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God commanded the Israelites,
when they should be safe in Canaan, not to sow their lands every seventh
year. The land was to rest that year: they must not plough,
nor dig, nor sow, nor dress their vineyards. What would they do for
food? They must trust in God; He coud make the land fruitful without
their care; and He promised to keep them, and give them all they
wanted. The fruits ripened, and the corn came up; and then they
gathered, and ate, and had plenty. But they were not to be
selfish: they were not to keep the good things to themselves:
no, they were to divide them among themselves, and their servants, and the
poor who had no possessions of their own. Every
fiftieth year among the Israelites was called the year of Jubilee, a time
of rejoicing; the trumpet was blown loudly on the day of Atonement, that
all the people might hear. If any man had lost or sold his
possessions, he was to have it again at the Jubilee; and if a poor
Israelite had become a servant, his master was to let him go, and all that
belonged to him. These laws were to teach the people kindness to
their neighbors, and trust in God. And
God commands us now to trust to Him for all we want, and to be kind to the
poor, and to give of what we have to those who have nothing. Those
are happy families, where all is love: God's blessing is upon
them. There is a family above, in which there is no sorrow nor
unhappiness, because there is no anger, no unkindness. That family
is the family of God in Heaven. God is love; the angels are full of
love; and God's own people are full of love too; they love Him, and they
love one another. We must pray God to put love into our hearts now,
holy love to Him, and to all; that when we die, we may go to that world of
love, to live there in peace and joy for ever: then we shall enjoy
all that happiness which was typified by the year of Jubilee.
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