The Newtown bee., 1906-06-08
LITTLE SERMONS.


OUR INHERITANCE o. o. WRIGHT.
The land shall not be sold forever; for the
land is mine, for ye 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 inherltance-each per-
son his own home. No one could
At the end of SO years it must 60 back
to the legal heirs of the mead 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 a responsible and personally
interested citizen; and patriot SOL
dier. The citizen was set there In his
own home, literally "under his own
vine and fig-tree," for the defence,
purity and perpetuation of his own
family, and his Inheritance. For if a
man and the head of family, will not
fight for his own children and fireside,
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 a sham.
Another object gained by giving to
each family a 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 if 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
/ lupO1 U1uCC VI ubO Hull al anu OP1I1Uud1
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 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 q
vital part of their faith in Jehovah
Promiscuous social relations offer the
most perilous temptations of the world
Jacobs father charged him, most sol
Canaan. Moses warned the people
again and again, against unholy ALI
ances with the idola trous, 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 Psalms,
expresses the truth of the matter ir
it's last results: 80 God, the heather
are come into thine inheritance; thy
holy temple have they defled; they
have laid Jerusalem on heaps"
| NOW WQdU Is UQ6 divine lesson IN Unl
for us, here, to-day? Is it not that OF
the highest, purest patriotism? Thi!
land which the present owners, as VIZ
call them, possess, and hold, and cal
by their own names perhaps, and will
leave to their children, is in trutl
Gods land; part of the eternal king
dom Of heaven-the Inheritance o
the meek. The earth is for man, ant
man is for God; and the ownership ant
occupation of the land stand in tn,
most direct and most important rela
tions to the life of the people; physical
mental, moral and religious. Has thu
owner of lands and houses any mora
right to sell, or lease, or rent, or uSt
in any way. any portion Of Gods he r
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 question
of the deepest concern wherever tn
, people of God may have homes. How
shall the meek inherit the earth if gu
inheritance is sold to the heather
Who does not see that the real-estat
agent and the money-lender may il
the long run depreciate and ruin tn
; homes of any community? All sort
. and conditions of men stand for al