Gates of the City

This shooting hit me as being very relevant so I looked into the town’s history. Not sure if the following is relevant, but since I am not one who readily subscribes to coincidence I felt it all seems too odd not to be . . . 298 years ago to date of the shooting the following agreement was signed by the founders of Newtown, Ct. I ran across this piece of history real quick last night and figured I would pass it on. The following is a contract to transfer a parcel of land to the ownership of “Samuel Sanford and his heirs and assigns forever.”

“To all Christian people to whom these presents shall come. We agents for ye town of Newtown in ye County of Fairfield and Colony of Connecticut in New England authorized by ye sd Town by vote on December 14, 1714, to sign, seal and deliver an instrument on ye sd Town’s behalf unto Samuel Sanford and his heirs and assigns forever, that is to say a certain parcell of land lying under a mountain known by ye name of Pisga, that is to say, all ye land lying under sd mountain to ye bend of ye brook commonly called Pohtertuck Brook, so called, with all ye land belonging to us southward of ye sd mountain to ye farms called Old Farms all sd land thus granted bounding eastwardly on ye eastward bank of ye aforesaid brook to him ye sd Sanfor, his heirs and assigns forever, provided ye sd Sanford throw up with sizer in quantity out of his forty acres of mill land ye sd Sanford hath Liberty to take up ye same for part of his 60 acres pitch, provided that ye sd Sanford erecteth and buildeth a good grist mill sufficient for ye supply of ye Town of Newtown at or before ye 20th of August next, upon Pohtotuck Brook, provided that ye sd Sanford maketh a good mill seasonably, allways allowing suitable time for repairing or rebuilding, we ye above sd agents, in ye Town’s behalf, engage yt no other grist mill shall be erected to ye damage of sd Sanford so long as he sd Sanford doth supply ye sd Town with good mills and for ye full performance of ye above sd premises we bind ourselves, our heirs, executors or administrators or assigns forever. In witness hereof we have set our hands and seals in Newtown, this 14th day of December, 1714, in ye first year of our sovereign Lord George. Signed, sealed and delivered in presence of us.”

I’ve been looking at this off and on as I have had opportunity. It seems the school where the shootings happened is very close to the land of the grist mill, but more interestingly to me is the fact of how later the Sanford family developed an greater affiliation with the Sandy Hook area –

“Samuel Sanford was about 30 years of age when he came to Newtown from Milford, Conn. In 1711, the year Newtown was incorporated a town, he was one of three chosen as selectmen at the first annual town meeting, Dec. 4, 1711. William Atwater Sanford, sixth generation in direct line of descent, who has compiled a book of the Sanford family, has this to say of him: “He was the father of ten children, seven of them born in Milford and three in Newtown.” Of John, second grandson of John Sanford, the writer says: “He was one of the largest landholders in Sandy Hook. He was called ‘Squire John.”

Interesting the list of biblical names,  Samuel, David, John and Elijah . . . as well as was the shooter and his father, Adam and Peter Lanza. Just for FYI, the name Lanza means a lance or spear maker, or a weapon maker.  Also, remember that the purpose of the mill was to grind the grain to serve the local farmers of the area . . . which is done for the purpose of making baked goods, breads. Bread of course is historically known as the “staff of life,” as noted in the historical documentation of the mill seen below –

The articles of agreement were duly signed and witnessed, work on the foundation was immediately commenced and in due time the mill, with a limited assortment of machinery, was announced as ready for use. What a real treasure a good picture of the first mill would be to the antiquarian of today! No need that it be large, for the town called for one only large enough to furnish 50 families and it could be enlarged as necessity required. The records give no account of public celebration over its completion, but we can have no doubt that in the homes of those godly families prayers of thanksgiving were offered to the Giver of all good that, in addition to the blessings in their personal and family life by having a minister settled among them, they were also to have the means wherewith the grain they raised could be the more easily and effectually transformed into the “staff of life.”

Just scratching my head here with a quick thought, is it possible this tragedy is perhaps a sign of the Church’s sad failure to adhere to the Gospel covenant and an indication of the judgment coming against those failing to rightly divide, live and preach according to the Word . . . because as stewards thereof, they are not being found faithful in their handling of this Gospel of the ultimate Bread of Life?

John 6:33 For the bread of God is He which comes down from heaven, and gives life unto the world.

John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that comes to Me shall never hunger; and he that believes on Me shall never thirst.

John 6:48 I am that bread of life.

John 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

Have we the church failed by loving the world departed from our first love and become guilty of seeking more to be possessors of this world then takers of the Kingdom? Servants who were once was profitable . . . but now increasing in debt (sin)… is this the state of the church today in America? See what history records of the latter days of the Stanford owned  mill, not necessarily servicing the local farmers, but now catering to those who shipped their merchandised there for grinding and selling –

“…Oft repaired and somewhat dull from age, it serves the public, though not exactly as of old, when all the work was custom work, as the farmers raised the grain they used and the miller got his living from the toll he took for grinding, and laid by some cash for a rainy day. Now most of the grain for grinding, coming from the West, the farmer goes to mill with an empty wagon and money in his pocket, to return with his wagon full but pockets empty and, perchance, an increase of the debit side of the account.”

The head appears to be becoming the tail, the lender the borrower.

These are some verses that might be worthy of prayerful consideration  –

Am 9:9 For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.

1Sa 12:17 Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the LORD, and He shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking you a king.

Jer 23:28 The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD. 29 Is not My word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?30 Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal My words every one from his neighbour.31 Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith.32 Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause My people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD.

Jer 51:30 The mighty men of Babylon have forborn to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned her dwellingplaces; her bars are broken. 31 One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to shew the king of Babylon that his city is taken at one end, 32 And that the passages are stopped, and the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are affrighted. 33 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; The daughter of Babylon is like a threshingfloor, it is time to thresh her: yet a little while, and the time of her harvest shall come.

Mt 13:24  Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: 25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. 26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? 28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Links –

http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/ezra-levan-johnson/newtowns-history-and-historian-ezra-levan-johnson-snh/page-3-newtowns-history-and-historian-ezra-levan-johnson-snh.shtml

http://books.google.com/books?id=CAoWAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false 

 http://www.geni.com/people/Samuel-Sanford-of-Newtown/6000000004831285223

Here is part of the history from the links above . . .

All thoughts welcome . . .