canaan. Moses warned the people,
again and again, against unholy alli-
ances with the idolat rous, degraded
tribes of the land. And the downfall
of Israel, when it came at last, was by
reason Of social decay and the corrup-
tion Of their religion. They forsook
the worship of Jehovah for that of
false gods; and the cry of the PsaImist
expresses the truth of the matter in
are come into thine Inheritance; thy
holy temple have they detiled; they
have laid Jerusalem on heaps"
Now what is the divine lesson in this
for us, here, to-day? Is it not that of
the highest, pureSt patriotism? This
land which the present owners, as we
call them, possess, and hold, and call
by their own names perhaps, and will
leave to their children, is in truth
Gods land; part Of the eternal king
dom of heaven-the Inheritance OF
the meek. The earth is for man, and
man is for God; and the OWNERSHIP p and
occupation Of the land stand in the
most direct and most important rela-
tions to the life of the people; physical,
mental, moral and religious. Has the
owner of lands and houses any moral
right to sell, or lease, or rent, or use
in any way. any portion of Gods her
itage, to the injury or social degreda-
tiOn OF the town, or community?
The land question is one of world
wide Importance, among the nations;
in every state, city, town and village.
"Who is my neighbour" is a question
of the deepest concern wherever the
people of God may have homes. How
shall the meek inherit the earth if our
inheritanc is sold to the heather?
Who does not see that the real-estate
agent and the money-lender may in
the long run depreciate and ruin the
homes OF any community? All sorts
and conditions of men stand for all